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Simon's face shifted with familiar swiftness.
His smile was long dead. His hands tore at flesh that could not be wounded, at
cloth that at least stayed torn. Heavy though it was, wool woven thick and
strong, it shredded like age- rotted silk. Rough darkness gaped beneath. Of
course he would wear a hairshirt, that mad servant of a mad God.
"Hate!" he cried. "I-hate-I am a horror. With a touch, with a thought, I kill.
The priest was not the first, never the first. My mother never wanted me,
never wanted to love me, struck me when I cried till I learned not to cry, fed
me and cared for me because duty forced her to. She hit me.
I would be there where she could see me, and she would take a stick to me. And
then it swelled in me, that thing, the other, and it uncoiled and at last it
struck. It killed. I only wanted the stick to go away. would have more. I hate
it. I hate-was Anna clapped her hands over her ears.
He was kneeling in front of her. Calm again, gentle again. Her hands were no
barrier to his soft voice. "You understand. I have no power over that other.
I can only do as I am commanded."
"By it or by your Hounds of masters?"
the hounds OF Gou 155
"By God." He sat back on his heels, hands resting lightly on his thighs.
Anna's own hands fell to her sides. She was very tired. Bored, even, in spite
of all his dramatics. It was only the same thing over and over. God and
madness and a deep, rankling hatred of himself. Her pity was losing its
strength;
very soon she would be irritated. Did he think that he alone had ever
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
suffered? Some of the Folk had endured far worse, had come out of it singing.
Even she knew anguish; she had not shattered under it. What right had he to
rend worlds for his little pain? He turned slightly, oblivious it seemed to
her anger. After a long moment Anna heard the scraping of bolts.
Her glance, passing him, caught and held. His face was stiff, set, yet blazing
from within with such a mingling of hate and scorn, fear and surrender and
something very close to worship, as Anna had never dreamed of. In a moment it
had vanished behind the marble mask; Brother Paul filled the doorway.
Anna had seen him but once, and then only dimly in the reflection of his
companion. She had not known that he was so large. He was as tall as Simon, as
tall as Alf, and nigh as broad as Father Jehan.
But he had not the Bishop's muscular solidity; his flesh swelled into
softness. His eyes were as lazy as ever in the full ruddy face, taking in the
tableau, Thea curled with the children in a far corner, Anna upright on the
pallet, Simon at his ease nearby.
"Brother?" he inquired of the last.
Simon straightened. "The woman does not yield." His voice once more was flat.
Brother Paul advanced a step or two, folded his arms, looked down at Thea. She
did not dignify his presence with a snarl. "Your King and his wild brother
have been fighting. They haven't fought well, I understand. Maybe it troubles
them that their sorceries are held in check; that they have to live and fight
as simple mortal men. One has even been wounded, I can't be certain which.
They're so 156
Judith Tan- much alike, people say; now and again they exchange blazons. The
man who fell fought under the sign of the seabird crowned."
Anna's breath rasped in her throat. Thea seemed un moved, staring steadily up
at the monk.
He shook his head with feigned sadness. "It would be a grim thing if your King
should die. He's not dead yet, Brother Simon says; he can't work his magic to
heal himself. He hangs between life and death.
Now suppose," he said, "that you were to surrender.
Brother Simon works miracles of healing; he could be persuaded to pray for yet
another." Thea yawned and said coolly, You're tying. Even if Simon
Magus can pierce Rhiyana's defenses-and'
1grant'you, he's strong enough for that-even he can't overwhelm both Gwydion
and Aldan at once. They're twinbom; they're far stronger together than the
plain sum of their power.
"So they may be, together. They had no time to prove it. Pain is a great
destroyer of the mind's defenses."
Istx's so childishly easy to overcome us, Thea said coolly still, why do you
need my submission? Why not just cut us all down at once? "It is not easy,"
Simon answered tightly. "Your King was open to me, fighting on the edge of his
realm, struck with a sudden dart. God guided it and me. In a hunt amid pain
like fire and flood, I found the part of him that heals; I sealed it with my
seal.
Only I can loose the bonds."
You are unspeakable. Thea said it without inflection, which was worse in its
way than a storm of outrage.
"I do what I must. No one near your King has any powers of healing, nor can
any such come to him unless I will it. He cannot age, but he can die. Would
you save him? Surrender now."
Thea was perfectly steady. What would be the use of that? If you have your
way, he'll die anyway. This at least is a little quicker. "A witch's heart,"
said
Brother Paul, "is ice and iron. the hounds OF
god 157
Never a wife, hardly a mother, now you show yourself a poor vassal besides."
What if'I do surrender"..."she flared with sudden heat. What then? I'm dear
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
enough to my lord King, I
don't deny it, but he won't sacrifice all his people on my say-so. I doubt
he'd do that even for his
Queen. And you killed his son.
Simon spoke softly, more to himself than to her.
"Our people have tried and condemned a number of heretics in your royal city.
Some are guilty of no more than believing their King and his Kin to be
children of Heaven rather than of Hell. It's evil, but it's rather enviable
how loyal your Rhiyanans are. They're to be burned tomorrow. The Queen has no
power to stop it."
Nor, it seems, does the Pope's Legate.
You can't tell me he approves such lunacy.
"He has power only against your kind. This I
tell of is done by command of our Order under His
Holiness" mandate. We winnow your fields, witch; we hunt out mortal prey. Soon
they'll be crying for your blood rather than suffer more on your behalf. Then
the Legate will be compelled to perform his duty. He's already seen enough to
condemn you all thrice over-and it was your own lover who betrayed you."
Simon's eyes glittered with contempt.
"Oh, yes; he worked magic before the Cardinal's eyes, and told all your
people's secrets, babbling like a child or a black traitor. Though I would be
charitable; I would declare it plain folly and assurance of the power of his
own beauty, even over a man who takes enormous pride in his cha/y. Such men in
the end are easily laid low. He knew. He was one.
"But the Cardinal has held against him. I've seen to it. In a week or a
fortnight, the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl rafalstec.xlx.pl
Simon's face shifted with familiar swiftness.
His smile was long dead. His hands tore at flesh that could not be wounded, at
cloth that at least stayed torn. Heavy though it was, wool woven thick and
strong, it shredded like age- rotted silk. Rough darkness gaped beneath. Of
course he would wear a hairshirt, that mad servant of a mad God.
"Hate!" he cried. "I-hate-I am a horror. With a touch, with a thought, I kill.
The priest was not the first, never the first. My mother never wanted me,
never wanted to love me, struck me when I cried till I learned not to cry, fed
me and cared for me because duty forced her to. She hit me.
I would be there where she could see me, and she would take a stick to me. And
then it swelled in me, that thing, the other, and it uncoiled and at last it
struck. It killed. I only wanted the stick to go away. would have more. I hate
it. I hate-was Anna clapped her hands over her ears.
He was kneeling in front of her. Calm again, gentle again. Her hands were no
barrier to his soft voice. "You understand. I have no power over that other.
I can only do as I am commanded."
"By it or by your Hounds of masters?"
the hounds OF Gou 155
"By God." He sat back on his heels, hands resting lightly on his thighs.
Anna's own hands fell to her sides. She was very tired. Bored, even, in spite
of all his dramatics. It was only the same thing over and over. God and
madness and a deep, rankling hatred of himself. Her pity was losing its
strength;
very soon she would be irritated. Did he think that he alone had ever
Page 77
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
suffered? Some of the Folk had endured far worse, had come out of it singing.
Even she knew anguish; she had not shattered under it. What right had he to
rend worlds for his little pain? He turned slightly, oblivious it seemed to
her anger. After a long moment Anna heard the scraping of bolts.
Her glance, passing him, caught and held. His face was stiff, set, yet blazing
from within with such a mingling of hate and scorn, fear and surrender and
something very close to worship, as Anna had never dreamed of. In a moment it
had vanished behind the marble mask; Brother Paul filled the doorway.
Anna had seen him but once, and then only dimly in the reflection of his
companion. She had not known that he was so large. He was as tall as Simon, as
tall as Alf, and nigh as broad as Father Jehan.
But he had not the Bishop's muscular solidity; his flesh swelled into
softness. His eyes were as lazy as ever in the full ruddy face, taking in the
tableau, Thea curled with the children in a far corner, Anna upright on the
pallet, Simon at his ease nearby.
"Brother?" he inquired of the last.
Simon straightened. "The woman does not yield." His voice once more was flat.
Brother Paul advanced a step or two, folded his arms, looked down at Thea. She
did not dignify his presence with a snarl. "Your King and his wild brother
have been fighting. They haven't fought well, I understand. Maybe it troubles
them that their sorceries are held in check; that they have to live and fight
as simple mortal men. One has even been wounded, I can't be certain which.
They're so 156
Judith Tan- much alike, people say; now and again they exchange blazons. The
man who fell fought under the sign of the seabird crowned."
Anna's breath rasped in her throat. Thea seemed un moved, staring steadily up
at the monk.
He shook his head with feigned sadness. "It would be a grim thing if your King
should die. He's not dead yet, Brother Simon says; he can't work his magic to
heal himself. He hangs between life and death.
Now suppose," he said, "that you were to surrender.
Brother Simon works miracles of healing; he could be persuaded to pray for yet
another." Thea yawned and said coolly, You're tying. Even if Simon
Magus can pierce Rhiyana's defenses-and'
1grant'you, he's strong enough for that-even he can't overwhelm both Gwydion
and Aldan at once. They're twinbom; they're far stronger together than the
plain sum of their power.
"So they may be, together. They had no time to prove it. Pain is a great
destroyer of the mind's defenses."
Istx's so childishly easy to overcome us, Thea said coolly still, why do you
need my submission? Why not just cut us all down at once? "It is not easy,"
Simon answered tightly. "Your King was open to me, fighting on the edge of his
realm, struck with a sudden dart. God guided it and me. In a hunt amid pain
like fire and flood, I found the part of him that heals; I sealed it with my
seal.
Only I can loose the bonds."
You are unspeakable. Thea said it without inflection, which was worse in its
way than a storm of outrage.
"I do what I must. No one near your King has any powers of healing, nor can
any such come to him unless I will it. He cannot age, but he can die. Would
you save him? Surrender now."
Thea was perfectly steady. What would be the use of that? If you have your
way, he'll die anyway. This at least is a little quicker. "A witch's heart,"
said
Brother Paul, "is ice and iron. the hounds OF
god 157
Never a wife, hardly a mother, now you show yourself a poor vassal besides."
What if'I do surrender"..."she flared with sudden heat. What then? I'm dear
Page 78
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
enough to my lord King, I
don't deny it, but he won't sacrifice all his people on my say-so. I doubt
he'd do that even for his
Queen. And you killed his son.
Simon spoke softly, more to himself than to her.
"Our people have tried and condemned a number of heretics in your royal city.
Some are guilty of no more than believing their King and his Kin to be
children of Heaven rather than of Hell. It's evil, but it's rather enviable
how loyal your Rhiyanans are. They're to be burned tomorrow. The Queen has no
power to stop it."
Nor, it seems, does the Pope's Legate.
You can't tell me he approves such lunacy.
"He has power only against your kind. This I
tell of is done by command of our Order under His
Holiness" mandate. We winnow your fields, witch; we hunt out mortal prey. Soon
they'll be crying for your blood rather than suffer more on your behalf. Then
the Legate will be compelled to perform his duty. He's already seen enough to
condemn you all thrice over-and it was your own lover who betrayed you."
Simon's eyes glittered with contempt.
"Oh, yes; he worked magic before the Cardinal's eyes, and told all your
people's secrets, babbling like a child or a black traitor. Though I would be
charitable; I would declare it plain folly and assurance of the power of his
own beauty, even over a man who takes enormous pride in his cha/y. Such men in
the end are easily laid low. He knew. He was one.
"But the Cardinal has held against him. I've seen to it. In a week or a
fortnight, the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]