Вилорп

→I return to my office to pick up my sword and load up with a spell or two. I cram some thazis sticks and a flask of klee into a pocket. When I turn round I find Sarin the Merciless staring at me. I glare at her.

→Chapter Thirteen

→"Well, I'm off to investigate," I say, and depart briskly. I'm not so bad at mixing up a stew on a campfire, but I'm not planning on pitching in and helping. The thought of me cooking for dockers and mercenaries is quite ridiculous, but the way things are going, I wouldn't put it past someone to suggest it.

→Makri looks quite offended, and shakes her head.

→"Can you cook?"

→She turns to Makri.

→"I'm not a very good cook."

→Dandelion wrinkles her brow.

→"You best tell Gurd," I say. "He's going to have a lot of hungry dockers and mercenaries here in a few hours and nothing to feed them."

→Dandelion accepts it with good grace.

→"We were going to put her in your room."

→"Oh dear," says Dandelion. Another one?"

→Dandelion sleeps in a small room at the back of the tavern, when she's not down at the shore, talking to the dolphins. We pick Elsior up and start to carry her through the kitchen towards the back. As we do so we meet Dandelion bustling towards us.

→"Have to be Dandelion's room, I'd say."

→Hanama and Sarin are sick in my office and Lisutaris is in my bedroom. Palax and Kaby are in Makri's room and Chiaraxi is lying ill in Tanrose's room. Moolifi is in the only spare guest room.

→"So where are we going to put her?"

→"Difficult to say. Sometimes the malady's like that. At least no one's died yet."

→I shrug.

→"Do you think these people are really trying to get better? Palax and Kaby have been sick for ages. Shouldn't they be healthy by now?"

→"Me too."