Anne Logston - Shadow 01 - Shadow.pdf - Anne Logston - margozap

SHADOW

by Anne Logston

CHAPTER ONE

It was midmorning when Shadow rode into Allan mere in grand style in

a haycart. ragged, whistling and cheerfully broke. She jumped off at the

Sun Gate and stood breathing the aroma of the city, a heady melange of

baking bread, of tanning leather, of sweat and incense and dung.

A fruit vendor trudged past, pushing his heavily laden cart, and

Shadow charitably lightened his load by two apples with the merchant

none the wiser. Tossing one apple idly while munching on the other,

Shadow gazed wistfully at a vintner's stall, then resolutely turned her eyes

to the market ahead.

"Damn that Ragman and Filch," Shadow said mildly, feeding her apple

core to the nearest horse. Bad enough that they had taken all her gold,

leaving her bruised and unconscious by the roadside; bad enough that

they had taken her expensive, hand-crafted tools and weapons; but did

they have to take all of her wine?

Ah, but why waste her time on anger on this fine, sunny morning, when

the great city of Allan mere lay before her as fat and juicy as a pear ripe

for the picking? Oh, life was grand!

Shadow dropped the second apple on the ground, rolling it underfoot

until it was mushy, and scanned the market crowds at belt level—which,

for her, was only a little below eye level.

"Hey, you." She snagged a filthy street urchin running by. "Do me a

favor and I'll give you two coppers."

The boy eyed her skeptically.

"You got no money."

"I will if you do me the favor."

"Make it a Moon," the boy asserted.

"Half a Moon."

He considered.

"Done."

Shadow picked up the mushy apple.

"Go over there by that fruit stand and wait a few seconds. Then throw

this at the man in the blue velvet tunic and make sure it hits him good.

Then run."

The boy grinned and melted into the crowd. Shadow edged cautiously

nearer, then loitered by a basket stand, waiting for the ruckus. No one

would notice one more elf in this market.

SPLAT!

"What the—stop, you! Grab that boy!"

"Hey, off my foot, you oaf!"

CRASH!

"My pots! You broke my pots!"

"Watch out, you six-fathered idiot!"

"Watch yourself, you fumble-footed dolt!"

"My purse! Where's my purse?"

"Dung eater!"

"Hey, where's my—"

"Who's going to pay for my pots?"

"Son of a syphilitic cow!"

Shadow sidled back out of the crowd and walked nonchalantly into an

alley, where she crouched behind a mound of refuse to inspect the

contents of her now-heavy sleeves.

"Hey, how about my half Moon?" The boy was back, dirtier but

grinning.

Shadow counted coppers, then shrugged and handed the boy a Moon.

"You need another favor, just ask for me," he announced importantly.

"I'm Tig."

"Well, Tig, I'll add another copper if you can answer two questions,"

Shadow told him. "Who sells the best wine in the market?"

"That's easy." Tig grinned. "Master Walpert at the north end."

"And who sells the second-best?"

Tig thought for a moment.

"That'll be Master Ulm, over east by the slave stands."

Shadow surrendered the copper, waved at the boy's retreating back,

and began searching for a fountain. She took a few minutes to scrub the

worst of the grime from her hands and face, and pinned her thick black

braids into a semi-orderly coil behind her delicately pointed ears before

locating Master Walpert, who was busy stacking casks at his stall.

"Good day, master vintner," Shadow called.

Walpert turned, eyed Shadow's ragged clothing disdainfully, and hefted

another cask, his round face growing wine-colored with the effort.

"What do you want?" he grunted.

"Why, only a skin of your very finest wine, master." Shadow smiled, her

large black eyes wide and innocent. "What will you take for it?"

Walpert paused briefly for a second look at Shadow's clothing, sniffed

disdainfully, and returned to his stacking.

"Five Suns—if you have it, which I doubt."

To Walpert's amazement, Shadow pulled a fat pouch from her sleeve

and counted out five gold Suns, then shook her head and put them back.

"No, it's just not worth it." Shadow sighed. "It's a bit of a walk, but

Master Ulm offered for three Suns."

Walpert's eyes hungrily followed the pouch back into Shadow's sleeve.

"That Ulm!" he growled. "He waters his wine daily to cheapen it!"

"That's as may be, friend," Shadow said regretfully, "but I'm not rich

enough to spend five Suns when I can buy elsewhere for three. And after

what he said about your wine being sold too young—"

"WHAT?" Walpert bellowed. "Young! I'll break his lying neck! Adar

should wither his manhood, if it weren't too late!"

He fumbled for a skin and poured a mug full, thrusting it at Shadow.

"There, lady—taste that and learn the ripeness of Walpert's vintages!"

Shadow drained the mug in a remarkably short time, sighing in

satisfaction.

"Ah, now there's a wine to warm the stomach," she said, nodding.

"Ulm's wine did taste a little weak for all that, though he said you'd sell

short because half your wine had soured—"

" SOURED!!" Walpert roared, his already-florid face darkening to an

alarming hue. He grabbed a full skin and thrust it into Shadow's hands.

"And him telling such lies in the very market! There, my lady—nay, I'll not

have a copper of you! Drink it in good health, and tell your friends where

the real wine is sold in Allan mere!"

"Oh, indeed I shall," Shadow agreed warmly. "Indeed I shall, Master

Walpert, and Fortune favor you!"

Shadow looped the skin's strap over her belt and sauntered whistling

back into the market, surreptitiously liberating a meat pie from its tray

and munching contentedly. Oh, but the day was fine and life was grand!

She swigged from the wineskin, paused a moment, then turned east.

"Ah, fair morning to you, Master Ulm!" she called.

CHAPTER TWO

It was late evening when Shadow walked into the Silver Dragon Inn,

content and heavily laden, but so tired she could scarcely lift her feet. She

gave the innkeeper three Moons for three days' board without even

haggling, added another copper for a tub of hot water, and wearily

climbed the stairs to her room.

Half an hour later, she relaxed luxuriously in her tub while a handsome

bath boy scrubbed a week's accumulation of grime from her tanned skin.

She eyed the boy appreciatively and he looked back as frankly, but she was

so tired that even the prospect of a fine young man in her bed seemed

more trouble than it was worth, and at last she sent him away with more

than a little regret and a Moon in his pocket.

She toweled herself dry and attacked her wet hair with a comb, holding

the ebony lengths up high so they did not trail on the floor, then braided

and coiled it. The cool, wet hair felt good against the sore lump on the

back of her head—souvenir of her farewell caress from former

companions—and Shadow sighed happily, kicked her dirty rags into a

corner, and collapsed limply onto the bed. She pulled her pouch from

under the pillow and tipped its contents out onto the blankets.

Despite the day's purchases, she still had fifty Suns, thirty-three Moons,

and nearly fifty coppers. She poured them back into the pouch and picked

up her last piece of booty to examine it.

It was a light, filigreed bracelet, silver by the look of it, and set with

three deep blue-green skystones. The filigree was molded in delicately

carved leaves, flowers and vines around its entire length, with supporting

plate only at the clasp—which apparently was stuck, as it would not open.

Perhaps the young man who'd been carrying it in his pouch had been

taking it to a jewelsmith for repair.

Shadow chuckled again, sliding the too-large band on her own slim

wrist. It would be worth a good many Suns on the market, or perhaps she

would keep it against future poverty. She yawned broadly, tucked the

pouch back under her pillow, and slid under the covers.

Time enough to worry later. For now, she felt as if she could sleep three

Anne Logston - Shadow 01 - Shadow.pdf

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: