Read Online Scorpio Invasion by Alan Burt Akers - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alan Burt Akers
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breechclout and ferocious Krozair longsword who went swinging about the world of Kregen righting wrongs, defending the weak and rescuing damsels in distress. Yet he treated me with indifferent ease as an equal. I liked that. Also, he may have dodged classes; he was almost a fully-fledged Wizard of Loh. He still had a very great deal to learn and master in his arcane arts. Even Deb-Lu and Khe-Hi and Ling-Li developed their skills as time went by. But he was not the loutish ignoramus deserving of being thrown out of Whonban.
“All right,” I said. “Rollo what?”
“Oh, I’ll think about that later.”
Maybe that was one of his problems. That he put things off.
“I have,” I said, changing the subject to one of vital importance. “I have just one gold piece, two silvers and seven coppers. You, I take it, have no cash.” This was what was left of the guards’ purses.
He shook his head. “You take it aright, Drajak.”
“If the message got through to Khe-Hi and if Deb-Lu gets it, and if so when the Lord Farris sends the two vollers — well by a Herrelldrin Hell! We may have a long wait ahead of us, Rollo my lad!”
He nodded, suddenly glum. In truth, the prospect was not pleasing.
“Anyway,” I said, voicing an itch that had been worriting away at me. “How did that lot find out you were a Wizard of Loh?”
He looked resentful. “I had a bad dream and started up, yelling damn fool things that branded me. There was no denying it.”
“Well, don’t have any bad dreams around me, sunshine!”
“Not if I can help it, Sudden.”
As I say, a sprightly young spark.
The plan I concocted was simple. Keeping out of the way we found cheap lodgings. I’d have preferred to have found another boat and gone on downriver; but we had to stay here to await the airboats. The nightly charge was one short silver. One of the silvers I had was short, the other broad, so that was three nights at least. We’d have to eat on the coppers and use the gold, changed into silvers, to keep a roof over our heads. “We will have to pull our belts in, my lad.”
“I’ve been hungry before.”
One scheme I’d immediately thought of and then reluctantly discarded was to march out into the country and camp rough. Decadent and decayed though Walfarg was, they continued a strong patrol and watch force and vagrants were harshly dealt with. This is not uncommon. I did not wish to spend the time waiting in the local lockup, which looked unhealthy.
If it came to it, mind you, we’d have to do that. We’d be fed. And we’d have to break out when the vollers arrived.
If they did.
The time it would take for a voller to fly down from Vallia would depend on her speed. I felt I could rely on Farris to send the fastest he could spare. The problem lay in what he could spare. There continued to be trouble in voller manufacture. Emperor Nedfar of Hamal was doing what he could, and his son Tyfar, and Delia and my Lela were out there by the viciously hostile Mountains of the West of Hamal trying to sort out the problem. I fretted over their welfare.
So Farris might not be able to send of the best. Our money was down to four silvers, only one of which was broad, and we were using the silvers to feed ourselves as well as pay for the lodgings. If nothing arrived soon, I’d have to think again.
The lodging house, not a real inn at all, was known simply as Mother Molly’s. The smell of cooking permeated the place. The stairs were a greasy death trap. Still, this was far cheaper than an inn or tavern.
We had to get out for a breath of fresh air. Well, who could blame us for that? Inevitably, one day someone from the crew spotted Ra-Lu-Quonling. We started off running up the street and immediately there was a pack of them howling on our heels. Ra-Lu ran. As we skidded around a corner and headed past the fish market, he panted out: “I know what I shall call myself. By the Seven Arcades! I shall be Rollo the Runner!”
“Save your breath,
“All right,” I said. “Rollo what?”
“Oh, I’ll think about that later.”
Maybe that was one of his problems. That he put things off.
“I have,” I said, changing the subject to one of vital importance. “I have just one gold piece, two silvers and seven coppers. You, I take it, have no cash.” This was what was left of the guards’ purses.
He shook his head. “You take it aright, Drajak.”
“If the message got through to Khe-Hi and if Deb-Lu gets it, and if so when the Lord Farris sends the two vollers — well by a Herrelldrin Hell! We may have a long wait ahead of us, Rollo my lad!”
He nodded, suddenly glum. In truth, the prospect was not pleasing.
“Anyway,” I said, voicing an itch that had been worriting away at me. “How did that lot find out you were a Wizard of Loh?”
He looked resentful. “I had a bad dream and started up, yelling damn fool things that branded me. There was no denying it.”
“Well, don’t have any bad dreams around me, sunshine!”
“Not if I can help it, Sudden.”
As I say, a sprightly young spark.
The plan I concocted was simple. Keeping out of the way we found cheap lodgings. I’d have preferred to have found another boat and gone on downriver; but we had to stay here to await the airboats. The nightly charge was one short silver. One of the silvers I had was short, the other broad, so that was three nights at least. We’d have to eat on the coppers and use the gold, changed into silvers, to keep a roof over our heads. “We will have to pull our belts in, my lad.”
“I’ve been hungry before.”
One scheme I’d immediately thought of and then reluctantly discarded was to march out into the country and camp rough. Decadent and decayed though Walfarg was, they continued a strong patrol and watch force and vagrants were harshly dealt with. This is not uncommon. I did not wish to spend the time waiting in the local lockup, which looked unhealthy.
If it came to it, mind you, we’d have to do that. We’d be fed. And we’d have to break out when the vollers arrived.
If they did.
The time it would take for a voller to fly down from Vallia would depend on her speed. I felt I could rely on Farris to send the fastest he could spare. The problem lay in what he could spare. There continued to be trouble in voller manufacture. Emperor Nedfar of Hamal was doing what he could, and his son Tyfar, and Delia and my Lela were out there by the viciously hostile Mountains of the West of Hamal trying to sort out the problem. I fretted over their welfare.
So Farris might not be able to send of the best. Our money was down to four silvers, only one of which was broad, and we were using the silvers to feed ourselves as well as pay for the lodgings. If nothing arrived soon, I’d have to think again.
The lodging house, not a real inn at all, was known simply as Mother Molly’s. The smell of cooking permeated the place. The stairs were a greasy death trap. Still, this was far cheaper than an inn or tavern.
We had to get out for a breath of fresh air. Well, who could blame us for that? Inevitably, one day someone from the crew spotted Ra-Lu-Quonling. We started off running up the street and immediately there was a pack of them howling on our heels. Ra-Lu ran. As we skidded around a corner and headed past the fish market, he panted out: “I know what I shall call myself. By the Seven Arcades! I shall be Rollo the Runner!”
“Save your breath,
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