Along the adobe wall was a brass charcoal brazier and above it a wooden vent. Abin held charcoal. A big cabinet beside it held grain and some dried meat andplates and knives. Near it was a baked clay vase for water. Next to it was apile of cloths. Wallu pointed at the curtain in the doorway to the other room.'He came home early. I suppose he couldn't cadge drinks enough from his friends.But he's drunk enough to suit a dozen sailors.' Grimacing, Masha strode to thecurtain and pulled it aside. ''Shewaw!' (A combination of'Whew!', 'Ugh!', and'Yech!') The stink was that which greeted her nostrils when she opened the doorto the Vulgar Unicorn Tavern. A blend of wine and beer, stale and fresh, sweat,stale and fresh, vomit, urine, frying blood-sausages, krrf, and kleetel.
Eevroen lay on his back, his mouth open, his arms spread out as if he were beingcrucified. Once, he had been a tall muscular youth, very broad-shouldered, slimwaisted, and long-legged. Now he was fat, fat, fat, double-chinned, hugepaunched with rings of sagging fat around his waist. The once bright eyes werered and dark-bagged, and the once-sweet breath was a hellpit of stenches. He'dfallen asleep without changing into nightclothes; his tunic was ripped, dirty,and stained with various things, including puke. He wore cast-off sandals, orperhaps he'd stolen them.
Masha was long past weeping over him. She kicked him in the ribs, causing him togrunt and to open one eye. But it closed and he was quickly snoring like a pigagain. That, at least, was a blessing. How many nights had she spent inscreaming at him while he bellowed at her or in fighting him off when hestaggered home and insisted she lie with him? She didn't want to count them.