The Last Protector Read Online Free PDF Page B

fooled me,” Scrornuck said.
    "See this?” She pointed to the blue paper tag dangling from a buckle on his jacket. Jape wore a similar tag, clipped to his cape. “We don't harm guests."
    "I thought it was a lift ticket.” Scrornuck inspected the tag, which bore the word “GUEST” and a number. “So, if I'd been wearing this last night, those guys wouldn't have thrown a punch at me?"
    She rolled her eyes skyward. "They were Mayoral Guards. Even off-duty, they're allowed to strike a guest.” Her tone implied this should explain everything. It didn't, but he suspected that asking more questions wouldn't, either.
* * * *
    Although Taupeaquaah stood on a flat plain, the streets of the Cast Quarter constantly rose and fell, providing a fine place from which to watch the duel that had suddenly erupted on a street corner. A man and a woman, neither much over seventeen, stood in the center of the intersection, swords raised, as a crowd gathered. With great formality, the woman removed a ring from her left hand, dropped it on the pavement and stepped on it.
    Jape leaned against a lamppost to watch. “What's going on?"
    "Broken engagement,” Nalia said. “She had his ring on her left hand, and he's still wearing her Residence Pass around his neck..."
    "What's a Residence Pass?"
    Rolling her eyes in a way that suggested she was earning those three gold pieces, she held up the small bronze token hanging from a chain around her neck. “Here's mine—it's the key to my apartment in the Cast Quarter. My parents bought it for me when I finished school. He gave her the ring when they got engaged, she gave him her Pass as a symbol of the life they'd share. Now that they're breaking up she wants it back, and he doesn't want to return it."
    The duel began with a series of thrusts and parries that struck Scrornuck as rather ceremonial. “They're not exactly out for blood, are they?” he said. “She could have taken his head off if she wanted to."
    "That'd be uncivilized!” Nalia said indignantly. “They're just settling a disagreement."
    The woman spun around and put a foot in the man's stomach. As he staggered back she grazed his cheek with the tip of her sword, just enough to draw blood. Then, the matter apparently settled, both lowered their weapons and bowed. He handed her the Residence Pass, picked up the flattened ring, and walked away while the onlookers applauded.
    Scrornuck scratched his head and stared. “That's it?"
    "She drew blood, she got her Pass back, the engagement is over."
    First blood ends the duel? Scrornuck thought, and exploded in laughter. “I'm gonna love this place!"
* * * *
    Nalia giggled and Jape did his best to ignore Scrornuck as he sang:
    Here we come a-waddling, all through the grocery store,
    Up and down the aisles, load the shopping cart with more!
    Pretzels, munchies, chips and beer,
    Will give you a giant rear,
    And you'll be on a starvation diet all next year!
    Lay off the beer if you don't want a giant rear!
    They were, in fact, pushing a small cart through the aisles of the If We Don't Have It, You Don't Need It Convenience Emporium, loading it up with such necessities as a skin of wine, a six-pack each of light lager and Batatat's Stout, generous hunks of meat, cheese and bread, and various snacks. When it seemed the cart would hold no more, Jape paid from his seemingly inexhaustible purse, and they wheeled their load into the street.
    Nalia stopped at a small nook in the outer wall of the store and inserted her Residence Pass into a slot. Two gold pieces and a few silver coins dropped into her waiting hand.
    She noticed Jape watching her with a curious expression. “It's payday,” she said. “Everybody with a Pass gets this allowance once a week. You can live on it, but if you want to enjoy much of life you still need a job."
    "This is your allowance for a full week?” Jape inspected her handful of money. “And I'm paying you three gold pieces a day?"
    She nodded. “I got some good