Black Cat Thrillogy #1
Page 6
Tim examined it carefully and smiled. “I thought you’d take good care of it,” he said, “but that wasn’t my main worry. The prospect of having to contend with Lydia Hanuman, brimming with carnal passion and a lust for revenge, gave me nightmares.”
Pete raised his glass to Timuroff. “To our heroic leader,” he proposed. “He got the ball rolling, endured the Hanumans, and almost became the Mexican god of war. And all for what? Another hunk of iron to put with all the rest. Briscoe’s at least getting thousands of dollars’ worth of publicity for his law scam, but, Tim, seriously, what did you get?”
“What did I get? Well, let me explain this once more. The Vikings really had a very high culture, and they produced some splendid craftsmanship in metal. Their weapons, at least in decent condition, are very, very rare—and this specimen is the finest I’ve ever seen or even read about, in or out of a museum. What’s it worth? I can’t say exactly, because almost none ever come up at auction, but I’d hazard a guess at well up in the five figures.” He smiled. “I find that even more pleasant than the chance to play Huitzilopochtli.”