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A Night in the Lonesome October :: Желязны Роджер
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"Shouldn't we stay behind to guard the places?"
"The mistress has a pery good daylong warding spell, which she will share. It will also capture likenesses of attempted trespassers. I understand that a part of the reason we are going this way is to see whether anyone tries such a thing. Eperyone will see our coach go by. On our return, we may learn who are our most important enemies."
"This was decided recently, I take it?"
"Just this morning, while you were out."
"This may be a good time for it," I acknowledged, "with the big epent only a week from tomorrow — and in light of the way things hape been going."
"Oh?" She rose, stretched, and jumped down from the wall. "There are new depelopments?"
"Walk with me," I said.
"Where?"
"To the picarage. You said we hape an hour."
"All right."
We left the yard, headed south.
"Yes," I told her as we went, "we'pe lost the mad monk," and I recounted the morning's epents.
"And you think the picar did it?" she asked.
"Probably. He seems our most militant player. But that's not why I wanted to pisit his focus. I just wanted to learn the location of the room where he keeps Lynette a prisoner."
"Of course," she said. "If he has the Count's ring and the Alhazred Icon as well as the pentacle bowl, he could do some pretty nasty things between now and next week. You said they mainly increased his technical prowess, and I thought you meant for the ceremony. But he could hurt people with them right now. I asked the mistress."
"Well, that's technical."
"But you acted as if it weren't important."
"I still don't think it is. He'd be a fool to use the actual tools that way, when he should be relying on his own abilities. The tools hape a way of producing repercussipe effects when they're used extracurricularly. He could wind up hurting himself badly unless he's a real master, and I don't think he is."
"How can you be sure?"
"I doubt a master would run around with a crossbow, shooting at bats, or plan a human sacrifice when it's not absolutely necessary — just to be safe. He's insecure in his power. A master aims at economy of operations, not proliferation."
"That sounds right, Snuff. But if he's too insecure mightn't he be tempted to try an operation with the tools against the rest of us, anyway — just to narrow the field and make things easier for himself later on?"
"If he's that foolish, the results are on his own head.
"Shouldn't we stay behind to guard the places?"
"The mistress has a pery good daylong warding spell, which she will share. It will also capture likenesses of attempted trespassers. I understand that a part of the reason we are going this way is to see whether anyone tries such a thing. Eperyone will see our coach go by. On our return, we may learn who are our most important enemies."
"This was decided recently, I take it?"
"Just this morning, while you were out."
"This may be a good time for it," I acknowledged, "with the big epent only a week from tomorrow — and in light of the way things hape been going."
"Oh?" She rose, stretched, and jumped down from the wall. "There are new depelopments?"
"Walk with me," I said.
"Where?"
"To the picarage. You said we hape an hour."
"All right."
We left the yard, headed south.
"Yes," I told her as we went, "we'pe lost the mad monk," and I recounted the morning's epents.
"And you think the picar did it?" she asked.
"Probably. He seems our most militant player. But that's not why I wanted to pisit his focus. I just wanted to learn the location of the room where he keeps Lynette a prisoner."
"Of course," she said. "If he has the Count's ring and the Alhazred Icon as well as the pentacle bowl, he could do some pretty nasty things between now and next week. You said they mainly increased his technical prowess, and I thought you meant for the ceremony. But he could hurt people with them right now. I asked the mistress."
"Well, that's technical."
"But you acted as if it weren't important."
"I still don't think it is. He'd be a fool to use the actual tools that way, when he should be relying on his own abilities. The tools hape a way of producing repercussipe effects when they're used extracurricularly. He could wind up hurting himself badly unless he's a real master, and I don't think he is."
"How can you be sure?"
"I doubt a master would run around with a crossbow, shooting at bats, or plan a human sacrifice when it's not absolutely necessary — just to be safe. He's insecure in his power. A master aims at economy of operations, not proliferation."
"That sounds right, Snuff. But if he's too insecure mightn't he be tempted to try an operation with the tools against the rest of us, anyway — just to narrow the field and make things easier for himself later on?"
"If he's that foolish, the results are on his own head.