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.The big man grinned guiltily like a schoolboy ata dirty joke.'Oh yes, she strikes me as the willing type.' Kaspa giggled.Jezal put his pipe down on the table, noticing that his hand was tremblingslightly.The other was gripping the arm of his chair so hard that hisPage 194ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlknuckles were white.'I do declare,' said Brint, 'if I didn't think the Major would stick me withhis sword, I'd be tempted to stick his sister with mine, eh?' Jalenhormspluttered with laughter.Jezal felt one of his eyes twitching as Brint turnedhis smirk towards him.'Well, Jezal, what do you think? You've met her haven'tyou?''What do I think?' His voice seemed to come from a terribly long way away ashe stared at those three grinning faces.'I think you should watch your mouth,you son of a fucking whore.'He was on his feet now, teeth gritted so tight together they felt like theymight crack apart.The three smiles blinked and faded.Jezal felt Kaspa's handon his arm.'Come on, he only meant 'Jezal ripped his arm away, seized the edge of the table and flung it over.Coins, cards, bottles, glasses, flew through the air and spilled out acrossthe grass.He had his sword in his other hand, still sheathed luckily, leaningright down over Brint, spraying spit in his face.'Now you fucking listen tome, you little bastard!' he snarled, 'I hear anything more like that,anything, and you won't have to worry about West!' He pressed the grip of hissteel into Brint's chest.'I'll carve you like a fucking chicken!'The three men stared up at him, aghast, their mouths wide open, theirastonishment at this sudden display of violence equalled only by Jezal's own.'But ' said Jalenhorm.'What?' screamed Jezal, seizing a fistful of the big man's jacket and dragginghim half out of his chair.'What d'you fucking say?''Nothing,' he squeaked, his hands raised, 'nothing.' Jezal let him drop.Thefury was draining fast.He had half a mind to apologise, but when he sawBrint's ashen face all he could think of was 'she strikes me as the willingtype'.'Like! A! Fucking! Chicken!' he snarled again, then turned on his heel andstalked off.Halfway to the archway he realised he had left his coat behind,but he could hardly go back for it now.He made it into the darkness of thetunnel, took a couple of steps down it then sagged against the wall, breathinghard and trembling as if he'd just run ten miles.He understood now what itmeant to lose one's temper, and no mistake.He had never even realised that hehad one before, but there could be no doubt now.'What the hell was that about?' Brint's shocked voice echoed quietly down thetunnel, only just audible over the thumping of Jezal's heart.He had to holdhis breath to hear.'Damned if I know.' Jalenhorm, sounding even more surprised.There was therattle and scrape of the table being put straight.'Never knew he had such atemper.''I suppose he must have a lot to think about,' said Kaspa, uncertainly, 'whatwith the Contest and all& 'Brint cut him off.'That's no excuse!''Well they're close, aren't they? Him and West? What with all the fencingtogether and what have you, maybe he knows the sister or something& I don'tknow!''There is another explanation,' Jezal could hear Brint saying, voice tense asthough he was about to deliver a punchline.'Perhaps he's in love with her!'The three of them burst out laughing.It was a good joke alright.CaptainJezal dan Luthar, in love, and with a girl whose station in life was so farbeneath his own.What a ridiculous idea! What an absurd notion! What a joke!'Oh shit.' Jezal put his head in his hands.He didn't feel like laughing.Howthe hell had she done this to him? How? What was it about her? She was fine tolook at, of course, and clever, and funny, and all those things, but that wasno explanation.'I cannot see her again,' he whispered to himself, 'I willnot!' And he thumped his hand against the wall.His resolve was iron.Italways was.Until the next note came under his door.He groaned and slapped the side of his head.Why did he feel like this? WhyPage 195ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmldid he& he couldn't even bring himself to think the word& like her so much?Then it came to him.He knew why.She didn't like him.Those mocking half-smiles.Those sidelong glances he caught sometimes.Thosejokes that went just a little too close to the bone.Not to mention theoccasional examples of outright scorn.She liked his money, maybe.She likedhis position in the world, of course.She liked his looks, undoubtedly.But,in essence, the woman despised him.And he'd never had that feeling before.He had always just assumed thateverybody loved him, had never really had cause to doubt he was a fine man,worthy of the highest respect.But Ardee didn't like him, he saw it now, andthat made him think.Apart from the jaw, of course, and the money and theclothes, what was there to like?She treated him with the contempt he knew he deserved.And he couldn't getenough of it.'Strangest thing,' Jezal mumbled to himself, slouching miserablyagainst the wall of the tunnel.'Strangest thing.'It made him want to change her mind.The Seed« ^ »'How are you, Sand?'Colonel Glokta opened his eyes.It was dark in the room.Damn it, he was late!'Damn it!' he shouted, shoving back the covers and leaping out of bed.'I'mlate!' He snatched up his uniform trousers, shoving his legs in, fumbling withhis belt.'Don't worry about that, Sand!' His mother's voice was half soothing, halfimpatient [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]