[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
"Not a mite." Sebell shook his head violently for empha-
sis. Kimi swooped in, scolding because Sebell had made her wait outside. Then
his expression became serious, and he waggled a finger at Piemur. "However,
you will have to watch your step with Master Oldive. We've sworn blue to him
that this isn't going to be an energetic adventure for you. Even heads as hard
as yours must be treated with cau-
tion after such a fall. So, instead of hiking you in from
Ruatha Hold as I'd planned," and Sebell gave a mock scowl at Piemur's burst of
laughter, "N'ton will drop you off at dawn in the valley before Nabol Hold.
Then we'll
96
r proceed at a proper pace with beasts suitable for sale at the
Nabol Gather."
Page 60
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Why?" asked Piemur bluntly. Discretion had got him nothing but misery,
confusion and unwarranted accusa-
tions. This time he would know what he was about.
"Two things," Sebell said without so much as a pause for consideration. "If
it's true that there are more fire liz-
ards in Nabol Hold than--"
"Is that what they meant?"
"Is that what who meant?"
"Lord Oterel. At the Hatching. I overheard him talking to someone . . . didn't
know the man . . . and he said, 'Meron gets more than he ought and we have to
do with-
out.' Didn't make sense then, but it would if Lord Oterel was talking about
fire lizards. Was he?"
"He very likely was, and I wish you'd mentioned that snip of talk before."
"I didn't know you'd want to know, and it made no sense to me then." Piemur
ended on a plaintive note, seeing
Sebell's frown of irritation.
The journeyman smiled a quick reassurance. "No, you couldn't've known. Now you
do. We know that Lord
Meron had his first fire lizards from Kylara nearly foul-
Turns ago, so they could have clutched at least once, possi-
bly twice. And he'd've made certain he had control of the distribution of
those new eggs. Nonetheless, he has distrib-
uted more in Nabol than we can account for. What is equally important is the
amount of other supplies that are being brought into the Hold and . . .
disappearingi
"Meron's trading with the Oldtimers?"
"Lord Meron, lad you don't forget the title even in your thoughts . . . and
yes, that's the possibility."
"And he's getting whole clutches of fire lizard eggs for trading for 'em? As
well as the eggs of his original pairs?"
Piemur was assailed by a variety of emotions: anger that
Lord Meron of Nabol Hold was getting more than a fair share of the fire lizard
eggs when other, more worthy per-
sons, Piemur included himself, ought to have a chance to
Impress the precious creatures; a righteous indignation that Lord Meron (and
he slurred the title into an insult in his thoughts) was deliberately flouting
Ben den Weyr by trafficking in any way with the Oldtimers; and an in-
97
tense excitement at the possibility that he, Piemur, might help discredit
further this infamous Lord Holder.
"Those are two of the main things to listen for. The third, which is the most
important in some ways, is which of Lord Meron's male heirs would be most
acceptable to craft and cot."
"He is dying then?" He'd been sure that the message to
Master Oldive was spurious.
"Oh, yes, a wasting disease." Sebell's grin was malicious, and there was an
unpleasant gleam in his eyes as he met
Piemur's astonished gaze. "You might say, a very proper disease to fit Lord
Meron's . . . peculiar ways!"
Piemur would have liked to have particulars, but Sebell rose.
"I must be away now, Piemur. You're to rest, without getting into any
mischief."
"Rest? I've been resting--"
"Bored? Well, I'll ask Rokayas to give you drum mea-
sures to learn. That ought to ease your boredom without taxing your strength."
Page 61
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Sebell laughed at Piemur's snort of dismay.
"As long as it's Rokayas."
"It will be. He's of the mind that you learned a great deal more than Dirzan
believes."
Piemur grinned at the subtle question in Sebell's words, but before he could
retort, the door was closing behind the journeyman and Kimi, who fluttered
above him. Piemur hugged his knees to his chest, rocking slowly on his tail
bones as he thought over all that Sebell had confided to him. And tried to
figure out what it was Sebell hadn't told him.
One thing Sebell hadn't mentioned was how cold and how dark it would be when
N'ton collected him before dawn.
Menolly with Beauty and Rocky had roused him from a fitful sleep, for he'd
been afraid he'd oversleep and conse-
quently spent a restless night. He could sense Menolly's amusement as the two
of them, guided by the encouraging chirrups of the fire lizards, stumbled
across the dark courtyard toward the Gather meadow. Then Lioth turned his
brilliant jewel-faceted eyes in their direction, and they moved more
confidently forward.
98
Menolly giggled as she boosted Piemur up to catch the fighting straps, and
then he felt N'ton's downstretched hand and was aided into position. He heard
her softly wish him luck, then she blended into the shadows, her actual
position discernible only by four points of light that were fire lizard eyes.
"D'you want the fighting strap about you, Piemur?
Night flying unnerves a lot of people."
Piemur wanted to say yes, but instead took a good hold on the leathers that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl rafalstec.xlx.pl
"Not a mite." Sebell shook his head violently for empha-
sis. Kimi swooped in, scolding because Sebell had made her wait outside. Then
his expression became serious, and he waggled a finger at Piemur. "However,
you will have to watch your step with Master Oldive. We've sworn blue to him
that this isn't going to be an energetic adventure for you. Even heads as hard
as yours must be treated with cau-
tion after such a fall. So, instead of hiking you in from
Ruatha Hold as I'd planned," and Sebell gave a mock scowl at Piemur's burst of
laughter, "N'ton will drop you off at dawn in the valley before Nabol Hold.
Then we'll
96
r proceed at a proper pace with beasts suitable for sale at the
Nabol Gather."
Page 60
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Why?" asked Piemur bluntly. Discretion had got him nothing but misery,
confusion and unwarranted accusa-
tions. This time he would know what he was about.
"Two things," Sebell said without so much as a pause for consideration. "If
it's true that there are more fire liz-
ards in Nabol Hold than--"
"Is that what they meant?"
"Is that what who meant?"
"Lord Oterel. At the Hatching. I overheard him talking to someone . . . didn't
know the man . . . and he said, 'Meron gets more than he ought and we have to
do with-
out.' Didn't make sense then, but it would if Lord Oterel was talking about
fire lizards. Was he?"
"He very likely was, and I wish you'd mentioned that snip of talk before."
"I didn't know you'd want to know, and it made no sense to me then." Piemur
ended on a plaintive note, seeing
Sebell's frown of irritation.
The journeyman smiled a quick reassurance. "No, you couldn't've known. Now you
do. We know that Lord
Meron had his first fire lizards from Kylara nearly foul-
Turns ago, so they could have clutched at least once, possi-
bly twice. And he'd've made certain he had control of the distribution of
those new eggs. Nonetheless, he has distrib-
uted more in Nabol than we can account for. What is equally important is the
amount of other supplies that are being brought into the Hold and . . .
disappearingi
"Meron's trading with the Oldtimers?"
"Lord Meron, lad you don't forget the title even in your thoughts . . . and
yes, that's the possibility."
"And he's getting whole clutches of fire lizard eggs for trading for 'em? As
well as the eggs of his original pairs?"
Piemur was assailed by a variety of emotions: anger that
Lord Meron of Nabol Hold was getting more than a fair share of the fire lizard
eggs when other, more worthy per-
sons, Piemur included himself, ought to have a chance to
Impress the precious creatures; a righteous indignation that Lord Meron (and
he slurred the title into an insult in his thoughts) was deliberately flouting
Ben den Weyr by trafficking in any way with the Oldtimers; and an in-
97
tense excitement at the possibility that he, Piemur, might help discredit
further this infamous Lord Holder.
"Those are two of the main things to listen for. The third, which is the most
important in some ways, is which of Lord Meron's male heirs would be most
acceptable to craft and cot."
"He is dying then?" He'd been sure that the message to
Master Oldive was spurious.
"Oh, yes, a wasting disease." Sebell's grin was malicious, and there was an
unpleasant gleam in his eyes as he met
Piemur's astonished gaze. "You might say, a very proper disease to fit Lord
Meron's . . . peculiar ways!"
Piemur would have liked to have particulars, but Sebell rose.
"I must be away now, Piemur. You're to rest, without getting into any
mischief."
"Rest? I've been resting--"
"Bored? Well, I'll ask Rokayas to give you drum mea-
sures to learn. That ought to ease your boredom without taxing your strength."
Page 61
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Sebell laughed at Piemur's snort of dismay.
"As long as it's Rokayas."
"It will be. He's of the mind that you learned a great deal more than Dirzan
believes."
Piemur grinned at the subtle question in Sebell's words, but before he could
retort, the door was closing behind the journeyman and Kimi, who fluttered
above him. Piemur hugged his knees to his chest, rocking slowly on his tail
bones as he thought over all that Sebell had confided to him. And tried to
figure out what it was Sebell hadn't told him.
One thing Sebell hadn't mentioned was how cold and how dark it would be when
N'ton collected him before dawn.
Menolly with Beauty and Rocky had roused him from a fitful sleep, for he'd
been afraid he'd oversleep and conse-
quently spent a restless night. He could sense Menolly's amusement as the two
of them, guided by the encouraging chirrups of the fire lizards, stumbled
across the dark courtyard toward the Gather meadow. Then Lioth turned his
brilliant jewel-faceted eyes in their direction, and they moved more
confidently forward.
98
Menolly giggled as she boosted Piemur up to catch the fighting straps, and
then he felt N'ton's downstretched hand and was aided into position. He heard
her softly wish him luck, then she blended into the shadows, her actual
position discernible only by four points of light that were fire lizard eyes.
"D'you want the fighting strap about you, Piemur?
Night flying unnerves a lot of people."
Piemur wanted to say yes, but instead took a good hold on the leathers that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]