"Now you see what I can do for you. Art not sorry you treated me with such mortifying disdain?"
Before Kerin could answer, he found the taverner before him, saying: "Master Kerin, what didst to make those customers leave without paying? I'll not have you spoiling my trade!"
"If I had not, there'd have been a brawl, which would have cost you far more. I'll drink the beer they ordered."
"And pay for it, I trust?"
"Yea," sighed Kerin.
Kerin awakened with a throbbing head. He groaned and sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands.
"I warned you!" tinkled Belinka, flitting about. "I tried to tell you four bumpers would give you grief, but you pretended not to hear, you stupid lout!"
Kerin grunted. "I couldn't hear you, after those other people came in and started singing about the Vindine ball team. So let up on the preaching, will you?" He reached for his clothes.
"Oho, Master Kerin, you shall not so lightly escape! You owe me a favor for my defeat of the oafish Garic."
"Eh? What?" said Kerin, pulling on his trews.
"Aye. I demand that you buy me a dress, like unto those that dames on this plane wear."
Kerin stared. "What on earth dost need with a dress? Suffer you from cold?''
"Nay; the temperature of your plane affects me not. On mine own plane our natural forms suffice us; but here; I see that folk go not about naked, even when weather permit. So I would fain be in style with those of my sex in this world."
"But why? I like you as you are. Had you ten times your present stature, I might make lewd advances." He leered and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Ha! You, pretending to like me whom you have scorned and spurned? Anyway, on my plane we love a-wing; and how wouldst manage that? But I will not be out of fashion with those of your barbarous plane!"
"And where in the seven cold hells shall I find a dress for a winged woman a span in height?''
"Have you no folk who sell poppets to pleasure their infants? Find one and buy a poppet's gown, of suitable size."
"And if I won't?" said Kerin defiantly.
"You shall see!" The hovering spot of luminescence vanished.
"Ouch!" yelled Kerin, feeling a sudden stab on his neck, like the bite of a horsefly. He futilely slapped at the place. Another stab assaulted his forearm; another, right through his trousers into his calf.
"Stop, Belinka!" he cried. "Is this your idea of watching over me?''
"I expect recip—reciprocity!" she squeaked. "Now will you be a good fellow?"
Kerin sighed. "I'll ask the taverner if he know of any such shop; but I promise nought."
No, the harbor master said; those exotic Kuromonian ships, with their blunt ends and slatted sails, had not been seen in Yindium harbor for above a year. "They've been satisfied to haul their goods to and from Salimor," he said. "They say that piracy hath become rife betwixt here and Salimor; so I ween the yellow men reckon the game's not worth the horseshoe. Ye maun sail for Salimor and transship there."
"Who leaves next for Salimor?" asked Kerin.
The harbor master, a swarthy man whose complexion suggested Mulvanian ancestry, thumbed through a pile of papers. "Here 'tis: the Dragonet of Akkander, Captain Huvraka."
"A Mulvanian?"
"Aye. Ye'll find her about six berths north from here. Says he'll cast off—by Astis' ivory teats, lad, ye are in luck! She hoists up sail this even, if the wind be fair. At least, so saith her skipper; but ye can't always trust these Mulvanians."
Kerin thanked the harbor master and went in search of the Dragonet . He picked out the ship, a sharp-ended vessel with biack-and-crimson eyes painted on her bows, by her slanting lateen yards.
On the Dragonet 's pier stood a crane, a tall skeletal structure of beams and ropes and pulley blocks. A treadwheel in the base was powered by six breechclouted convicts inside the wheel. A rigger belayed a rope around a bulky piece of cargo and slipped beneath the rope a hook suspended from the tip of the crane.
An overseer shouted; the six convicts
Before Kerin could answer, he found the taverner before him, saying: "Master Kerin, what didst to make those customers leave without paying? I'll not have you spoiling my trade!"
"If I had not, there'd have been a brawl, which would have cost you far more. I'll drink the beer they ordered."
"And pay for it, I trust?"
"Yea," sighed Kerin.
Kerin awakened with a throbbing head. He groaned and sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands.
"I warned you!" tinkled Belinka, flitting about. "I tried to tell you four bumpers would give you grief, but you pretended not to hear, you stupid lout!"
Kerin grunted. "I couldn't hear you, after those other people came in and started singing about the Vindine ball team. So let up on the preaching, will you?" He reached for his clothes.
"Oho, Master Kerin, you shall not so lightly escape! You owe me a favor for my defeat of the oafish Garic."
"Eh? What?" said Kerin, pulling on his trews.
"Aye. I demand that you buy me a dress, like unto those that dames on this plane wear."
Kerin stared. "What on earth dost need with a dress? Suffer you from cold?''
"Nay; the temperature of your plane affects me not. On mine own plane our natural forms suffice us; but here; I see that folk go not about naked, even when weather permit. So I would fain be in style with those of my sex in this world."
"But why? I like you as you are. Had you ten times your present stature, I might make lewd advances." He leered and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Ha! You, pretending to like me whom you have scorned and spurned? Anyway, on my plane we love a-wing; and how wouldst manage that? But I will not be out of fashion with those of your barbarous plane!"
"And where in the seven cold hells shall I find a dress for a winged woman a span in height?''
"Have you no folk who sell poppets to pleasure their infants? Find one and buy a poppet's gown, of suitable size."
"And if I won't?" said Kerin defiantly.
"You shall see!" The hovering spot of luminescence vanished.
"Ouch!" yelled Kerin, feeling a sudden stab on his neck, like the bite of a horsefly. He futilely slapped at the place. Another stab assaulted his forearm; another, right through his trousers into his calf.
"Stop, Belinka!" he cried. "Is this your idea of watching over me?''
"I expect recip—reciprocity!" she squeaked. "Now will you be a good fellow?"
Kerin sighed. "I'll ask the taverner if he know of any such shop; but I promise nought."
No, the harbor master said; those exotic Kuromonian ships, with their blunt ends and slatted sails, had not been seen in Yindium harbor for above a year. "They've been satisfied to haul their goods to and from Salimor," he said. "They say that piracy hath become rife betwixt here and Salimor; so I ween the yellow men reckon the game's not worth the horseshoe. Ye maun sail for Salimor and transship there."
"Who leaves next for Salimor?" asked Kerin.
The harbor master, a swarthy man whose complexion suggested Mulvanian ancestry, thumbed through a pile of papers. "Here 'tis: the Dragonet of Akkander, Captain Huvraka."
"A Mulvanian?"
"Aye. Ye'll find her about six berths north from here. Says he'll cast off—by Astis' ivory teats, lad, ye are in luck! She hoists up sail this even, if the wind be fair. At least, so saith her skipper; but ye can't always trust these Mulvanians."
Kerin thanked the harbor master and went in search of the Dragonet . He picked out the ship, a sharp-ended vessel with biack-and-crimson eyes painted on her bows, by her slanting lateen yards.
On the Dragonet 's pier stood a crane, a tall skeletal structure of beams and ropes and pulley blocks. A treadwheel in the base was powered by six breechclouted convicts inside the wheel. A rigger belayed a rope around a bulky piece of cargo and slipped beneath the rope a hook suspended from the tip of the crane.
An overseer shouted; the six convicts
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