A Good End in Badside - Part VIII

From: bernuetz <bernuetz.oliver_at_...>
Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 16:40:38 -0000


Can't say that I was surprised by what the shaman said. It had already seemed unlikely to me that the murder had been committed here since there wasn't any blood. I thought about the case some more.
Then I smacked myself in the forehead.  "By all the bloody hells of 
Danfive Charon but I HAVE been an idiot!"  Jorjar was so startled he 
didn't make the obvious crack and said, "About what?"  "Who found the 
body?" I asked. Jorjar looked even more startled, "I don't know. A Marble Phalanx soldier told me about it. Sor-Eel must know though." This whole business was stinking worse than Badside. It couldn't have been a local, no local was so pure that they could resist pilfering the not so dearly departed's goods. Who then? I would definitely have to ask Sor-Eel about that one.

I sat down in a relatively clean space and waited for my sage. I hoped he'd show up before lunchtime. I really wanted to eat lunch somewhere less smelly. Jorjar's constables waited with us keeping an eye on the locals. I wondered if Jorjar's constable was going to be authoritative enough to get a sage here at all. Jorjar and I sat in the meager shade provided by the building as the heat got steadily worse. I was dozing and I'll bet Jorjar had been as well when the sage finally showed up. He annouced his presence by loudly clearing his throat. I blinked up thought something was odd about the sage. I rubbed my eyes and realized that the face behind the luxurious beard was actually that of a woman. Well don't that beat all. Quite a good looking one at that, nice eyes and gorgeous hair. I stood up, straightened my tunic and dusted myself off. Next to me Jorjar hastily did the same. I smiled and held out my hand at the same time as Jorjar, "Placidus Treibonus, pleased to meet you." The sage smiled behind the beard and said, "Harkala Glad-help." She shook hands with both of us, taking my hand first, hah!

I explained what I wanted her to do and she explained the standard fees the Lhankor Mhy temple charged for magic use. I shrugged and said that I would gladly give her a chit to redeem at the Lunar governor's office. She smiled broadly and said, "Well, why didn't you say so. I, as a representative of the temple of the Knowing God would be glad to perform a service for the governor." She paused and the smile got rather impish I thought, well from what I could see of it behind the beard that is. "Of course there are special surcharges due to the nature of the magic used and the extreme conditions." She gestured around her. She mentioned a new total, amazingly enough twice the normal fee. I smiled and bowed. "Certainly, sounds reasonable to me." Jorjar frowned and shook his head. "Jotoran's not going to like this." I shrugged and said, "He can take it up with Sor-Eel then." I wrote up this chit myself and handed it to Harkala myself. Was it my imagination or did her hand linger in mine? I shook my head to stop these foolish fancies and vowed to stick to business before pleasure.

Harkala had brought everything she needed for the reading. She went inside, rolled out a mat and gracefully sat down upon it crossed legged and prepared to emulate her god. Respecting her privacy and that of her god Jorjar and I waited outside. She was certainly quieter and less flashy than the shaman but her reading of past events was bound to take longer. We sweated as Yelm climbed to his highest point in the sky dome and waited.

To be continued.

Oliver

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