Wandering Spark - Part 28
"I would drink a cup of beer," said the bearded man, sitting n front of Varan, dreamily naked to the waist, with a round belly. "But they won’t give it. On the people’s last requests, they bastards, try to save. I'll be hanged before dawn, same as you lad... How I want a sip of beer. In the end.
Varan turned away.
The bearded man was taken by right before him and Varan stayed alone in the cavern. Rags, dice, fragments of shells with naked beauties scratched on them, tobacco strewn all over the floor – it was all the things abandoned to lie on the stones, reminding of those who had recently been alive and not yet dead, but froze on the threshold for several hours before dawn...
"Hey," the guard called from the door. "Pal! Go..."
And Varan walked out the cave.
The official sat at a low table, lame, but undoubtedly wooden. The official looked tired; his eyes were inflamed and glittered badly. Candles burned in candelabra more than on half.
"Robbery?" He asked wearily. Varan was silent.
"Name," said the official, irritated.
"Varan..."
The official glanced at the shells spread out on the table. He chose one; put on his glasses - not as dark as pods have, but with light glass lenses. Frowned, examining some strange records.
"Shuu, what is it?" he said, suddenly forgetting about fatigue. "No, what is it! Shuu!
And he turned to the guard at the door, so abruptly that he nearly threw the candelabra on the floor:
"Call Slug, quickly!"
"His highness is asleep at this a time," the guard insisted uncertainly.
"Wake him up!" The official raised his voice. "What do you think - with this business he can wait until dawn?!"
Before dawn, Varan thought, and his knees eased.
"With this, I bring to the attention of His Grace Lord of Round Fang that on the fifty-second day of the season three hundred and fifteenth of the Empire's birth, Gorni Tyrk, who owns the jewelers' shop of the Round Fang Island, received a hundred krones in one note in payment for a necklace of five blue and five white stones, this payment was made by a young pod, an inhabitant of the same Round Fang. An hour later fifteen minutes after the transaction, the jeweler, wishing to make some small payments, took the bill for exchange to the Money House. The employee of the House, who was unobtrusive to the Gorni, the Rebrik, because of a lot of experience suspected something was wrong and hurried to present the note for examination to the Lord of Round Fang. The imperial magician wrote down that the bill in of hundred krones is false, made with excellent art and simple eye cannot detect the difference from the real one, and therefore, poses a threat to all honest traders of the Round Fang and undermines the well-being of the Empire, as he, imperial mage, hastened to inform personally the Imperial Chief Treasurer. Being raised on alert, the detective service of lordship conducted an inquiry and soon found out the name of the young pod that had bought the necklace. It turned out that some time ago he was detained in the case of robbery, but he was released by the sponsorship of his father and community. In view of the special importance of the case, I ask your Excellency to take part in it personally.
With the deep respect, the judge and investigator Veron Belomity (Slug). "
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17
Part 18
Part 19
Part 20
Part 21
Part 22
Part 23
Part 24
Part 25
Part 26
Part 27
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