Expecting Someone Taller by Tom Holt Page A

subject until Malcolm himself raised it. Instead, he talked mostly about his health, or to be precise, his digestion.
    â€˜Lobster,’ he remarked more than once, ‘gives me the most appalling heartburn. And gooseberries . . .’
    In short, there was nothing to fear from Alberich, and Malcolm found himself feeling rather sorry for the Nibelung, who, by his own account at least, had had rather a hard time.
    â€˜It wasn’t the gold I wanted,’ he said. ‘I wanted to get my own back on those damned women.’
    â€˜Which women?’
    â€˜The Rhinedaughters. I won’t bore you with all the
details. Not a nice story.’ Alberich helped himself to some more gin. ‘There I was, taking a stroll beside the Rhine on a pleasant summer evening, and these three girls, with no more clothes on than would keep a fly warm . . .’
    â€˜I know all that,’ said Malcolm.
    â€˜Do you?’ said Alberich, rather disappointed. ‘Oh well, never mind. But it wasn’t the power or the money I wanted - well, they would have been nice, I grant you, I’m not saying they wouldn’t - but it’s the principle of the thing. You know how it is when someone takes something away from you without any right to it at all. You feel angry. You feel hard done by. And if that thing is the control of the world, you feel very hard done by indeed. Not that I want to control the world particularly - I imagine I’d do it very badly. But it’s like not being invited to a party, you feel hard done by even if you wouldn’t have gone if they’d asked you. I know I’m not explaining this very well . . . You can get obsessive about it, you know? Especially if you’ve thought about nothing else for the last thousand years.’
    â€˜Couldn’t you have done something else, to take your mind off it? Got a job, or something?’
    â€˜This may seem strange, but having been master of the world for forty-eight hours - that’s how long they let me keep the Ring, you know - doesn’t really qualify you for much. And they threw me out of Nibelheim.’
    â€˜Did they?’
    â€˜They did. You can’t really blame them. I had enslaved them and made them mine gold for me. They weren’t best pleased.’
    â€˜So what have you been doing ever since?’
    â€˜Moping about, mostly, feeling sorry for myself. And looking for the Ring, of course. And a bit of freelance metallurgy, just to keep the wolf from the door. My card.’

    He took a card from his wallet. ‘Hans Albrecht and partners, ’ it read, ‘Mining Engineers and Contractors, Est. AD 900.’
    â€˜Most people think the date’s a misprint,’ said Alberich, ‘but it’s not. Anyway, that’s what I’ve been doing, and a thoroughly wretched time I’ve had, too.’
    â€˜Have another drink,’ Malcolm suggested.
    â€˜You’re too kind,’ said Alberich. ‘Mind you, if I have too much to drink these days, it plays hell with my digestion. Did I tell you about that?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    Alberich shook his head sadly. ‘I’m boring you, I can tell. But let me tell you something useful. Even if you won’t give me the Ring, don’t let Wotan get his hands on it.’
    â€˜I wasn’t planning to,’ said Malcolm. ‘Another?’
    â€˜Why not? And then I must be going. It’s late, and you’ve been a horse all afternoon. That’s tiring, I know. Now, about Wotan. I don’t know how you’ve managed it, but you’ve got the Ring to do what you want it to. Not what I had intended when I made it, let me say. In fact, I can’t remember what I intended when I made it. It’s been a long time. Anyway. Is there any tonic left?’
    â€˜No. Sorry.’
    â€˜Doesn’t matter. About Wotan. He’s devious, very devious, but if you’ve got the Ring on your side . . .’
    Malcolm