|
(The Farad Procurer, Falalas of the House of Nazir, was required by his
superiors to handle certain transactions with the Imrians. These are her
thoughts, as related to the wizard Tamerlin).
"This evening I was required by my superiors to entertain an Imrian captain
and his chief slaver in my quarters, in order to finalize a lucrative
transaction involving the acquisition of eight dozen slaves. I did not relish
the job, as the Imrians are a repulsive lot who reek of mud flats and rotten
shellfish. Nevertheless, obligation to my House was the prime consideration.
"From the start, the affair went badly. In response to my offer of dinner the
Imrians requested aramatus, a variety of giant armored leech, boiled alive in
brine and served in its shell, with a ragout of sand crawlers and sea slimes.
When this request was brought to the kitchen my cook tendered his resignation
at once. In a panic I sent a pair of assistant Procurers to the marketplace
to find foodstuffs suitable for my Imrian clients.
"In the interim I sought to entertain my guests as best I could. Two hours
passed, during which time the Imrians drank a cask of fermented brine, all
the while growing louder and more obstreperous with each passing minute. The
transaction seemed in dire jeopardy when finally my two assistants returned,
carrying with them a steaming, eight-foot long aramatus coiled-up in a great
iron tureen. The meal was served and the Imrians ate with relish, cutting the
aramatus into sections and cracking open its shell with iron tongs and
knives. After dinner they toasted me with mugs of brine, affixed their marks
to a contract, and departed. My chambers were a mess and my furnishings
covered with slime, but at least the deal was done."
©1994 SMS
|
