[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
see what s here.
There were lights all over the huge pile that was the Biserica with its
attached outbuildings, but the shades were pulled across the windows and
the doors were firmly shut, the lamps above them extinguished. Farther
on, though, the street lamps turned night to day in front of the taverns, cha
houses and cookshops that peaceful years had brought to cluster about the Old
Buildings; these were what part
Synggal had called the Complex. It was a happy, noisy, busy place, as crowded
Page 38
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
with all sorts of people as Dander was on a High Market day.
Greygen felt his body and his mind expanding; he hadn t realized how clenched
he d been since the
Glory came. He rested his arm on Sansilly s shoulder, rubbing gently at the
muscle under the coarse cloth. She looked up at him, eyes laughing.
It was one of those autumn nights when the breeze is just cool enough to feel
like silk along the skin.
They walked through a very young crowd, most of them still in their teens, all
colors, sizes and shapes, many from peoples he d never seen before even with
all the traders visiting Dander/Calanda, the mix spiced with a few merchants,
meien and gyes, all of them ambling about the Complex, some laughing and
shouting, some quieter, a few solitaries sitting at tables or holding up
walls.
After awhile, Sansilly leaned against him and groaned. Greg ...
Mm?
A while ago I was feeling young as them, but my feet are telling my years.
Let s sit a while. And I
want a cup of cha.
What about that place there? He pointed. As long as there s a table with
chairs.
The cha house s tables spread out into the street, thick, short candles with
glass shields burning in the middle of each. There wasn t room for a
skinny snake outside, but when Greygen eased past the crowded walk and
under the roof, he found a small table for two tucked into a corner.
He got Sansilly seated, slid into his own chair and had a chance finally to
take note of what was happen-ing around him.
Girls in aprons carried trays from a door at the far end of the room, moving
with a peculiar gliding gait that was almost a dance as they went between the
ta-bles, emptied their trays and sped back for refills.
Near that door there was a small raised stage. A young woman sat on a stool
with an instrument whose like Greygen had not seen before, five or six
strings, metal from the sound of them, a triangular sound box. At the moment
she was tuning it, pluck-ing the strings, turning the keys. When she finished,
she called out something in mijlocker, laughed at the answers she got, then
took up an ivory pick and set-tled to her playing. It was a joyous noise she
made, fast and furious, a sound to set the foot tapping and the blood racing
in the veins.
Kak trevah?
Greygen twisted round. What?
Ei vai, Dandri?
Yes.
Urn ... what ... urn ... want?
Ah. Cha. A pot of cha. How much?
Urn ... nik, no pay. She pinched the cloth of his robe between thumb and
forefinger. Visit. Biserica
... um ... gift. She moved her smile from him to Sansilly, then went gliding
off.
Sansilly watched her a moment, turned back to him. Zdra, isn t that a
friendly thing. I like that mu-sic, don t you, Greg?
Makes inc want to dance. Remember when we were just wed, how we used to dance
holes in our shoes?
M.
You! She reached across the table to him.
He took her hand, closed his fingers tight around it.
The young woman finished her piece, bowed and stepped down from the
stage. A tall, narrow woman brown as bitter chocolate came running up the
stairs, long black hair flowing like water over her shoulders. A blond girl as
tall and thin, so pale she was almost albino, followed her, waving a flute. In
Page 39
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
the explosion of applause, the blonde settled herself on the stool, the dark
woman began pacing back and forth along the stage, her eyes lifted to the
smoky rafters.
Kitun and Arenquey. The girl giggled as she set the pot on the table with
practiced ease, then the mugs and a plate of wafers, a jar of honey and tiny
pitcher of milk. Poet n ... urn ... music writer. She clicked her tongue
with annoyance as someone outside began whistling for service, then went
trotting off.
On the stage Kitun clapped her hands together, in-toned a string of words.
Arenquey began drawing a soft flow of sound from the flute. The talking at the
tables hushed, faces turned toward the stage.
Greygen guessed at a few of the words, but he didn t really need to know what
she was saying to take pleasure in the twining of the flute around the strong
supple voice of the poet. He sipped at the tea, watched Sansilly enjoying the
night and felt a deep and abiding sorrow that Calanda and Dander no longer
had such peace and pleasure.
3. On The Shore Of The Stathvoreen
With the cloak draped about her to conceal her preg-nancy, her hair a fall of
polished gold, Tingajil sang one of the Poet s songs, an invocation of happier
times with that touch of sentimentality that cursed all his work, but made him
enormously popular. The Agentura s Cadandril was imperfect, but she could see
that he was catching enough of the sense to be impressed.
What more can you ask of a Marn s
Poet? And this is how we spend our substance to keep Skafaree s Berkwast from
scenting our weakness and scooping us up to sell to that child who calls,
herself Marn.
She glanced along the board with its load of food and wines, though most of
the bottles held water or cold tea. Osk gloomy in his finery, that was all
right, it was his nature, even the Agentura knew that. The
Panya Valiva regal in a velvet robe with jewels glitter-ing in the
candlelight. They were real, though as temporary as all this fare if Osk
decided he d rather have guns than crystal history. Vedouce, massive and
smiling.
I am blessed to have him with me. The mind be-hind that dull face, I think it
never stops. Him and Heslin. They aren t all that fond of each other, too
alike, I suspect, and Vedouce only tolerates foreigners, but they re too
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]