The Haunted Wizard - Wiz in Rhym-6 by Christopher Stasheff Page A
Authors: Christopher Stasheff
Tags: Fiction, General, Fantasy fiction, Fiction - Fantasy, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction; American, Fantasy - General, Fantasy - Series, Wizards, American Science Fiction And Fantasy
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said grimly, "which is what's going to happen, when I have to tell the king I failed."
"Are you sure the man you fought was indeed the murderer, though?" Matt froze, the light dawning. Then he turned to Sir Orizhan with a smile. "No, I'm not. We really should try to make sure before I report in, shouldn't we? Come on, let's wake up this man and visit the crime scene."
Matt cured Sergeant Brock's headache by massaging his temples and reciting a verse. Then the two men led him deep into the twisting alleys of the oldest part of the town, to the Inn of the Courier Snail. They came in to find the common room silent, with sixteen very glum patrons, an extremely worried landlord with trembling serving wenches, and a dozen grim-faced soldiers stationed around the room, their halberds on guard, Merovencians on one side, Bretanglians on the other.
"I guess it really is a good thing we came," Matt said.
"Aye, milord, unless you wish the war to start here," Sir Orizhan said. The soldiers all looked up. The Merovencians smiled with relief, the Bretanglians glared. The civilians quaked.
Matt decided it was time to be authoritative. "I am Matthew Mantrell, Lord Wizard of Merovence, come to investigate this night's doings."
The Bretanglians turned surly. Matt was a lord and a knight, so they had to do what he said, unless Page 30
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they'd had orders not to—and they hadn't.
Matt strode up to the landlord. "Okay, mine host. Tell me what you saw."
"Very little, my lord," the man said quickly. "We were very busy, no time to be nosing into anything but business, when this horrible scream tore the room and we all turned to see the prince—well, we didn't know that's what he was then, did we? But we saw Laetri come flying down the stairs and slamming into the wall, with the prince stalking after her calling her a thief." Matt frowned. "Who's Laetri?"
"One of the regular prostitutes who visits here, my lord," the innkeeper said. Well, Matt hadn't really believed Gaheris was killed defending a maiden's honor. He fixed the innkeeper with a steely gaze. "And you didn't chase her out?"
The innkeeper squirmed. "This is a public house, my lord. I serve all who come."
"Of course, and I'm sure you don't charge extra for letting them use the rooms upstairs;—which they must have done, or the prince wouldn't have thrown Laetri down the steps." Matt said evenly, "You know that pimping is against the law, don't you?"
"I know," the innkeeper said with dread.
"And visiting a prostitute, too?"
"Yes," the innkeeper said in a faint voice. Then he rallied. "Why does the queen not make it a crime to be a prostitute?”
"Because prostitutes are usually victims, not perpetrators," Matt told him. "Very few of them choose their line of work. Most of them are forced into it by their pimps. For the rest, it's whore or starve." The innkeeper didn't look convinced, but few men wanted to believe the facts when it came to sexploitation. Matt said, "What happened when the prince caught up with Laetri?"
"He raised his hand to strike her again," the innkeeper said, "but Pargas, her pimp, stepped in to stop him and ask the reason for his anger, and the prince told him that Laetri had stolen his purse. She denied it, of course, and Pargas sided with her, again of course, and the prince struck at Pargas. Well, Pargas didn't know the man was royal, so he struck back, and this sergeant here"—he nodded at Brock—"stepped in to protect his prince, and in a few seconds the whole common room was one big brawl. I tried to stop it, but it was like spitting into the wind. Then Laetri screamed again …" He shuddered. "It was the worst scream I've ever heard, sir, and when we turned around, we all saw why—the prince lay there in a pool of his own blood, and Pargas stood over him, bloody but with his club in his hand. Then I saw a man trying to climb out the window, so I raised the hue and
"Are you sure the man you fought was indeed the murderer, though?" Matt froze, the light dawning. Then he turned to Sir Orizhan with a smile. "No, I'm not. We really should try to make sure before I report in, shouldn't we? Come on, let's wake up this man and visit the crime scene."
Matt cured Sergeant Brock's headache by massaging his temples and reciting a verse. Then the two men led him deep into the twisting alleys of the oldest part of the town, to the Inn of the Courier Snail. They came in to find the common room silent, with sixteen very glum patrons, an extremely worried landlord with trembling serving wenches, and a dozen grim-faced soldiers stationed around the room, their halberds on guard, Merovencians on one side, Bretanglians on the other.
"I guess it really is a good thing we came," Matt said.
"Aye, milord, unless you wish the war to start here," Sir Orizhan said. The soldiers all looked up. The Merovencians smiled with relief, the Bretanglians glared. The civilians quaked.
Matt decided it was time to be authoritative. "I am Matthew Mantrell, Lord Wizard of Merovence, come to investigate this night's doings."
The Bretanglians turned surly. Matt was a lord and a knight, so they had to do what he said, unless Page 30
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
they'd had orders not to—and they hadn't.
Matt strode up to the landlord. "Okay, mine host. Tell me what you saw."
"Very little, my lord," the man said quickly. "We were very busy, no time to be nosing into anything but business, when this horrible scream tore the room and we all turned to see the prince—well, we didn't know that's what he was then, did we? But we saw Laetri come flying down the stairs and slamming into the wall, with the prince stalking after her calling her a thief." Matt frowned. "Who's Laetri?"
"One of the regular prostitutes who visits here, my lord," the innkeeper said. Well, Matt hadn't really believed Gaheris was killed defending a maiden's honor. He fixed the innkeeper with a steely gaze. "And you didn't chase her out?"
The innkeeper squirmed. "This is a public house, my lord. I serve all who come."
"Of course, and I'm sure you don't charge extra for letting them use the rooms upstairs;—which they must have done, or the prince wouldn't have thrown Laetri down the steps." Matt said evenly, "You know that pimping is against the law, don't you?"
"I know," the innkeeper said with dread.
"And visiting a prostitute, too?"
"Yes," the innkeeper said in a faint voice. Then he rallied. "Why does the queen not make it a crime to be a prostitute?”
"Because prostitutes are usually victims, not perpetrators," Matt told him. "Very few of them choose their line of work. Most of them are forced into it by their pimps. For the rest, it's whore or starve." The innkeeper didn't look convinced, but few men wanted to believe the facts when it came to sexploitation. Matt said, "What happened when the prince caught up with Laetri?"
"He raised his hand to strike her again," the innkeeper said, "but Pargas, her pimp, stepped in to stop him and ask the reason for his anger, and the prince told him that Laetri had stolen his purse. She denied it, of course, and Pargas sided with her, again of course, and the prince struck at Pargas. Well, Pargas didn't know the man was royal, so he struck back, and this sergeant here"—he nodded at Brock—"stepped in to protect his prince, and in a few seconds the whole common room was one big brawl. I tried to stop it, but it was like spitting into the wind. Then Laetri screamed again …" He shuddered. "It was the worst scream I've ever heard, sir, and when we turned around, we all saw why—the prince lay there in a pool of his own blood, and Pargas stood over him, bloody but with his club in his hand. Then I saw a man trying to climb out the window, so I raised the hue and
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