The tavern keeper, a wiry man with a sharp-nosed face, round, prominent ears and a receding hairline that combined to give him a rodentlike look, glanced at him, absentmindedly wiping a tankard with a grubby cloth. Will raised an eyebrow as he looked at it. He'd be willing to bet the cloth was transferring more dirt to the tankard then it was removing. "Drink?" the tavern keeper asked. He set the tankard down on the bar, as if in preparation for filling it with whatever the stranger might order. "Not out of that, " Will said evenly, jerking a thumb at the tankard. Ratface shrugged, shoved it aside and produced another from a rack above the bar. "Suit yourself. Ale or ouisgeah?" Ousigeah, Will knew, was the strong malt spirit they distilled and drank in Hibernia. In a tavern like this, it might be more suitable for stripping runt than drinking. "I'd like coffee, " he said, noticing the battered pot by the fire at one end of the bar. "I've got ale or ouisgeah. Take your pick." Ratface was becoming more peremptory. Will gestured toward the coffeepot. The tavern keeper shook his head. "None made, " he said. "I'm not making a new pot just for you." "But he's drinking coffee, " Will said, nodding to one side. Inevitably the tavern keeper glanced that way, to see who he was talking about. The moment his eyes left Will, an iron grip seized the front of his shirt collar, twisting it into a knot that choked him and at the same time dragged him forward, off balance, over the bar, . The stranger's eyes were suddenly very close. He no longer looked boyish. The eyes were dark brown, almost black in this dim light, and the tavern keeper read danger there. A lot of danger. He heard a soft whisper of steel, and glancing down past the fist that held him so tightly, he glimpsed the heavy, gleaming blade of the saxe knife as the stranger laid it on the bar between them. He looked around for possible help. But there was nobody else at the bar, and none of the customers at the tables had noticed what was going on. "Aach..mach co'hee, " he choked. The tension on his collar eased and the stranger said softly, "What was that?" "I'll..make..coffee, " he repeated, gasping for breath. The stranger smiled. It was a pleasant smile, but the tavern keep noticed that it never reached those dark eyes. "That's wonderful. I'll wait here. John Flanagan
Some Similar Quotes
  1. Failed relationships can be described as so much wasted make-up. - Marian Keyes
  2. Sex without love is a meaningless experience, but as far as meaningless experiences go its pretty damn good. - Woody Allen
  3. Aside from the obvious, Francesca, what do you want in return for supplying information?” Bones asked, getting back to the subject. “You to take me, ” she replied at once. “Not gonna happen! ” I spat, squeezing him possessively. Three sets of widened eyes fixed... - Jeaniene Frost
  4. I love being in love, but I also love other things, like not being jealous, overly sensitive, or needy.
 - Unknown
  5. Two seconds later, the sound of an alarm filled my ears. ''What did you do?'' I said over the noise as he backed up towards the bathroom door. ''The girl who gave you the note?'''' Yes..'''' I caught her staring at my lighter.'' I blinked.... - Michelle Hodkin
More Quotes By John Flanagan
  1. But what if I make a mistake?' Will asked. Gilan threw back his head and laughed. 'A mistake? One mistake? You should be so lucky. You'll make dozens! I made four or five on my first day alone! Of course you'll make mistakes. <span style="margin:15px;...
  2. Halt regarded him. He loved Horace like a younger brother. Even like a second son, after Will. He admired his skill with a sword and his courage in battle. <span style="margin:15px; display:block"></span>But sometimes, just sometimes, he felt an overwhelming desire to ram the young warrior's...
  3. A hundred people is rather a large handful for the four of us to take on, " Malcolm pointed out. "Do you have any ideas about how we're going to handle that task?"" Simple, " Halt told him. "We'll surround them.
  4. Yes, I'm back, " he said, "And look who I ran into." Horace grinned at him. "i hope you ran into him hard."" As hard as I could.
  5. Isn't that someone we know?" asked Horace. He pointed to where a cloaked figure sat by the side of the road a few hundred meters away, arms wrapped around his knees. Close by him, a small shaggy horse cropped the grass growing at the edge...
Related Topics