Free The Paths of the Dead (Viscount of Adrilankha) by Steven Brust

Morrolan’s, which height, as we said earlier, was such as to tower well over all the Easterners with whom he surrounded himself.
    “My good Dark Star, and my dear Arra, I present to you the Lady Teldra.”
    “It is a great pleasure to meet you all,” said the one called Teldra, “but, I must say that I am especially pleased to meet you, Lord Morrolan, as I had no idea I was to have the honor of meeting, here so far to the East, another such as I.”
    Arra and Morrolan bowed, and Morrolan said, “Another such as you? You must refer, then, to the fact that we are both exceptionally tall? Well, but permit me to say that your surpassing beauty commands my attention far more than the mere distance between your forehead and the ground upon which you do the honor to tread.”
    This speech, as it happened, was remarkable in two ways: for one, it was the first time anyone had heard Morrolan assume such tones and manner; and, for another, it seemed to everyone present that Morrolan had overlooked something that, to them, seemed obvious—more than obvious, in fact, it seemed conspicuous.
    Miska was the first to point it out, saying, “How, you think she made reference to her height, when she observed that you two have something in common?”
    “Well, I had thought so. Do you refer to something else?”
    “Entirely. Or, rather, we refer to a cause of which her height, and your own, is merely an effect.”
    “Well, I am most anxious to hear about this cause.”
    “How, you do not know it?”
    “Know it? Why, I cannot so much as hazard a guess about it.”
    “How, you cannot even guess?”
    “I have said so.”
    “And yet, I have trouble believing it.”
    “Oh, you should believe it, and for two reasons: in the first place because I have said so, and in second place because it is true.”
    “Well,” said Miska, “you begin to convince me that you really are unaware of what we are suggesting.”
    “That is good. But there would be something better.”
    “Oh, and what would be better?”
    “If you would enlighten me. For I confess that I am entirely perplexed—so much so, that you might as well call me Erik.”
    At this, Teldra in turn looked puzzled, but Miska gave a gesture indicating that it was not worth explaining. Arra, in the meantime, was staring at Morrolan with undisguised astonishment. The latter, observing her countenance, said, “What, you too?”
    “My lord,” said Arra, “would you permit me to ask you a question?”
    “If it will help me to comprehend, you may ask three.”
    “This, then, is the question: Have you never wondered why it is you are so much taller than everyone around you?”
    “Why, I had thought it rather a fluke, in much the same way that Kevin is so much fatter than everyone else, or that Lara has hair that is so much redder than everyone else’s.”
    “But you cannot fail to notice that you have lived for more than a hundred years, whereas those around you rarely achieve half that age.”
    “But, my dear Arra, you have lived as long as I.”
    “But you know that this is a gift from the goddess, for I have explained it to you.”
    “Well, and could she not grant me a similar gift?”
    Arra could only respond to this with an eloquent shrug, as if to say, “I am at a loss for how to go on.”
    At this point, Miska could no longer contain himself, and began to laugh—and his laugh, the reader should understand, consisted of no small chuckles, but rather big, booming guffaws, and were accompanied by a rocking of his whole body, and tears streaming down his face. Morrolan frowned. “Do you know, I am becoming annoyed,” he remarked.
    Miska, for his part, did not notice, being too occupied with laughing, but Teldra said, “Please, my lord; forgive him. He means no offense, and does not laugh at you, but, rather, at the absurdity of the situation, which, I assure you, is as unlikely as any I have ever encountered, or am likely to.”
    “Well,” said Morrolan, a bit