Stasheff, Christopher Wizard in Rhyme 6 Haunted Wizard

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.His lips moved, but the sound seemed tocome from Matt in Matt's own voice."Lasses who don't wish it, aye but will he throw me out forstroking those who like it? Might you be one such?""I am none such!" the girl declared, and pivoted away crying."Master! Here's an unabashed womanizerfor certain!"The innkeeper bulled his way to the table just as Matt's voice was saying, "None such is nonesuch, and anonesuch is a thing of great rarity, and a virtuous woman is a rare thing indeed.Next she will be tellingme she is a virgin!""I am a virgin!" the serving maid cried."I will not permit harassment, countryman," the innkeeper warned."Meant?" Matt's voice asked."Well, if her ""I didn't say that," Matt interrupted."Indeed! Then how was it your voice I heard? I tell you, fellow, I'll not have my serving maids touched!""Saving them all for yourself, are you?" Matt's voice asked.The innkeeper reddened."Enough!" He grabbed Matt by the tunic and yanked him to his feet."I'll serveyou no longer! Out of my inn, fellow, and a cold wet night to you!""You may not speak so to a lord!" Sir Orizhan snapped, rising and grasping his sword."A lord, is it?" The innkeeper turned on Sir Orizhan."A lord, dressed in a peasant's smock? And Isuppose you are his knight, and the other your squire?""Don't blow our cover!" Matt hissed.Sir Orizhan ignored him."You have guessed the truth of it, landlord.Now unhand His Lordship or "file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20krui.zard%20in%20Rhyme%2006%20-%20Haunted%20Wizard.html (95 of 329)20-2-2006 21:41:52Stasheff, Christopher Wizard in Rhyme 6 Haunted Wizard"Take him, then!" The innkeeper threw Matt at Sir Orizhan.Sergeant Brock shouted in anger and swung his staff at the innkeeper, who leaped back, letting the staffswing by to crack across the shoulders of another patron.The man leaped to his feet with a howl andwaded in swinging.The serving maid screamed and backed away, her tray up as a shield.Matt spun away from Sir Orizhan and blocked the man's haymaker."Now, wait a minute.We didn'tmean to ""A coward!" the man cried, and slammed a punch at Matt's midriff.The innkeeper yanked a short cudgel from his belt and swung at Sergeant Brock.Matt blocked again and counterpunched.The man's mates howled and leaped into the fight.Sergeant Brock blocked with one end of his staff and swung with the other.He caught the landlord onthe hip.The steady customers shouted in anger and jumped on Brock.The innkeeper stamped on Matt's toe and swung his cudgel.Matt shouted with pain even as he ducked.He heard the stick strike somebody, hoped it was the bauchan, and caught the innkeeper's wrist.He wasabout to twist when another fist caught him on the cheek.He staggered away, feeling somebody catchhim.The spell he'd readied to use on Buckeye hovered on his lips, but he remembered that these weregood, ordinary men fighting to defend their own, and choked it down.Whoever had caught him threwhim back at the innkeeper just in time to meet the stick swinging down but Matt doubled over andkept on going, butting the innkeeper in the stomach.The man's breath went out in a whoosh as heslammed back against the wall.The move lacked elegance and finesse, but it did give Matt a softerlanding.He scrambled back up, cocked a fist and felt a dozen hands grab him.Five minutes later he landed in a puddle outside the door with a score of bruises.He started to struggleto his feet, but his pack came sailing to strike him square in the kidneys, knocking him full-length in thepuddle.Four more splashes told him Sir Orizhan, Sergeant Brock, and their packs had landed, too."And stay out!" the innkeeper bellowed, then slammed the door behind him.A hairy hand reached down for Matt."Let me help you up."Matt looked into the ugly grinning face of the bauchan, and snatched his arm away."No, thanks.I cando without your kind of help."file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20krui.zard%20in%20Rhyme%2006%20-%20Haunted%20Wizard.html (96 of 329)20-2-2006 21:41:52Stasheff, Christopher Wizard in Rhyme 6 Haunted Wizard"That's unjust." The creature actually sounded wounded."I can be a great help, when I've a mind.""Yeah, but I don't trust your mind." Matt struggled to his feet and looked down at his sodden, muddyclothes."This isn't what I'd call assistance.""Ah, but that was when I meant you ill," the bauchan said, grinning, "to show you what can happen ifyou seek to be rid of me.If I mean you well, it will be just as striking."The look Matt gave him verged on mayhem."Don't talk to me about striking.""Nor to me," Sergeant Brock groaned, struggling to his feet."Why did you not use your magic againstthem, Lord Wizard?""I thought of it," Matt admitted, "but I remembered that they're good plain folk, fighting to defend afriend and his inn.They didn't deserve to be blasted."Brock looked up at him in surprise."You're an odd lord, to be so caring about the common folk."That's because I'm really a commoner, too.But Matt couldn't say that out loud.Instead he said, "I'mmarried to a queen who cares for every single one of her people, Sergeant, and that's one of the qualitiesthat made me fall in love with her."Sergeant Brock turned away, looking very thoughtful, and helped Sir Orizhan to his feet.The bauchanasked, "What sort of spell would you have used on them, wizard?""Oh, one like this," Matt answered."Pleasures are like poppies spreadYou seize the flower, its bloom is shed;Or like the snow falls in the riverA moment white then melts forever.Thus let be a bauchan's presence,Here some minutes, then gone for pleasance."Buckeye squalled in shock and surprise as an invisible hand caught him up and whirled him into a tinydot that winked out.They listened to the sudden peaceful susurrus of rainfall.Then Sergeant Brockfile:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20krui.zard%20in%20Rhyme%2006%20-%20Haunted%20Wizard.html (97 of 329)20-2-2006 21:41:52Stasheff, Christopher Wizard in Rhyme 6 Haunted Wizardquavered, "He seemed to stay where he was, yet was also whisked far away.""Very perceptive, Sergeant That's exactly what happened.""How can that be, Lord Wizard?""Oh, it's not hard.It's just a question of where he was being whisked, and in what direction.""Where?" Sir Orizhan asked, staring in awe."Into another dimension," Matt said, "and as to direction, it was at right angles to the three we know [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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