Thraxas and the Ice Dragon - By Martin Scott Page 0,65
the best way to cut down an opponent on horseback, while I pick up a tray and use it as a shield, demonstrating the way I led my men against the elite troops of the Fourth Orcish Regiment. By now it's approaching lunchtime and the tavern has a few more customers, though we're not paying much attention to them.
"What say we open a bottle of klee?" suggests the Baron. "Wash down some of this food before examining the desserts?"
That sounds like an excellent idea. It's a long time since I've had a glass of klee, the strong, fiery spirit distilled all over the West. Quality can vary widely, but the proprietor of the Jolly Bandit brings us a bottle brewed by monks in the hills, and it's not bad at all.
"Good klee!" says the Baron, banging his glass on the table. "Reminds me of a drop I had to drink right after we rode from Blackwing Rise to Sundread Valley. Were you in the valley?"
"Led my phalanx right through it."
"Splendid!" cries the Baron. "Of course, we had to do a lot of fighting to let the infantry through. "The Orcs were here - " The Baron picks up the salt cellar, " - and we were here. And just as we were about to charge, damned if the biggest dragon you ever saw didn't come right down the valley with fire coming out of its mouth and a Sorcerer on board, blasting spells in every direction!"
Chapter Twenty-Five
I waken up in surprisingly good health, given my recent excesses. No sign of a hangover at all. Plenty of food, that's the secret. Mop up the excess beer with a goodly selection of pies and there's no problem. I look around me. I'm in my guest room at Arichdamis's. I cant remember how I got here. Must have walked, I suppose, after leaving the Jolly Bandit. What time is it? It's bright and sunny outside. Early afternoon, I'd say. Still time to make it up to the tournament field for Makri's fight. I've missed out on the investigating I planned for this morning, but I can visit Baroness Demelzos later.
I haul myself upright and sit on the edge of the bed. I notice my clothes are damp. That's odd. Perhaps I spilled some water over myself while demonstrating my assault on the Orcish fort in Sundread valley. I do remember using a water pitcher for a mace at one point. Now feeling thirsty, I look around for my own water pitcher, but it's empty. I head for the kitchen. I'm filling up a large pewter beaker when Makri appears.
"Hi Makri."
"Never speak to me again in any circumstances," says Makri.
"What's the matter?"
"I said never speak to me again." Makri glares at me with loathing, and storms out of the kitchen. It's puzzling. But Makri's moods are often erratic. I can't see that I've done anything to upset her. Maybe she's still annoyed at Lasat's plans to cage the young dragon. I look down at my tunic, which is still quite damp. I notice it's also in need of repair. The neck is looking distinctly ragged. Probably I should do something about it, if only to not cause Lisutaris embarrassment. At that moment Lisutaris appears. I greet her amiably. She glares at me. I begin to wonder if I might have caused offence in some way.
"Is there anything wrong?"
"Anything wrong? Don't you know?"
"Nothing springs to mind??
"You missed Makri's fight, for one thing!" says Lisutaris, loudly.
I can make no sense of this. "What do you mean? She's not fighting till late afternoon."
"That was yesterday!"
"No it wasn't, it's today."
"It was yesterday! You got drunk with Baron Girimos and went on a gigantic spree all through Elath, which ended up with the pair of you being thrown out of the King's Bathing House for creating a disturbance and frightening young bathers."
I stare at the Sorcerer. This all seems very unlikely. "I don't remember anything like that."
"I'm not surprised! You and the Baron called in at every tavern between the Jolly Bandit and the Bathing Houses, drinking klee and terrorising the barmaids. Eventually you ended up in the King's private hot pool, trying to re-enact some naval engagement. The whole episode is now the talk of Elath. The King is not pleased. And my status has now sunk to zero."
"Are you quite sure about all this?"
"I was the one who bailed you out of the guardhouse. It took four men to lift you into my carriage."