Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

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Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html Starting low, Megan thought, translating the amounts into Dragonclaws, the haggling-mind locking in. Damn low. Hard bargainer; I wouldn't have thought it. But he's full of surprises . "It seems we should wait till Shkai'ra shows more," she said, coldly polite. "Your average Schvait mercenary earns oneankarye a day, or thirty or so a month. Youraverage," —she drew the word out and let it hang in the air for a beat—"Schvait." "No, no," Chevenga said. "That's silverankaryel . I should have specified, sorry: gold." Megan blinked before she could stop herself. Gold was ten times silver, for Yeoliankaryel. Koru, we're haggling, but it's the wrong way round . With a slight motion Shkai'ra dug a sharp elbow into her ribs. No, we shouldn't wait till tomorrow. That's what she's thinking, too. He might come to his senses and change his mind . "Done," she said. "I'll send word to Peraila," he said. "Megan, you'll work under me, no one else; and not a soul's to know anything of your gift. You Zak are used to that anyhow, aren't you?" "Dah. Understood,kras ." He held out his hands again, outlining the oath for going on the strength.Swear by our own faiths , Megan inwardly repeated his words.Yes, he knows how to run an allied army . Shkai'ra drew a dagger, pricked her thumb and let a drop fall on the steel, "By Zaik Victory-Begetter and World-Devourer, by Baiwun and Jaiwun and the Steel Spirit and the souls of the Ancestors, my will is yours, Fourth Zh'ven'ghkua, may the Refought Godwar burn the world and the Ztrateke ahKommanz spurn me if I forswear." Megan shielded her eyes as if from a bright light. "By the Lady and the Lord's Shadow, may I freeze and roast in Halya, Great Bear devour my soul if I swear false." Chevenga gripped his crystal.What, he's swearing an oath too? That's different . "All-spirit hear me: I shall not fail or hold cheap the lives and good of those who have relinquished their wills to me, Megan Whitlock and Shkai'ra Mek Kermak's Kin, Second Fire come if I lie." Then he flashed a grin like a boy who'd just sworn a friendship oath. "Right. Beer?" "Zilk, linen, azorted other useful zupplies. Highest k-vality,very reasonable price. I understand you haf much need of rubber here—spring-black? Substance dat stretch, bounce? Never mind, I talk to storemaster. Sorry I zo late, vanted to make it in tonight because owf deh rain, here's deh inventory, you read Enshian?" The sentry didn't. Matthas had to go down the whole list with him, in his best Thanish accent, using his mantle to shield it from the rain driving down out of a pitch-black midnight sky, while letting in enough light from the man's torch-hook to see without setting the mantle on fire. "Dere iss name, Goonter Frahnzsson, of Neubonn, dat's, in Enshian, high g-o-o-n-t…" He spoke in a non-stop monotone. "Neubonn, dat's Neubonn, high n-e-u, you've never heard owf? Vere you from? Never mind, no offense, high n-e-u-b-o-n-n, iss off Vechaslaf, tributary owf Brezhan…" Soon enough the man cleared him, giving him the storemaster's name. "Yo-oh! For-vard!" The caravan lumbered into the section on the edge of the allied camp designated for hucksters.
Und now I vind dose two—Celestialis, I'm Jikken thinking in it. To the better, really, that he thought and felt his part as well as spoke it; he'd more likely react in character in a crisis.But it's damned irritating after this long . Almost a month, to catch the fikken Yeolis and their allies, now stabbing deep into the Empire along the Eastern Wing highway; long enough both to get used to going without gloves and acquire a fair tan on the backs of his hands. Like eating mutton instead of beef, so he didn't smell Arkan; they hadn't thought of teaching that in spy-school, but to his mind it was a basic precaution. The trip had been happily uneventful, the one rough spot coming when one of the hirelings had turned out to be Thanish of all things, her face lighting up when she'd found out, or thought she'd found out, his nationality. Her tongue had launched into a great long string of fast non-stop Thanish, of which he could understand not a syllable. "Ve not speak dat in de new country, only in olt," he snapped back. She'd bought it, but for a time his heart had beat at a speed he really was too old for. From then on he'd avoided her. And I find those two, he continued his thought.Anddo what I have to. Whatever it takes . Next order of business, make some contact with the Arkan army, if he could find one, that opposed this circus of sixty-thousand, for a source of aid and an escape route already paved in case of trouble. Hopefully he could find someone of high-rank who wasn't a complete moron, though the Yeolis had been cutting the smart ones down—one of his favorite tactics, that brilliant lunatic ex-gladiator barbarian whoreson, because he knows damn well smart Arkan generals are rare. They wouldn't know he was out of favor with his superior, with orders to work alone; one thing he'd learned to count on, dealing with the Empire's lumbering mastodon of an administration, was that the left hand never knew what the right hand was doing unless it read it in thePages , which would solemnly report that it had eight fingers. VII Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html Megan woke up with Fishhook hopping over her face, velvet wings flapping. She pulled the blanket up and tried to ignore the fact that she wasn't asleep anymore. She never slept well anyway while they were on the road; Shkai'ra snored.Fish-guts —it's still dark. The Kommanza wiggled out of the covers and got up. It was still overcast out, though it had stopped raining. Megan told herself she must be asleep, because she'd heard Sova.I must be drea — "ZAIK DAMNED YOUR MAGGOT-EATEN SOUL, YOU SHEEPRAPING STEERFUCKING LITTLE BITCHCOLT, WHAT THE ZOWEITZUM ARE YOU DOING HERE? I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR UNPADDED ASS ALL THE WAY BACK HOME THEN WALLOP IT UNTIL YOU RIDE STANDING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!" Oh. Sovaishere . Resignedly Megan threw back the covers and clambered out.Nobody's going to get any sleep around here now . From other tents all around, she could hear angry mutters, curses and yells to shut up. Fishhook yawnedsleepsleep and crawled under the pillow. Shkai'ra spoke in something more like words. "And howdid you get here?"
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Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

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