motif graven in the leather of the saddle bags, and embroidered into the canopy of yon houdah, and blazoned upon binding of rune-book. And …” Han narrowed his eyes, “—carved in the jade inset which Thull Drinnis even now wears in the ring of gold on the smallest finger of his left hand! Is it not indeed the skull and serpent crest of the Lamia Orbiquita herself? ”
Thull Drinnis, a weaselish ex-Kliihnite, at once thrust his left hand deep into the pocket of his baggy breeks, but not before everyone had seen the ring of which the wizard made mention. In the stony silence which ensued, Drinnis realized his error—his admittance of guilt of sorts—and knew that was not the way to go. So now he drew his hand into view and held it up so that the sun flashed from burnished gold.
“A trinket!” he cried. “I took it from her and I claim it as a portion of my share. What’s wrong with that? Now enough of this folly. Why are we here, Hylar and me? Last night we brought more wealth into this place than was ever dreamed of. Chlangi’s share alone will make each man and dog of you rich!”
“He’s right!” Hylar Arf took up the cry. “All of you rich—or else—” he turned accusingly to Fregg, “—or else our noble king would take it all for himself!”
And again the stony silence, but this time directed at Fregg where he sat upon his stool of office at his table of judgement. But Fregg was wily, more than a match for two such as Arf and Drinnis, and he was playing this game with loaded dice. Now he decided the time was ripe to let those dice roll. He once again came to his feet.
“People of Chlangi,” he said. “Loyal subjects. It appears to me that there are three things here to be taken into consideration. Three, er—shall we say ‘discrepancies’?—upon which, when they are resolved, Hylar and Thull’s guilt or innocence shall be seen to hang. Now, since my own interest in these matters has been brought into question, I shall merely present the facts as we know them, and you— all of you—shall decide the outcome. A strange day indeed, but nevertheless I now put aside my jury, my wizard, even my own perhaps self-serving opinions in this matter, and let you make the decision.” He paused.
“Very well, these are the facts:
“For long and long the laws of Chlangi have stood, and they have served us moderately well. One of these laws states that all—I repeat all —goods of value stolen without and fetched within these walls are to be divided in pre determined fashion: half to me, Chlangi’s rightful king, one third to them responsible for the catch, the remainder to the city. And so to the first discrepancy. Thull Drinnis here has seen fit to apportion himself a little more than his proper share, namely the ring upon his finger.”
“A trinket, as he himself pointed out!” someone at the back of the crowd cried.
“But a trinket of value,” answered Fregg, “whose worth would feed a man for a six-month! Let me say on:
“The second ‘discrepancy’—and one upon which the livelihoods and likely the very lives of each and every one of us depends—is this: that if what we have heard is true, good Hylar and clever Thull here have rid these parts forever of a terrible bane, namely the Lamia Orbiquita.”
“Well done, lads!” the cry went up. And: “What’s that for a discrepancy?” While someone else shouted, “The monster’s dead at last!”
“Hold!” Fregg bellowed. “We do not know that she is dead—and it were better for all if she is not! Wizard,” he turned to Arenith Han, ‘”what say you? They beat her, ravished her, pegged her out under the moon. Would she survive all that?”
“The beating and raping, aye,” answered Han. “Very likely she would. The staking out ’neath a full bright Gleeth: that would be sore painful, would surely weaken her nigh unto death. And by now—” he squinted at the sun riding up out of the east. “Now in the searing rays of
Thull Drinnis, a weaselish ex-Kliihnite, at once thrust his left hand deep into the pocket of his baggy breeks, but not before everyone had seen the ring of which the wizard made mention. In the stony silence which ensued, Drinnis realized his error—his admittance of guilt of sorts—and knew that was not the way to go. So now he drew his hand into view and held it up so that the sun flashed from burnished gold.
“A trinket!” he cried. “I took it from her and I claim it as a portion of my share. What’s wrong with that? Now enough of this folly. Why are we here, Hylar and me? Last night we brought more wealth into this place than was ever dreamed of. Chlangi’s share alone will make each man and dog of you rich!”
“He’s right!” Hylar Arf took up the cry. “All of you rich—or else—” he turned accusingly to Fregg, “—or else our noble king would take it all for himself!”
And again the stony silence, but this time directed at Fregg where he sat upon his stool of office at his table of judgement. But Fregg was wily, more than a match for two such as Arf and Drinnis, and he was playing this game with loaded dice. Now he decided the time was ripe to let those dice roll. He once again came to his feet.
“People of Chlangi,” he said. “Loyal subjects. It appears to me that there are three things here to be taken into consideration. Three, er—shall we say ‘discrepancies’?—upon which, when they are resolved, Hylar and Thull’s guilt or innocence shall be seen to hang. Now, since my own interest in these matters has been brought into question, I shall merely present the facts as we know them, and you— all of you—shall decide the outcome. A strange day indeed, but nevertheless I now put aside my jury, my wizard, even my own perhaps self-serving opinions in this matter, and let you make the decision.” He paused.
“Very well, these are the facts:
“For long and long the laws of Chlangi have stood, and they have served us moderately well. One of these laws states that all—I repeat all —goods of value stolen without and fetched within these walls are to be divided in pre determined fashion: half to me, Chlangi’s rightful king, one third to them responsible for the catch, the remainder to the city. And so to the first discrepancy. Thull Drinnis here has seen fit to apportion himself a little more than his proper share, namely the ring upon his finger.”
“A trinket, as he himself pointed out!” someone at the back of the crowd cried.
“But a trinket of value,” answered Fregg, “whose worth would feed a man for a six-month! Let me say on:
“The second ‘discrepancy’—and one upon which the livelihoods and likely the very lives of each and every one of us depends—is this: that if what we have heard is true, good Hylar and clever Thull here have rid these parts forever of a terrible bane, namely the Lamia Orbiquita.”
“Well done, lads!” the cry went up. And: “What’s that for a discrepancy?” While someone else shouted, “The monster’s dead at last!”
“Hold!” Fregg bellowed. “We do not know that she is dead—and it were better for all if she is not! Wizard,” he turned to Arenith Han, ‘”what say you? They beat her, ravished her, pegged her out under the moon. Would she survive all that?”
“The beating and raping, aye,” answered Han. “Very likely she would. The staking out ’neath a full bright Gleeth: that would be sore painful, would surely weaken her nigh unto death. And by now—” he squinted at the sun riding up out of the east. “Now in the searing rays of
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