Sharp Ends (First Law World #7)

by Joe Abercrombie

‘This little beauty is my good old friend Shevedieh! Used to be a henchman of mine.’ ‘Javre.’ ‘Sidekick, then. Whatever. We travelled half the Circle of the World together! All kinds of adventures.’ ‘Javre.’ ‘Disasters, then. Whatever.

‘Tits of the Mother!’ snarled Javre. ‘Again?’ ‘There’s a certain spot …’ muttered Tunny, pipe waggling between his teeth, ‘between too drunk and not drunk enough …’ as he scooped up scattered winnings in a dozen different currencies, ‘where I’m a hell of a card player. The trick, as with so much in life, is keeping the balance just right.’