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gold is a pittance for a jewel that would complete the Midnight collection," he said in a
voice as hypnotic as the light that caught the corners of the cuts and shimmered into a
depthless flash of infinity at every edge.
Mankarr drew in his breath. "It is as beautiful as I remember," he breathed. He looked
away in restraint. "Put it away, Altiss."
"1 have not brought this here to torture your senses," Bentol said softly. "I paid dearly for
this. And I will give it to you for less than half its worth.''
"If you get the payment you're asking, you are also giving away your life. Is it worth that?
Is any woman worth that?"
"I would give my life a hundred times for the Lady Sonan. You know it, Mankarr." He
hefted the jewel in his hands. "Four hundred fifty gold pieces and an invitation to the sale."
"No, Altiss." The merchant's voice was sharp, but his eyes still wandered to the trader's
hands.
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99
"Four hundred gold pieces."
"CUntner has a long and vengeful arm, Altiss. Crossing him is not worth the looks you
want from Lady Sonan." But Man-karr's eyes could not leave the stone, and the trader
continued to turn it so that it seemed to mesmerize the very light in the room.
4 "Three hundred fifty in gold, the matched pair of ivory bracelets in that cabinet, and the
favor."
"Altiss, you know what you are asking me to do," Mankarr almost wailed.
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Bentol went on relentlessly. "Three hundred pieces of gold, UK ivory bracelets, and the
favor. I will not go lower, Mankarr, and you'll never have this chance to hold the orb
again.''
Mankarr looked at the black orb once more and was lost. "I I will take the orb, Altiss, but
know that you make me pay also for your love with your life." He sighed. "Three hundred
pieces of gold and the matched pair of carved ivory bracelets." The merchant shook his
head. "They are yours," he said, "though how the Lady Sonan will receive them when
you're dead is beyond me."
"There is the matter of the sale."
Mankarr took a deep breath. "You may go."
' 'And the approximate amounts of the bids and a list of who will be buying what."
The dark-faced man looked at the trader. "You want to invoke the rule of ignorance to
allow you to bid for the girls? You were always more clever than the others, Altiss, though
Clintner and Nefarg would never admit it to themselves." He sighed. "Why you chose to
well, it's not my business." He looked back at the orb, then nodded. "You'll have the
information."
"Then this," Bentol said, turning the shimmering jewel in his hand once more, "is yours."
He tossed the orb from his hand, its flawless facets absorbing the very light of the moons
as it seemed to flow through the air to Mankarr. The merchant caught it and palmed the
jewel, rubbing it and staring into its infinite depths.
' *Ob Clintner expects to buy three girls.' * The merchant spoke without inflection, as if
passing sentence on a man already dead. "They are being sold in a group for a sum of over
two hundred goki pieces."
Dion's eyes widened. That was enough gold to buy all the
100 Tara K. Harper
land her father owned. Bentol was nodding, staring at the ceiling as if cataloging the
information in his mind.
"Clintner always carries an extra hundred pieces in case he sees something else he wants,"
Mankarr continued. "Aldor Copiandi expects to buy two virgins from the coast and a pair
of young boys for his cousin's home. He'll spend about 135 gold pieces on the four of them.
He rarely carries extra money." Mankarr paused, thought a moment, then went on.
"Toserva Nefarg has put in no bids, but he will bring upwards of a hundred pieces to tease
the bids of the others.
"Edihana Metrinadon seeks a new bevy, and the bids for these girls are the only bids not
yet frozen. He has also been promised five dancers from the halls of Cortin and at least two
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pretty faces to keep him company at night. He will buy the dancers on the basis of their
performance tonight. The man has never been predictable; I would guess his money pouch
at two hundred pieces for the night.
"Newton Donquoan is not buying tonight. He usually carries thirty pieces to pay for his
pleasures. You remember Bart Llew-ellin?" Mankarr asked the trader, and when Bentol
nodded, he continued. ' 'He is buying the daughter of Truss Edithewton for revenge. He's
willing to pay at least one hundred gold pieces for her stolen body, and he'l! be carrying
about forty extra pieces of gold, maybe fifty, in case the bid is prompted higher."
' 'Who is buying last?''
"Clintner. He wants to make sure none of the others have money left for bidding when his
prizes come up. This deal is important to him."
Bentol nodded. "As I figure it, I only need to cover bets over five hundred pieces of gold in
case Clintner borrows from the extra money that'll still be floating around. I have more
than enough. The Lady Sonan emptied her purse to see her daughters again."
"I didn't know Lloroi Dannon was so well off."
"He isn't." Bentol smiled grimly. "But with my funds also and the help of a few careless
raiders we met on the way, we have more than enough to finish here." The two men rose.
"By the way," Bentol mentioned, "the street has it that there is a door in your basement
that leads to the cellar of the Hanging Sword Tavern."
"Oh?" Mankarr looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'll look
WOLFWALKER
101
into it." There was the sound of another carriage in the courtyard, and Mankarr looked
soberly at the trader. "There is just one other thing before we join the sale: I tied when I
said the raiders had marked the girls already. They have not been touched. It was part of
the deal." He rose and gestured for Bentol to follow. Bentol, furtively relieved, made the
sign of the blessing at Mankarr's words, then motioned for Rhom, Dion, and the Gray One
to stay in the room.
"Rhom," Dion hissed. "Did you hear that? Bentol and Lady Sonan?"
"I heard, but I can't believe it."
"It explains why Bentol and Gamon are always fighting."
Her twin nodded briefly and got up to pace the room. After a minute he paused and looked
around. "I bet it's why Bentol doesn't stay here in Sidisport. Look at this place he's got
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zanotowane.pldoc.pisz.plpdf.pisz.plkwiatpolny.htw.pl
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| Cytat |
Dobre pomysły nie mają przeszłości, mają tylko przyszłość. Robert Mallet
De minimis - o najmniejszych rzeczach.
Dobroć jest ważniejsza niż mądrość, a uznanie tej prawdy to pierwszy krok do mądrości. Theodore Isaac Rubin
Dobro to tylko to, co szlachetne, zło to tylko to, co haniebne.
Dla człowieka nie tylko świat otaczający jest zagadką; jest on nią sam dla siebie. I z obu tajemnic bardziej dręczącą wydaje się ta druga. Antoni Kępiński (1918-1972)
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