From: aaron@space.ualberta.ca (Aaron Humphrey)
Subject: [R] Mistletoe et al.[Pashar]: Meeting with Amaan
Reply-To: aaron@space.ualberta.ca
Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 17:17:21 GMT

Ornigan grunted.  "Bronwen sure is heavy."

Mistletoe hushed him as they hustled Bronwen's mostly limp form along the
street.  "Don't call her that.  Her name is...um...Trodar.  Don't call her by
her name where anyone else can hear you."

"I wish Juhlavi could have given us a carriage or rickshaw, at least."

"We're slaves, Ornigan.  We don't get luxuries like that.  Juhlavi is happy to
get rid of us--he only took us because we came as a bargain with Bronwen.  He
doesn't even care if we get accosted on the way to Amaan's.  How much farther
do we have to go, anyway?  You know the map better than I do."  Bronwen >was<
getting heavy.  Momentarily Mistletoe wished she'd had a better drug, one that
didn't make the subject so lethargic.  Bronwen was mumbling something under her
breath, something about Liam and Lugh and some other names she couldn't make
out.  Maybe we'll have to say that Trodar is an idiot, she thought.

Finally they were at Amaan's modest apartments.  A mage wasn't as prestigious
as a merchant, but he did have a slave or two.  His house-slave, Buchand,
opened the door for them.  Buchand was a native Rameshander, whose family had
been slaves for generations.  "Come in," he said.  "The master is busy right
now--he was out on his carpet not long ago, but he's back now, and asked not to
be disturbed.  Karl, the emissary from Generica, and his party, are in town.  I
don't know when the master will be finished, but he is extremely conscious that
tonight is his last and best chance to escape from the Sons of Dawn."

"Are you coming with us?" Mistletoe asked.

Buchand shook his head sadly.  "I cannot.  I cannot leave my homeland."  In his
eyes was the knowledge that once his master's treachery was discovered, his
life would be worth less than camel spit.  Mistletoe marveled at his spiritual
strength.  Maybe there is something to the Rameshander religion after all, even
if it did result in a society so strange as this one.

Mistletoe grew increasingly nervous as the morning and then the afternoon wore
on, and fell to asking interminable questions of Buchand, increasing her store
of knowledge of Rameshander culture and religion.  It took both of their minds
off their troubles, except when the talk turned to the practices for punishing
errant slaves.  Ornigan ignored them and turned to studying the various magical
gewgaws about the chamber and the amulet Amaan had sent him.  Bronwen merely
sat and muttered to herself.

Finally Amaan called down for Buchand to come and help him prepare his gear for
travel.  When Buchand returned down the stairs half an hour later, he was
carrying a bag smaller than that which contained Mistletoe and Ornigan's few
remaining possessions.  "That's all he's bringing?" she asked.

Ornigan snorted.  "A bag of holding, no doubt.  He probably has the contents of
his entire laboratory in there."

Then Amaan himself came down the stairs.  He was wearing a robe that had once
been white, but was stained with many unidentifiable substances and others that
Mistletoe didn't want to identify.  He was folding up a piece of black cloth
and putting it into one of his pockets.  "Not my entire laboratory, my son," he
said.  "Some of it fit better into my portable hole."  He clapped his hands.
"One more spell, then we are ready."  He removed an amulet from his pocket and
put it around his throat, muttering a few words in Elvish, to Mistletoe's
surprise.  Then he changed appearance into a more youthful man, with brown hair
under a turban, a pointed beard, and dark eyes.

The youthful figure Amaan now presented turned to them.  "Now, to go meet this
Karl the Genericans have sent to escort us.  Buchand--farewell.  The rest of
you, come with me."  His stride become surpisingly youthful, he walked out the
door and the three companions followed.

ADMIN: Sombody else feel free to run into Amaan and company, if they wish...

--
---Alfvaen(Canadian SF Quasi-Activist)
"Been there, done that
 Been there, don't want to go back"  --Brian Eno & John Cale
Current Album--Lou Reed:Berlin
Current Read--Timothy Findley:Not Wanted On The Voyage
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