Free Jimmy and the Crawler by Raymond E. Feist Page A

ill-conceived search.’
    William glanced at Jazhara, then nodded. ‘I see.’ He sighed. ‘I’ll do as you ask, James.’
    ‘Good,’ said James. He looked around. ‘Where are your Izmalis?’
    ‘At the east gate next to the caravanserai. We have horses and supplies there waiting for us.’
    ‘Then be of f !’
    As they left, James let out a long sigh. He had no problem with the two of them falling into bed together, but he had serious reservations about them falling in love.
    Returning to the Jade Monkey, he wondered at this improbable thing called love. He was certain that he’d only seen it once in his life, and that was between Prince Arutha and Princess Anita, and he judged this wonderful mystery was as rare an occurrence as those two people. It might be nice to feel that way about someone, some day, he thought as he caught sight of Gina coming out of her little office at the back of the inn, but until that day, he’d be content with taking his pleasure where he found it.
    Gina noticed him watching her and smiled. He returned the smile and considered for a brief moment following up on the implied invitation. Then he realized he had too much work ahead of him, and headed upstairs to plan his next foray into the city that night.

• CHAPTER EIGHT •
Instruction
    T HE MONK LEANED FORWARD .
    ‘The thing about demons,’ Brother Eli said, then paused to take another draught from a large tankard of ale, ‘is they’re sneaky bastards.’
    After Jazhara and William had departed, James had spent the afternoon at several of the temples in Durbin. By Krondor’s standards they were modest at best, hovels at worst, but their followers were as devoted as those in the largest temples in Rillanon. To James’s amusement and amazement, the man he sought out was made manifest in this rotund monk of Banath – Ban-ath, as he was called in Kesh, as opposed to Ba-nath as he was known in the Kingdom – patron god of thieves, liars, gamblers, as well as a few more socially appreciated trades. He was also the god of risk takers and those inclined to rely more on their skills and cunning than the random whim of Ruthia, Goddess of Luck.
    In striking up a conversation at the shrine, James discovered Brother Eli to be an affable fellow, well disposed to indulge James’s curiosity so long as it was over a tankard of ale. Several tankards, if the progress of his story-telling was any indication.
    ‘What do you mean, sneaky?’ asked James. ‘I’ve had a few run-ins with demons and they were a little too large, nasty and loud to be called sneaky.’
    ‘Ah,’ said the portly monk. He pointed a meaty finger at the former thief. ‘I took you to be one who formerly trod the dodgy path, young sir.’ He fixed James with a squint which caused the two bushy red eyebrows above his pale blue eyes to wiggle like caterpillars. His almost-bald pate was surrounded by a ginger fringe, and apparently the hot sun of Kesh’s north shore had given him a perpetually sunburned scalp. ‘Come to better circumstances, by the look of you,’ he finished.
    ‘What makes you say that?’
    ‘Only the foolish – and you do not appear to be such a one – and those devoid of luck – and again you do not strike me as such – and those who are in the wrong place run afoul of demons.’ With a barking laugh, he added, ‘As we’ve already disposed of ill luck as a reason, you had to want to be in the wrong place.’
    James laughed, remembering the three times he had run into demons, at a distant abbey, in an abandoned fortress full of killers, and in a basement. ‘I can promise you, brother, I had no desire to be where I found myself at that time.’
    ‘Why don’t I believe you?’
    ‘Given your calling, one can wonder,’ said James.
    ‘It’s true,’ said the monk, indicating that his tankard was empty. As Jimmy signalled to Gina to fetch another, Brother Eli continued, ‘We who serve the Trickster as well as we can, well, let’s say our flock