Limits Larry Niven (audio ebook reader TXT) 📖

Thone smiled. “Their offer. The fame of Rordray’s Attic has spread throughout Minterl, so they say. They want a place to honeymoon; they had married that same day. For two weeks’ stay they offered…well, enough to buy four sides of ox and enough left over to trade Strandhugger in on a larger boat, large enough for the beef and two extra passengers.”

“Where are they now? And where’s the beef?”

“I told…eep. It’s still aboard.”

Rordray roared. “Arilta!”

“I meant to tell Estrayle to do something about that, but it—”

“Never mind, you’ve done well.”

Arilta came hurrying from the restaurant area. Rordray’s wife resembled her husband to some extent: big-boned, heavy, placid of disposition, carrying her weight well. “What is it?”

“Set the boys to unloading the new boat. Four sides of beef. Get those into the meatbox fast; they can take their time with the other goods.”

She left, calling loudly for the boys. Rordray said, “The guests?”

“I gave them the two leeward rooms, as a suite.”

“Good. Why don’t you tell them dinner is being served? And then you can have your own meal.”

The dining hall was a roar of voices, but when Rordray’s guests appeared the noise dropped markedly. Both were wearing court dress of a style which had not yet reached the provinces. The man was imposing in black and silver, with a figured silver patch over his right eye. The lady was eerily beautiful, dressed in flowing sea-green, and a thumblength taller than her escort. They were conversation stoppers, and they knew it.

And here a man came hurrying to greet them, clapping his hands in delight. “Lady Durily, Lord Karskon? I am Rordray. Are your quarters comfortable? Most of the middle floor is empty, we can offer a variety of choices—”

“Quite comfortable, thank you,” Karskon said. Rordray had taken him by surprise. Rumor said that Rordray was a were-lion. He was large, and his short reddish-blond hair might be the color of a lion’s mane; but Rordray was balding on top, and smooth-shaven, and well-fed, with a round and happy face. He looked far from ferocious—

“Rordray! Bring ’em here!”

Rordray looked around, disconcerted. “I have an empty table in the corner, but if you would prefer Merle’s company…?”

The man who had called was tremendous. The huge platter before him bore an entire swordfish fillet. Durily stared in what might have been awe or admiration. “Merle, by all means! And can you be persuaded to join us?”

“I would be delighted.” Rordray escorted them to the huge man’s table and seated them. “The swordfish is good—”

“The swordfish is wonderful!” Merle boomed. He’d made amazing progress with the half-swordfish while they were approaching. “It’s baked with apricots and slivered nuts and…something else, I can’t tell. Rordray?”

“The nuts are soaked in a liqueur called brosa, from Rynildissen, and dried in the oven.”

“I’ll try it,” Karskon said, and Durily nodded. Rordray disappeared into the kitchen.

The noise level was rising toward its previous pitch. Durily raised her voice just high enough. “Most of you seem to be fishers. It must have been hard for you after the merpeople went away.”

“It was, Lady. They had to learn to catch their own fish instead of trading. All the techniques had to be invented from scratch. They tell me they tried magic at first. To breathe water, you know. Some of them drowned. Then came fishing-spears, and special boats, and nets—”

“You said they?”

“I’m a whale,” said Merle. “I came later.”

“Oh. There aren’t many were-folk around these days. Anywhere.”

“We aren’t all gone,” Merle said, while Karskon smiled at how easily they had broached the subject. “The merpeople went away, all right, but it wasn’t just because they’re magical creatures. Their life styles include a lot of magic. Whales don’t practice much magic.”

“Even so,” Karskon wondered, “what are you doing on land? Aren’t you afraid you might, ah, change? Magic isn’t dependable anymore—”

“But Rordray is. Rordray would get me out in time. Anyway, I spend most of my time aboard Shrimp. See, if the change comes over me there, it’s no problem. A whale’s weight would swamp my little boat and leave me floating.”

“I still don’t see—”

“Sharks.”

“Ah.”

“Damn brainless toothy wandering weapons! The more you kill the more the blood draws more till—” Merle shifted restlessly. “Anyway, there are no sharks ashore. And there are books, and people to talk to. Out on the sea there’s only the whale songs. Now, I like the singing; who wouldn’t? But it’s only family gossip, and weather patterns, and shoreline changes, and where are the fish.”

“That sounds useful.”

“Sure it is. Fisherfolk learn the whale songs to find out where the fish are. But for any kind of intelligent conversation you have to come ashore. Ah, here’s Rordray.”

Rordray set three plates in place, bearing generous slabs of swordfish and vegetables cooked in elaborate fashions. “What’s under discussion?”

“Were-creatures,” Karskon said. “They’re having a terrible time of it almost everywhere.”

Rordray sat down. “Even in Rynildissen? The wolf people sector?”

“Well,” Durily said uncomfortably, “they’re changing. You know, there are people who can change into animals, but that’s because there are were-folk among their ancestors. Most were-folk are animals who learned how to take human form. The human shape has magic in it, you know.” Rordray nodded, and she continued. “In places where the magic’s gone, it’s terrible. The animals lose their minds. Even human folk with some animal ancestry, they can’t make the change, but their minds aren’t quite human either. Wolf ancestry makes for good soldiers, but it’s hard for them to stop. A touch of hyena or raccoon makes for thieves. A man with a touch of lion makes a good general, but—”

Merle shifted restlessly, as if the subject were painful to him. His platter was quite clean now. “Oh, to hell with the problems of were-folk. Tell me how you lost your eye.”

Karskon jumped, but he answered. “Happened in the baths when I was thirteen. We were having a fight with wet towels and one of my half-brothers flicked my eye out with the