Beneath the Eye of God (The Commodore Ardcasl Space Adventures Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

Mumphrey said, "it was an alternate plan. My favorite was the one where the prince rides in and carries you off to his castle." He peered over his dusty glasses at Ohan. "I don't suppose this is he?"
    Leahn too, was surveying Ohan critically. "No," she said. "Not exactly. This is another alternate plan, I think."
    "So how may I help you?" the little man asked. "You do have credit, even if it's not enough to buy the cutlass."
    "I'll want two of the throwing knives in leather gauntlets and that big old sword in the next to last room."
    "Which sword is that?"
    "The big one. It's been there gathering dust for years. You said yourself you'd probably never sell it as there's no one around here tall and strong enough to swing it anymore."
    Mr. Mumphrey was not enthusiastic. "Maybe we can work a deal on the cutlass. Your young friend will doubtless lend you a few . . ."
    "We have five coppers between us." Leahn laid them out on the counter. "That's all. You and I chose the cutlass because it was short enough to work well in close quarters back at the brothel. Now the plan is changed. I want the sword." She ran her fingers through the little man's sparse white hair. "Hugo," she cooed, "this is Leahn. After all we've meant to one another, you are the only one I can turn to. You must help me."
    "You take unfair advantage, Princess," Mr. Mumphrey grumped as he scooped up the five coppers. Leahn kissed the top of his head and disappeared into a back room. "Never mix lust with love, young man," he said to Ohan. "And keep both separate from business." Then he smiled absently. "But there are, rarely, bargains that just don't fit on the balance sheet."
    Leahn emerged from the other room with a dagger gauntlet strapped to her wrist, another at her ankle. She was lacing an intricate leather belt around her waist. It held a long scabbard at an angle across her back from which protruded, a foot above her right shoulder, the hilt of a giant sword.
    Ohan had been wondering about Leahn's attire. Her short tunic seemed wildly inappropriate for general outdoor wear, even in this warm climate. He had not thought of a way to tactfully broach the subject. Now the scabbard harness did much to solve the problem. Its straps over her shoulders and between her legs met and cinched tightly into the belt at her waist. Her long legs, he noted appreciatively, remained bare.
    Mr. Mumphrey was equally taken by the spectacle. "Oh my," he murmured, "it does fit nicely. Perhaps it has waited all these years just for you, Princess."
    Leahn pressed the hilt downward and to one side. The scabbard snapped open. She drew the dull silver blade, the longest Ohan had ever seen, slowly over her right shoulder, taking care not to bring down a stack of crates.
    "It rests lightly in your hands, Princess. Do you know the weapon's secrets?"
    "I practiced with it sometimes while you slept, Hugo. I played with similar blades as a child, though not as long and fine as this. Properly wielded, the edge will cleave a man. The dull side will break his back." She set the blade carefully back in the scabbard which snapped shut around it. "You do not regret our bargain, Hugo?"
    "No, Princess." He reached up to take her hand as they walked to the door. "There are many ways to count up value. Coin is earned and spent. A pleasant memory is more rare and lasts the longer for it." He opened the door for them, then straightened and kissed Leahn's hand. "I shall always remember you, Princess." He smiled sadly. "Always."
     
    ***
     
    The tavern was one of several, neither the largest nor the closest to the market square. Those other establishments were frequented by the farmers and traders who came to buy and sell. This tavern, farther from the center of town, attracted both townspeople and those who had come greater distances, often on darker errands than the trading of fowl and cabbages.
    Ohan peered through the open doorway into the darkened interior, half hoping the Commodore might be gone,