This Immortal by Roger Zelazny Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Roger Zelazny
asked him.
"For about the period of a month," he replied.
He threw his knife. It struck five inches below the center.
"You are his bodyguard, eh?"
"That is right. I also guard the blue one."
"Don says he fears an attempt on Myshtigo's life.
Is there an actual threat, or is he just being safe?"
"It is possible either way, Karagee. I do not know. He pays me only to guard."
"If I paid you more, would you tell me whom you've been hired to kill?"
"I have only been hired to guard, but I would not tell you even if it were otherwise."
"I didn't think so. Let's go get the knives."
We crossed and drew the blades from the target.
THIS IMMORTAL
51
"Now, if it happens to be me-which is possible," I offered, "why don't we settle it right now?
We are each holding two blades. The man who leaves this room will say that the other attacked him and that it was a matter of self-defense. There are no witnesses. We were both seen drunk or disorder-ly last night."
"No, Karagee."
"No, what? No, it isn't me? Or no, you don't want to do it that way?"
"I could say no, it is not you. But you would not know whether I spoke the truth or not."
"That is true."
"I could say I do not want to do it that way."
"Is that true?"
"I do not say. But to give you the satisfaction of an answer, what I will say is this: If I wished to kill you, I would not attempt it with a knife in my hand, nor would I box nor wrestle with you."
"Why is that?"
"Because many years ago when I was a boy I worked at the Resort of Kerch, attending at the tables of the wealthy Vegans. You did not know me then-I had just come up from the places of Pamir.
You and your friend the poet came to Kerch."
"I remember now. Yes . . . Phil's parents had died that year-they were good friends of mine-and I was going to take Phil to the university. But there was a Vegan who had taken his first woman from him, taken her to Kerch. Yes, the entertainer -I forget his name."
"He was Thrilpai Ligo, the shajadpa-boxer, and he looked like a mountain at the end of a great plain
-high, immovable. He boxed with the Vegan cesti
-the leather strips with the ten sharpened studs 52 ROGER ZELAZNY
that go all the way around the hand-open-handed."
"Yes, I remember. ..."
"You had never boxed shajadpa before, but you fought with him for the girl, A great crowd came, of the Vegans and the Earth girls, and I stood on a table to watch. After a minute your head was all blood. He tried to make it run into your eyes, and you kept shaking your head. I was fifteen then and had only killed three men myself, and I thought that you were going to die because you had not even touched him. And then your right hand crossed to him like a thrown hammer, so fast! You struck him in the center of that double bone the blue ones have in their chests-and they are tougher there than we -and you crushed him like an egg. I could never have done that, I am sure-and that is why I fear your hands and your arms-Later, I learned that you had also broken a spiderbat.-No, Karagce, I would kill you from a distance."
"That was so long ago.... I did not think anyone remembered."
"You won the girl."
"Yes. I forget her name."
"But you did not give her back to the poet. You kept her for yourself. That is why he probably hates you."
"Phil? That girl? I've even forgotten what she looked like."
"He has never forgotten. That is why I think he hates you. I can smell hate, sniff out its sources.
You took away his first woman. I was there."
"It was her idea."
". . . And he grows old and you stay young. It is THIS IMMORTAL 53
sad, Karagee, when a friend has reason to hate a friend."
"Yes."
"And I do not answer your questions."
"It is possible that you were hired to kill the Vegan."
"It is possible."
"Why?"
"I said only that it is possible, not that it is fact."
"Then I will ask you one more question only, and be done with it. What good would come of the Vegan's death? His book could be a very good thing in the way of
"For about the period of a month," he replied.
He threw his knife. It struck five inches below the center.
"You are his bodyguard, eh?"
"That is right. I also guard the blue one."
"Don says he fears an attempt on Myshtigo's life.
Is there an actual threat, or is he just being safe?"
"It is possible either way, Karagee. I do not know. He pays me only to guard."
"If I paid you more, would you tell me whom you've been hired to kill?"
"I have only been hired to guard, but I would not tell you even if it were otherwise."
"I didn't think so. Let's go get the knives."
We crossed and drew the blades from the target.
THIS IMMORTAL
51
"Now, if it happens to be me-which is possible," I offered, "why don't we settle it right now?
We are each holding two blades. The man who leaves this room will say that the other attacked him and that it was a matter of self-defense. There are no witnesses. We were both seen drunk or disorder-ly last night."
"No, Karagee."
"No, what? No, it isn't me? Or no, you don't want to do it that way?"
"I could say no, it is not you. But you would not know whether I spoke the truth or not."
"That is true."
"I could say I do not want to do it that way."
"Is that true?"
"I do not say. But to give you the satisfaction of an answer, what I will say is this: If I wished to kill you, I would not attempt it with a knife in my hand, nor would I box nor wrestle with you."
"Why is that?"
"Because many years ago when I was a boy I worked at the Resort of Kerch, attending at the tables of the wealthy Vegans. You did not know me then-I had just come up from the places of Pamir.
You and your friend the poet came to Kerch."
"I remember now. Yes . . . Phil's parents had died that year-they were good friends of mine-and I was going to take Phil to the university. But there was a Vegan who had taken his first woman from him, taken her to Kerch. Yes, the entertainer -I forget his name."
"He was Thrilpai Ligo, the shajadpa-boxer, and he looked like a mountain at the end of a great plain
-high, immovable. He boxed with the Vegan cesti
-the leather strips with the ten sharpened studs 52 ROGER ZELAZNY
that go all the way around the hand-open-handed."
"Yes, I remember. ..."
"You had never boxed shajadpa before, but you fought with him for the girl, A great crowd came, of the Vegans and the Earth girls, and I stood on a table to watch. After a minute your head was all blood. He tried to make it run into your eyes, and you kept shaking your head. I was fifteen then and had only killed three men myself, and I thought that you were going to die because you had not even touched him. And then your right hand crossed to him like a thrown hammer, so fast! You struck him in the center of that double bone the blue ones have in their chests-and they are tougher there than we -and you crushed him like an egg. I could never have done that, I am sure-and that is why I fear your hands and your arms-Later, I learned that you had also broken a spiderbat.-No, Karagce, I would kill you from a distance."
"That was so long ago.... I did not think anyone remembered."
"You won the girl."
"Yes. I forget her name."
"But you did not give her back to the poet. You kept her for yourself. That is why he probably hates you."
"Phil? That girl? I've even forgotten what she looked like."
"He has never forgotten. That is why I think he hates you. I can smell hate, sniff out its sources.
You took away his first woman. I was there."
"It was her idea."
". . . And he grows old and you stay young. It is THIS IMMORTAL 53
sad, Karagee, when a friend has reason to hate a friend."
"Yes."
"And I do not answer your questions."
"It is possible that you were hired to kill the Vegan."
"It is possible."
"Why?"
"I said only that it is possible, not that it is fact."
"Then I will ask you one more question only, and be done with it. What good would come of the Vegan's death? His book could be a very good thing in the way of
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