"Damn your insolent Khardhu hide," the grey-eyed...
"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 cheap chanel handbags for sale 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 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 rolex cosmograph daytona 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 chanel handbags shop online 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 order"Enough of this, or you're all out of here right now!" A dire threat, and it quelled them
Enough for the Khardhu warrior's fake gucci fabric sardonic laughter to be audible againThe man was on his feetHe dropped coins on the table to pay his account, and surveyed the room, still chuckling, from his great height
"See what I mean?" he murmured"All these stick-like little fingers jabbing and poking away at each otherYou've always done that, haven't you? Guess you always willUntil there's nothing left here but Barbadior and Ygrath
He swaggered to the bar to claim his sword
"You," said the grey-eyed Tregean suddenly, as Ettocio handed over the curved, sheathed bladeThe Khardhu turned slowly
"You know how to use that thing as well as you use your mouth?" the Tregean asked
The Khardhu's lips parted in a mirthless smile"It's been reddened once or gucci new bag twic