Part 17 (1/2)
”My luck is changing!” he caroled. ”This Is my sign and I count two legs!”
”How so, Twistbuck?” Gord demanded. The tavern had only a piece of metal above Its door, a chime to be struck to Indicate meals or some like event ”Surely that is an Iron triangle, is it not?” When the young thief concurred, the professor nodded and said firmly. Triangles are figures composed of two legs!”
”How do you figure that, or are you beginning to grasp at straws here, professor?”
Gord was more than a little perplexed.
Twistbuck grinned. ”In my lexicon the legs of a triangle are the two sides, as distinguished from the base or the hypotenuse. Therefore I score two, and your tead is cut to thirty!”
Gord shrugged and let the new totals stand. After all, he was still incredibly ahead. They zigged and zagged and pa.s.sed two more establishments that had permissible signs. Cord's was Web and Spiders for twenty-four, since the signs depicted three of89 223.
CORD THE ROGUE.
the arachnids; Twlstbuck's was the Xom and Gems. Since that creature had three legs, the total lead now enjoyed by the young thief was fifty-one.
Gord began to feel a bit sorry for the unfortunate professor, for he could never afford to pay over such a sum as that Chert had long since begun to trudge along in a dejected manner. He was, of course, feeling sorry for himself, but Gord took his demeanor as an Indication that Chert felt the same way he did about taking such great advantage of the professor. But Gord shrugged off his pity abruptly; after all, a game was a game, and old Twistbuck was responsible for his own decisions.
”Perhaps we should stop where we are,” Gord ventured, for he glimpsed a sign ahead that would aid Twlstbuck. If tt were counted. Cord's lead would be sharply cut.
”Never!” the fellow shot back. ”How dare you attempt to cheat me of my rightful opportunity to win?”
”As you wish, as you wish,” Gord rea.s.sured the angry professor. ”I simply thought it might prove expedient considering the high losses you might suffer, but I will abide by the number of a round dozen each, so set when we began.”
”As well you should!” Twistbuck countered, ”and I make my new score to be up by a figure of twenty-four, for there Is the tavern called Six Mastiffs!”
”That reduces my lead to but seven and twenty - slender indeed,” Gord replied dryly.
Twistbuck ignored the sarcasm.
”You are next, and It is your choice of direction as well,” he told his opponent flatly.
”Then let us follow Harper Street here,” said Gord. He had been In this section of Clerksburg before, and he thought he remembered a tavern that would seal his victory and teach the pedant a 224.
sharp lesson. Sure enough, they came upon the place after a short walk. It was called The Loyal Company. Twistbuck started to protest loudly, but Gord pointed to the ill.u.s.tration on the sign. Although only some of their legs were shown, the sign clearly depicted a score of men. ”Forty legs, I am certain, and a lead of sixty-six.
You have two signs to go, and I one,” he added with a small but triumphant smile.
”So I am foredoomed. It appears. No matter, we shall proceed straight along this route to the next establishment”
Had he noted the sign ahead? Gord thought so, but it didnt matter. ”You gain six for The Blind Basilisk,” Gord said smugly, ”cutting my lead down to only sixty even with that coup.” Twistbuck started to say something, then clamped his mouth shut. The young thief stole a glance ahead. They were coming to another crossroads, and far ahead he could make out another sign. ”I approve of your selection, sir don. I too shall march straight ahead. . . . What's this? The Hornets' Nest! Do 1 see ten of those angry Insects there? Yes, I do! Sixty legs plus sixty makes a lead of one hundred and twenty, Twistbuck, and you have but a single sign left to count!” Chert moaned under his breath, and Gord continued to taunt his opponent. ”Shall we end the charade now? I'll be kind, allowing you twenty off the total I have, so that you need pay over but a hundred good n.o.bles.”
”Your generosity is monumental, my young fellow, but I prefer to allow the game to run its full course. I shall take my last sign no matter what the outcome, and I shall also choose direction here. I think we will pa.s.s down Inkwell Lane to close the game.”
A little time later they came to the end of the pa.s.sage. There was a tavern there, and Gord turned 225.
pale at the sight of Its sign of three red centipedes.
a very clear depiction It was almost two weeks before Cord would exchange anything approaching friendly conversation with his huge companion. In fact, for several days he wouldn't speak to Chert at all, and thereafter he had merely grunted replies when necessary to do so.
Finally, the pain of having lost a hundred, and eighty n.o.bles, almost four gold orbs, wore off sufficiently for the young thief to resume a semblance of his former swagger and a.s.surance.
”You noted, didn't you, that never once during the course of playing that stupid90 game did we encounter a felon or ruffian? They feared to accost us, for it was evident that I was there to protect the scholar from harm,'* said the thief.
Chert flexed his arm, looked at Gord, and said nothing.
”Of course, your being along as a backup was of benefit too. But tell me, did you set the whole thing up?”
”Gord, I am thunderstruck at such a suggestion,” the barbarian said, shaking his head in hurt disbelief. ”You insisted on going to meet Twistbuck and you alone determined you'd play against him!”
”True, true. Still, I am troubled. There has to be a logical explanation for the professor's victory over one with my capabilities. It just doesn't make sense. Do you know what position the man holds at Counts Colleger ”He professes.”
”Of course.” the young thief snapped irritably, ”but what does Twistbuck profess?”
”Architecture.”
226.
”And?”
”Someone mentioned cartography, I think.”
”That wouldn't have been a factor. Is there anything else you heard about Twistbuck that would have contributed to his win?” Gord demanded.
”Well, there is one minor detail that might have made a difference in the game. But I don't know, maybe It's nothing,” Chert said hesitantly, while concentrating on stifling the grin that wanted to spread from one cheek to another and back again.
”Let me be the judge of that. Tell me, what do you know?” Gord demanded.
”Oh, just that your worthy opponent also specializes in history and city planning.
Knows Greyhawk like the back of his hand!” The barbarian allowed 'the insistent grin to have Its way and then broke into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
”Aaarghl” Gord roared in absolute rage. It would be some time before the furious rogue would send another word in Chert's direction.
227.
The House in the Tree THE BIG ROAN STALLION PRANCED and snorted, an overabundance of pent-up energy evident In every spasmodic thrust and quiver. The prospect of being released from the restricting confines of its narrow stall was more than the animal could handle.
The feisty stallion didn't care which direction it was about to take, it just wanted to run with the wind - and it wanted to do that without another second's delay.
”I should be back within a fortnight” Cord said to the liveryman, noting the dirty, calloused palm suddenly thrust in his direction. The young adventurer was as anxious as the stallion to be on his way somewhere, anywhere, but he paused and considered carefully. Then Cord dropped a few sUvery-gold electrum coins into the manure-stained hand. The outstretched palm clamped shut on the luckles with miraculous speed.
”At'll be fine, young sar!” the liveryman said with a grin. The squat fellow bobbed his head and made the hand disappear within his baggy blouse.
”When I return with . . . what is his name?”
”Blue Murder, sar, but- ”
Cord didn't allow the stable owner to finish his explanation. ”I know, I know..he's as gentle as a lamb and hasn't a single bad habit. His former mas- 229.
ter named him as he did for reasons unknown.” Gord repeated the spiel handed to him a short time earlier. As the blocky fellow bobbed his head again and started to speak. Gord concluded. ”As I started to say. when Blue Murder and I return, I shall ex-,, pect you to give over two luckies. for they are left onty as surety!”