Read Online MA06 Little Myth Marker by Robert Asprin - Free Book Online
Authors: Robert Asprin
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Do you want her to disappear?”
I couldn’t even manage a spark of anger. “You know better than that, Gus,” I said quietly. “You’re hurting and lashing out at whoever’s handy, which happens to be me. I didn’t try to get her to stay for the same reason you didn’t try harder. She feels we’re stifling her, and if she wants out, it’d be pretty small of us to try to keep her for our own sakes, wouldn’t it?”
There was prolonged silence, which was fine by me. I didn’t feel much like talking anymore.
Rising, I started for the door.
“You were looking the other way when she left,” the gargoyle said. “You might like to know there were tears in her eyes.”
“Mine too,” I replied without turning. “That’s why I was looking the other way.”
WITH A HEAVY heart, I headed back home. I was no longer worried about Aahz yelling at me. If anything, I was rather hoping he would. If he did, I decided that for a change I wouldn’t even argue back. In short, I felt terrible and was in the mood to do a little penance.
Sliding through the tent flap, I cocked an ear and listened for Aahz. Actually, I was a little surprised that I couldn’t hear him from the street, but I was sure I would be able to locate his position in the house with no difficulty. As I’ve said before, my partner has no problem expressing his moods, particularly anger.
The house was silent.
From the lack of reverberations and/or falling plaster, I assumed that Aahz was out ... probably looking for me with blood in his eye. I debated going out to look for him, but decided that it would be better to wait right here. He’d be back eventually, so I headed for the garden to make myself comfortable until he showed up.
What I call the garden is actually our courtyard. It has a fountain and an abundance of plants, so I tend to think of it as a piece of the outdoors rather than as an enclosed area. I had been spending more and more time there lately, especially when I wanted time to think. It reminded me of some of the quieter spots I would find from time to time back when I was living on my own in the woods ... back before I met Garkin, and, through him, Aahz.
That memory led me to ponder a curious point: Were there other successful beings, like myself, who used their new prosperity to recreate the setting or atmosphere of their pre-success days? If so, it made for a curious cycle.
I was so preoccupied with this thought as I entered the garden that I almost missed the fact that I wasn’t alone. Someone else was using my retreat ... specifically, Aahz.
He was sitting on one of the stone benches, chin in his hands and elbows on his knees, staring blankly into the water as it flowed through the fountain.
To say the least, I was surprised. Aahz has never been the meditative type, particularly in times of crisis. He’s more the “beat on someone or something until the problem goes away” type. Still, here he was, not agitated, not pacing, just sitting and staring. It was enough out of character for him to unnerve me completely.
“Umm ... Hi, Aahz,” I said hesitantly.
“Hello, Skeeve,” he replied without looking around.
I waited for a few moments for him to say something else. He didn’t. Finally I sat down on the bench next to him and stared at the water myself a bit.
We sat that way for a while, neither of us saying anything. The trickling water began to have a tranquilizing, hypnotic effect on me, and I found my mind starting to relax and drift.
“It’s been quite a day, hasn’t it, partner?”
My mind reflexively recoiled into a full defensive posture before it dawned on me that Aahz was still speaking quietly.
“Y ... Yes.”
I waited, but he seemed off in his own thoughts again. My nerves shot, I decided to take the initiative. “Look, Aahz. About Markie...”
“Yes?”
“I knew about the Elemental School thing. She told me on the way back from the Geek’s. I just didn’t know enough to realize it was
I couldn’t even manage a spark of anger. “You know better than that, Gus,” I said quietly. “You’re hurting and lashing out at whoever’s handy, which happens to be me. I didn’t try to get her to stay for the same reason you didn’t try harder. She feels we’re stifling her, and if she wants out, it’d be pretty small of us to try to keep her for our own sakes, wouldn’t it?”
There was prolonged silence, which was fine by me. I didn’t feel much like talking anymore.
Rising, I started for the door.
“You were looking the other way when she left,” the gargoyle said. “You might like to know there were tears in her eyes.”
“Mine too,” I replied without turning. “That’s why I was looking the other way.”
WITH A HEAVY heart, I headed back home. I was no longer worried about Aahz yelling at me. If anything, I was rather hoping he would. If he did, I decided that for a change I wouldn’t even argue back. In short, I felt terrible and was in the mood to do a little penance.
Sliding through the tent flap, I cocked an ear and listened for Aahz. Actually, I was a little surprised that I couldn’t hear him from the street, but I was sure I would be able to locate his position in the house with no difficulty. As I’ve said before, my partner has no problem expressing his moods, particularly anger.
The house was silent.
From the lack of reverberations and/or falling plaster, I assumed that Aahz was out ... probably looking for me with blood in his eye. I debated going out to look for him, but decided that it would be better to wait right here. He’d be back eventually, so I headed for the garden to make myself comfortable until he showed up.
What I call the garden is actually our courtyard. It has a fountain and an abundance of plants, so I tend to think of it as a piece of the outdoors rather than as an enclosed area. I had been spending more and more time there lately, especially when I wanted time to think. It reminded me of some of the quieter spots I would find from time to time back when I was living on my own in the woods ... back before I met Garkin, and, through him, Aahz.
That memory led me to ponder a curious point: Were there other successful beings, like myself, who used their new prosperity to recreate the setting or atmosphere of their pre-success days? If so, it made for a curious cycle.
I was so preoccupied with this thought as I entered the garden that I almost missed the fact that I wasn’t alone. Someone else was using my retreat ... specifically, Aahz.
He was sitting on one of the stone benches, chin in his hands and elbows on his knees, staring blankly into the water as it flowed through the fountain.
To say the least, I was surprised. Aahz has never been the meditative type, particularly in times of crisis. He’s more the “beat on someone or something until the problem goes away” type. Still, here he was, not agitated, not pacing, just sitting and staring. It was enough out of character for him to unnerve me completely.
“Umm ... Hi, Aahz,” I said hesitantly.
“Hello, Skeeve,” he replied without looking around.
I waited for a few moments for him to say something else. He didn’t. Finally I sat down on the bench next to him and stared at the water myself a bit.
We sat that way for a while, neither of us saying anything. The trickling water began to have a tranquilizing, hypnotic effect on me, and I found my mind starting to relax and drift.
“It’s been quite a day, hasn’t it, partner?”
My mind reflexively recoiled into a full defensive posture before it dawned on me that Aahz was still speaking quietly.
“Y ... Yes.”
I waited, but he seemed off in his own thoughts again. My nerves shot, I decided to take the initiative. “Look, Aahz. About Markie...”
“Yes?”
“I knew about the Elemental School thing. She told me on the way back from the Geek’s. I just didn’t know enough to realize it was
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