Gary Gygax - Dangerous Journeys 2 - Samarkand Solution Read Free Page A

They meant to have a foreigner admitted to show that /Egypt, Innu University, and the kheri-hebu were modern and progressive. "We'll see about that!" the magister murmured aloud as he began to walk more swiftly despite the still oppressive heat.
    He had taken a suite of rooms at the Golden Nylle. As its name suggested, the inn was on the bank of the river. It was very posh and attracted the trade of those on business with the government of the sepat, for it was only a long block from the offices of the district's government and the palace of Governor Prince Harphosh. Golden was appropriate too, in that the inn charged more for a night's stay than many men earned in a month. The magister didn't mind that so much as its location. He wanted now to be near the university district, the main avenues of Innu's activity. The Golden Nylle was as far from that as any place he might have found in the city, and now he had a long walk ahead of him. Perhaps he might have hired a sedan chair or even a chariolet, but such a conveyance seemed distasteful to him unless time demanded speedy travel. Instead, Inhetep went west and angled south. There were shortcuts he knew, and by taking the narrow, winding and angling streets and alleys of the old section of Innu, and passing through the dilapidated waterfront of the commercial quarter, he knew he could shorten his walk by a mile.
    It was blazingly hot as Inhetep neared the river, and as he decided to move to a more centrally located hostel next morning, the tall wizard-priest ducked his head and entered a dirty but cool tavern. A mug of small beer was better than nothing, and his throat was parched again, despite having quaffed tea but a half hour previously. He ordered a drink, and was about to toss it down and leave as quickly as he entered, when he spotted a man across the room. Inhetep slouched nervously so as to conceal his presence in the saloon.
    AN ASSASSIN'S TRAIL
    The docks of Innu were home to many sorts of men. Egyptians of rough sort prevailed, but shoulder to shoulder with them could be found pale Libbosians, swarthy Nubians, lank Keshites, wild-haired /Etheopeans, taciturn desert warriors of Meroe, and all manner of other races. Some were bargemen and river sailors, other laborers and dock hands, while the remainder were escorts and guards. Most were dishonest. Many were thieves, bandits, and worse. The magister's size and piercing glance were usually sufficient to enable him to go anywhere without fear. On those few occasions where appearance alone hadn't sufficed, AErth had become a ruffian or two shorter, whether due to weapon or word of power. This was an altogether different matter, for Inhetep's gaze had discovered someone far more dangerous than a lurking mugger or street tough.
    There was a door at the back of the long bar room, and from it came a negro whose stature and fine features proclaimed him as a Dahlikil tribesman. Such warriors as he were the chief reason that the kingdom of Axxum remained independent from /Etheope, /Egypt, and Adal. Axxum was an adherent to the Babylonian gods in a sea of those recognizing the deities of ./Egypt. The land was also a haven for brutal tribesmen whose status was reckoned by the number of men they had slain. Inhetep recognized this individual as more than simply one of the savage warriors of that distant land, however. This particular Dahlikil was named Ya-keem. He was the most deadly assassin the wizard-priest had ever known. He and Inhetep had met twice, and in one of those confrontations the magister had barely escaped with his life. Inhetep was sitting near the wall in the front comer of the dive, and as soon as he spotted Yakeem he moved so as to seem smaller, shorter, and concealed himself in the dimness there. Now, what would bring so high-paid and elite a professional murderer to this seamy little tavern? Inhetep wondered as he watched the tall assassin.
    He did not stare directly, of course, for true killers of this sort