[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

who saw them together could possibly doubt but it was going to be awkward, and
she, Magda, would bear most of the awkwardness!
The immediate family of Ardais, with a bare handful of the house-party guests,
and estate officials, usually had their meals in a small breakfast room away from the
Great Hall. As they came in they heard a burst of laughter. Dom Kyril was telling a
funny story, which was one of the commonest midwinter pastimes, at this season when
all outdoor work came to a dead stop.
 & And everybody had to carry around a little torch to thaw out what he said
before he could be heard; and this man made quite a bit of money by gathering up all
the frozen speeches in a barrow, and carting them around to their owners. Only he
wasn t quite as careful as he should have been, to make sure that they were delivered to
the right owners, and when the spring-thaw came, and all the words thawed out again,
there was a tremendous amount of trouble. The mule-driver thawed out what he had
yelled at his team, and found he had the words of an old lady talking to her pet birds;
and the young mother scolding her little children got the mule-driver s, and the
children cried half the day; and the young wife telling her husband she was to bear his
first son, got what the Free Amazon said to the man who  He broke off and turned a
full red as Jaelle giggled.  My apologies, cousin!
Jaelle said dryly,  Kinsman, I heard all the jokes there are about Free Amazons,
before I had turned fifteen; and most of them I heard in the Guild-house from my
sisters. I would share them with you, but most of them would shock your delicate male
sensibilities. It was the turn of the others to laugh.  Finish your story, kinsman; this is
one I have not heard.
Kyril tried to take up where he had left off.  The aristocratic lady entertaining her
guests was delivered the chatter of the men from the lowest tavern in the village, while
the Keeper instructing her youngest novice found herself hearing what the Dry-Towner
bellowed at his minion & 
 Enough, dom Gabriel said, with a glance at Lady Alida.  It seems to me this is
a tale for the barracks, son, not for your mother s breakfast table. He glanced up to
greet the newcomers, his eyebrows raising in question as he saw the women in Amazon
clothing.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
Jaelle said,  Uncle, with your leave, we will ride for Thendara today; it is a long
journey at this season, and my sister has duties in the Guild-house.
 Impossible, Lord Gabriel said.  This is only the snow-break, my girl;
tomorrow at this hour it will be snowing harder than ever. This storm will last another
ten days at the least; only the guests who live within a few hours ride are departing
today. You would be well advised to remain until the spring-thaw, at least.
 You are more than kind, Lord Ardais, said Peter,  but we could not so long
trespass on hospitality.
 You couldn t possibly travel more than a day s ride before the snow blocked you
again, dom Gabriel said.  It seems to me nonsense, to spend the rest of the blizzard in
a tent or travel-shelter when you could stay here in comfort.
Magda and Peter knew he was right. And indeed, the weather in the Hellers at
this season was proverbial; from midwinter to spring-thaw, only the mad or the
desperate ventured more than an hour s ride from their own firesides.
Toward afternoon the day darkened again, and the next morning the windows
were a flurry of white snow, with the wind howling around the towers of Ardais like a
banshee hard on the heels of its prey. And at breakfast dom Gabriel said triumphantly,
 You see? You had better stay till spring-thaw, all of you!
Afterward, Lady Alida drew Magda aside and said,  We should arrange for your
testing, mestra, today; it should not be much longer delayed. , Magda was seized by
such panic that she felt it must be perceptible to the leronis. As soon as she could get
away she went in search of Lady Rohana, and found her in her private sitting room,
working on the accounts of the estate. At first this might have surprised Magda; now
she knew that every thread in the running of Ardais was spun through Lady Rohana s
slender six-fingered hands.
 Forgive me for disturbing you, my Lady; may I speak to you alone for a
moment?
Rohana motioned her inside and dismissed the lady companion without whom,
it seemed, she could not move half a dozen steps.  Certainly; this can wait till spring-
thaw, if need be. What troubles you, child?
Magda felt an overwhelming sense of presumption; she had come to a Comyn
lady to complain about one of the lady s own caste. She said hesitantly,  The Lady
Alida is determined to have me tested for laran, and I am afraid that if she explores my
mind that way it may cause trouble for all of us.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
Rohana looked grave. This is my fault; I should have sent the Terrans away. She
said,  We were both surprised to find you in the rapport when we were working in the
matrix. Have you been trained in these powers among your own people?
Magda shook her head.  Among us, there are not too many who even believe
that such powers exist, Lady. Those who believe in them, or claim to be able to use
them, are thought ignorant, superstitious, credulous.
 I had heard that. Rohana knew that had been one of Lorill Hastur s reasons for
the ban on too much mingling with the Terrans. They do not believe in these powers;
once convinced, they would be greedy to know all about them, and exploit them.
Rohana said,  Belief or not, you seem to have this kind of laran, child. How
came you by it?
 I do not know, Lady. All my life I have been able to use hunches, but I believed
it was simply that I had a talent for adding up things which were subliminal just a
little below the conscious levels of perception. And there have been times when my
dreams were not not nonsense, but told me things I did not consciously know; so I
have learned to take heed of them.
Rohana leaned her chin thoughtfully on her hands. This meant they must
reevaluate most of what they had learned about the Terrans.  Lorill is committed to a
belief that Terrans and Darkovans are different races of beings, and that the Terrans are
inferior; and he uses their lack of laran as proof.
Magda said,  My Lady, I am not supposed to tell this outside the Terran Zone,
either; but the Lord Hastur is mistaken. This is not a belief, but a fact that can be
proved; Terran and Darkovan are one race. It is known to us beyond question that
Darkover was settled by Terrans long ago by one of what we call the Lost Ships. In. an
age before the faster-than-light ships that we have now, there were ships that were sent
out from Terra it was not an Empire then and some of them were lost and never
heard of again. There is evidence from your languages that it was settled by a ship
whose very name I could give you, and the names of those aboard. It is most likely that
this knowledge was lost to you centuries ago, Lady probably to keep the survivors
from pining too much for their lost homeland but your people are truly Terrans. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]