| The young fellow leaning on the bar looked up from his crusty roll and wedge of country cheese to give him an unexpectedly sympathetic look
"Profit?" a wool-merchant from northern Ferraut said sarcastically"Why should Barbadior care if we make a profit?"
"Exactly!" The grey eyes flashed in vigorous agreement"The way I hear it, all he wants to do is soak the Palm for everything he can, in preparation for a grab at the Emperor's Tiara back in Barbadior!"
"Shush!" Ettocio muttered under his breath, unable to stop himselfHe took a quick, rare pull at a mug of his own beer and moved along the bar to close the windowIt was a shame, because the spring day was glorious outside, but this was getting out of hand
"Next thing you know," the lean trader was saying now, "he'll just go right ahead and seize the rest of our land like he's already started to do in AstibarAny wagers we're servants or slaves within five years?"
One man's contemptuous laughter rode over the snarling chorus of response triggered by thatThe room fell abruptly silent as everyone turned to confront the person who appeared to find this observation divertingExpressions were grimEttocio nervously wiped down the already clean bartop in front of him
The warrior from Khardhun continued laughing for a long time, seemingly oblivious to the stares he was receivingHis sculpted, black features registered genuine amusement
"What," said the grey-eyed one coldly, "is so very funny, old mahina bag by louis vuitton man?"
"You are," said the old Khardhu cheerfullyHe grinned like a death's headNever seen so many blind men in one room before
"You care to explain exactly what that means?" the Ferraut wool-merchant rasped
"You need it explained?" the Khardhu murmured, his eyes wide in mock surpriseWhy in the name of your gods or mine or his should Alberico bother trying to enslave you?" He jabbed a bony finger towards the trader who'd started all this"If he tried that my guess is there's still enough manhood in the Eastern Palm, barely, that you might take offenserise up!" He said that last in an exaggerated parody of a secretive whisper
He leaned back, laughing again at his own witEttocio looked nervously at the door
"On the other side of the coin," the Khardhu went on, still chuckling, "if he just slowly squeezes you dry with taxes and duties and confiscations he can get to exactly the same place without making anyone mad enough to do anything about itI tell you, gentlemen," he took a long pull at his beer, "Alberico of Barbadior's a smart man
"And you," said the grey-eyed man leaning across his own table, bristling with anger, "are an arrogant, insolent foreigner!"
The Khardhu's smile fadedHis eyes locked on those of the other man and Ettocio was suddenly very glad the warrior's curved sword was checked with all the other weapons behind the bar
"I've been here some thirty years," the black man said softly"About as long as you've been alive, I'd wagerI was louis vuitton gold handbag guarding merchant trains on this road when you were wetting your bed at nightAnd if lam a foreigner, well last time I inquired, Khardhun was a free countryWe beat back our invader, which is more than anyone here in the Palm can say!"
"You had magic!" the young fellow at the bar suddenly burst out, over the outraged din that ensued"We didn't! That's the only reason! The only reason!"
The Khardhu turned to face the boy, his lip curling in contempt"You want to rock yourself to sleep at night thinking that's the only reason, you go right ahead, little manMaybe it'll make you feel better about paying your taxes this spring, or about going hungry because there's no grain here in the fallBut if you want to know the truth I'll give it to you free of charge
The noise level had abated as he spoke, but a number of men were on their feet, glaring at the Khardhu
Looking around the room, as if dismissing the boy at the bar as unworthy of his attention, he said very clearly, "We beat back Brandin of Ygrath when he invaded us because Khardhun fought as a countryYou people got whipped by Alberico and Brandin both because you were too busy worrying about your border spats with each other, or which Duke or Prince would lead your army, or which priest or priestess would bless it, or who would fight on the center and who on the right, and where the battlefield would be, and who the gods loved bestYour nine provinces ended up going at the sorcerers one by one, finger by sale gucci handbags fingerAnd they got snapped to pieces like chicken-bonesI always used to think," he drawled into what had become a quiet room, "that a hand fought best when it made a fist
He lazily signaled Ettocio for another drink
"Damn your insolent Khardhu hide," the grey-eyed man said in a strangled voiceEttocio turned from the bar to look at him"Damn you forever to Morian's darkness for being right!"
Ettocio hadn't expected that, and neither had the others in the roomThe mood grew grimly introspectiveAnd, Ettocio realized, more dangerous as well, entirely at odds with the brightness of the spring outside, the cheerful warmth of the returned sun
"But what can we do?" the young fellow at the bar said plaintively, to no one in particular
"Curse and drink and pay our taxes," said the wool-merchant bitterly
"I must say, I do sympathize with the rest of you," said the lone trader from Senzio smuglyIt was an ill-advised remarkEven Ettocio, notoriously slow to rouse, was irritated
The young man at the bar was positively enragedI don't believe it! What right do you have He hammered the bar in incoherent furyThe plump Senzian smiled in the superior manner all of them seemed to have
"What right indeed!" The grey eyes were icy as they returned to the fray"Last time I looked, Senzio traders all had their hands jammed so deep in their pockets paying tribute money east and west that they couldn't even get their equipment out to please their wives!"
A raucous, bawdy omega speedmaster moon watch shout of laughter greeted thatEven the old Khardhu smiled thinly
"Last / looked," said the Senzian, red-faced, "the Governor of Senzio was one of our own, not someone shipped in from Ygrath or Barbadior!"
"What happened to the Duke?" the Ferraut merchant snapped"Senzio was so cowardly your Duke demoted himself to Governor so as not to upset the TyrantsAre you proud of that?"
"Proud?" the lean merchant mocked"He's got no time to be proud of anythingHe's too busy looking both ways to see which emissary from which Tyrant he should offer his wife to!"
Again, coarse, bitter laughter
"You've a mean tongue for a conquered man," the Senzian said coldly"Where are you from that you're so quick to cut at other men's courage
"Tregea," said the other quietly
"Occupied Tregea," the Senzian corrected viciouslyWith its Barbadian Governor
"We were the last to fall," the Tregean said a little too defiantly"Borifort held out longer than anywhere else
"But it fell," the Senzian said bluntly, sure of his advantage now"I wouldn't be so quick to talk about other men's wivesNot after the stories we all heard about what the Barbadians did thereAnd I also heard that most of your women weren't that unwilling to be
"Shut your filthy mouth!" the Tregean snarled, leaping to his feet"Shut it, or I'll close it for you permanently, you lying Senzian scum!"
A babble of noise erupted, louder than any beforeFuriously clanging the bell over the bar, Ettocio fought to restore omega fake watches o |
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