exhalations containing enough alcohol to drug a wolf.
Lotus Blossom pushed the fellow away with the toe of her boot and ushered the still bedazed Hornsbuck inside. Mika stood outside, trying to think of what to do. It seemed unlikely that he would be able to persuade Hornsbuck to leave. Although his friend had recognized the woman, Mika knew that Hornsbuck was still bereft of his senses.
Mika liked to lift a drink as well as the next man, maybe even more, and having a drink had been part of his plan, but he did not like the look of the place and did not care to watch Hornsbuck drool in public. But since he could not propound an alternative, he sighed and tied the horse to a nearby post, leaving the soundly wheezing TamTur strapped over the roan's back. Then he entered the dark doorway, dragging the princess behind him. RedTail entered without hesitation, and Mika surmised that he had followed Hornsbuck into many such a place during their years together.
It took a while for Mika's eyes to adjust to the dark, and when they did, he was not overly encouraged, for the interior looked much the same as the exterior.
A long, low hearth, constructed of fieldstones, ran the entire length of the left-hand side of the building. An ox was spitted over the glowing embers, turned by a filthy, rag-clad urchin of indeterminate years and sex. Rabbits, pheasants, guinea hens, and marmots sizzled and browned on stakes suspended over the coals, and potatoes baked on flat rocks.
The wholesome smell of the cooking meat competed with the stench of whiskey, wine, and mead which had been spilled on the wooden floor until it could absorb no more and formed a tacky, sticky surface that gripped the foot in an unpleasant manner.
Mika made his way across the dark room, bumping into the occasional chair and table, all but unseen in the murk, for a dense cloud seemed to fill the upper level of the room, a permanent stratocumulus of smoke from the hearth and pipes of now-absent customers.
The woman had seated herself at a smallish table. Hornsbuck, still gripped by his confusion, stood alongside, not understanding what was required of him, his eyes vacant and foolish.
Mika slid into the chair meant for Hornsbuck. The woman stared at him with open displeasure and then glanced up at Hornsbuck, her eyes narrowing as she noticed, perhaps for the first time, that something was wrong.
'Who be yourself, and what be wrong with Hornsbuck?' she asked in a tighdy controlled voice.
'My name is Mika, and I am of Hornsbuck's clan,' Mika replied, kicking out at the princess as she tried to bite the underside of his thigh. 'Hornsbuck tangled with an umber hulk and was bravely felled. He was powerfully stunned and has failed to come out of the magical confusion, though it happened some time ago. I keep hoping he'll get better, but he hasn't yet.'
'Looks like you've got a few problems yourself,' said Lotus Blossom as she eyed Mika critically. Mika clutched his new cloak and straightened the pink silk turban with a chain-metaled hand, trying to look dignified.
'Hornsbuck's always been a bit confused,' said the woman. 'Needs me to take care of him. You leave him to me. I know something that'll fix him right up. Make yourself at home, Mika, we might be a while.'
Lotus Blossom rose from the table and, without another glance at Mika, slowly led the bemused Hornsbuck off by the hand. The last Mika saw of them, they were vanishing up a flight of stairs.
Mika heaved a large sigh and settled back in his chair as he examined the rest of the room, noting that on his right a large bar ran the length of the room. Shelves covered the walls and were filled with jars and bottles of every size and shape. Mika felt certain that they contained a wide variety of interesting and unusual liquors. Given the large number of foreigners who visited the city, such an assortment was probably necessary. His interest in the place began to quicken.
The room was barely lighted with a number of thick candles set in cheap pottery bowls. The tables and chairs were constructed of rough wood and were none too comfortable. RedTail pressed against his leg and began licking a spill of burgundy wine that had puddled on the table and dripped onto the floor.
The princess crouched beneath a chair, a grimace of distaste replacing the snarl that had become her one expression, as she lifted one paw and then another as though wishing she could levitate. Mika laughed.
The look of hatred returned, and then the princess leaped up onto a chair and began licking her footpads gingerly with obvious displeasure.
Realizing that he was likely to be there for a while, Mika went outside, untied Tam, carried him inside, and placed him beneath his chair where he would draw the least amount of attention. Then, raising his hand, he shook the money pouch in the air, clinking the few remaining coins together. A heartbeat later, the charcoal-smudged waif appeared at his side. Mika ordered food and a skin of wine. The princess sneered.
The food came. Mika ate his fill of sweet marmot meat and a bowl of stewed ground beans and onions. He ate till he could hold no more and then tossed the bones to the waiting wolves. Then he stretched and waited and looked toward the stairs, wondering when Hornsbuck would come back.
'Best be forgettin' them, laddie. You'll not be seein' them agin afore mornin', if then,' said a gravelly voice.
Mika turned around and saw a small man dressed in faded blue cotton seated at the table next to him. For a heartbeat, the very briefest of time, Mika thought that the fellow's eyes glowed an eerie shade of carneiian red. Mika started! He leaned forward, but it was gone-the man's eyes were brown.
'Take my word for it,' the man said, gesturing with a long-stemmed, white clay pipe. 'Our Lotus Blossom has strong urges.'
'You mean Hornsbuck and that… that… creature are, are…?' Too overcome for words, Mika rose to his feet, his hand reaching for his sword, his mind blanching at the horrible thought.
'Best hush, laddie,' said the man, laying a hand of caution on Mika's arm as he glanced around to see if any had overheard Mika's comments. 'Them as come in Jayne's think highly of Lotus Blossom. She's their champion. It would be unwise to insult her in their hearing. Also, yon nomad could do worse. She's a kx of woman.'
Mika fought back a shudder and forced his mind on to other thoughts. 'Jayne's, you say. That's the name of this… establishment?'
'Aye, finest international drinking parlor in the city. You'll find folks here from all over the known Oerth. I, myself, am from the ocean of Solnor.
'My captain and I, we come to bargain for a load of amber and hornwood. We stopped for a drink.' The man's eyes grew cloudy with remembrance. 'See there,' he said, pointing to a spot behind Mika.
Mika turned his head and saw a large wicker basket positioned beneath a small table. Squinting to focus, he saw that it was filled nearly to the brim with human arms that had been wrenched off at the shoulder. Mika felt the bile rising in his throat, but he fought it down as he stared at the fly-covered basket in helpless fascination.
'My captain accepted the woman's challenge,' continued the man, not appearing to notice Mika's discomfort, 'and now, here I am, stranded. She won all our money, as well as his life. I do odd jobs around the place to earn my keep.'
Mika choked down a cup of wine, too overcome to speak.
'Don't mind if I do,' said the fellow, pouring himself a cup. 'Nyr Baba's the name.'
'Forgive me, but your news has shaken me,' said Mika, who proceeded to introduce himself and pour another cup of wine as well.
Just about then, the ceiling began to shake, vibrating in a most frightening manner, rumbling like a herd of thunder ox on the rampage, showering the room with an accumulation of dust and debris that set the inhabitants to coughing. Mika shuddered and looked away as Nyr lifted his cup with a sly grin and toasted the unseen lovers.
They drank the remainder of the skin, and then Nyr ordered a second which Mika insisted on sharing with RedTail. Princess Julia continued to hold herself aloof, aside from glaring at Mika with her usual degree of hatred. Late in the evening, she was forced to give up her chair by a patron who ignored her snarls and dumped her unceremoniously onto the sticky floor. Tam snored on, oblivious to all around him, although Mika was pleased to notice that the lump on his head seemed to be subsiding.
Mika and Nyr shared tales of their lives and exploits, both real and imagined. As the hour grew later and the level of wine lower, they sank into confidences and Mika told Nyr the story of his last adventure. To his surprise, the man broke into laughter and collapsed on the table, holding his head and wheezing for breath.
'By the blood of the Great She-Wolf, mother of us all, it's true. I swear it!' sputtered Mika, swaying in his chair. 'Look, I'll even show you my finger.'
