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.She was uncomfortable sometimes when she remembered the closeness that had existed between them.Had she let him come too close? Certainly, she had never told Thru all that had gone on between herself and the Emperor.But, then, what else should she have done, alone in that far-off land with no friends except one, and he the mightiest man in the entire country?In the end she swallowed her doubts and made her way into the Shasht camp on the old battlefield.The warrant with the imperial seal was enough to get her past the guards, and her ability to speak Shashti took care of the one guard who was inclined to question it.She found him waiting for her, barefoot on a lovely rug, a lush version of "Mots at Prayer" in the style of the great Misho."I have missed you," he said, typically blunt and to the point."And I you, Lord, Great King of Shasht."But he knew she hadn't, not really, and he understood.He was man, she was mor, and they were of different kind under the sun."Now, don't lie to me.Remember, I know you well."She recalled how penetrating those eyes of his could be."No, Lord, I will not deceive you.I owe you too much for that.""And I owe you everything, Nuza of Tamf."She blinked.He had never called her that before."Tamf was burned to the ground by your soldiers.""Yes, and we are helping to rebuild it.We will do what we can to make amends."Again their eyes met, and neither wavered."I would have killed myself that day but for your intervention," he said at length."I am very glad that you did not, Lord."Impelled by some unknown emotion, Nuza stepped forward and kissed Aeswiren on the cheek.It was not so strange.She had done it many times before when they had been together on the ship.She felt affection for this man, despite the chasm that separated them.He put his hand to the spot, then kissed his fingers."Thank you, Nuza of Tamf."She felt uncomfortable once again."What do you want from me, Lord?""Other than just to see you once more and talk like we did in the old days?" He smiled, seeing her unease."No, fear not, I have no heavy demands to make of you, dear Nuza.I understand that each of us must go his or her own way in this world.We were not made to be together.I was infatuated with your beauty—it gave me solace in a desperate time.But that is behind us.You need not fear me."The small cloud that had settled in her eyes was dispelled again, and he was pleased."But, yes, I do have a purpose for seeing you.An excuse, if you like.""Good, because as you know, I have little time for anything other than my work these days.""Yes, yes, I know.We are both slaves to the machinery of this war, but you, my dear, you are bringing something new and wonderful into the world, while I, well, I merely continue to practice the art of war."She waited, watching him carefully, wondering what he wanted from her."All right, yes, I want your help, dear Nuza.I need information."Her big eyebrows rose at these words."It is not so strange a request, surely? I am here on the sufferance of your people, of your King and General Toshak.And though I have a good rapport with the general now, that is not the case with the rest of his army.There is bad blood between our peoples.We have incidents now and again that threaten our alliance.Where I can anticipate such problems, I warn my men.I have laid down strict rules to keep us separated.Yesterday a man was given forty lashes for stealing a cask of ale.But, while I can try to control my men, I cannot know or control your people.I feel sometimes that outside the perimeters of this camp is a world of which I know almost nothing.I need someone I can trust who can tell me what is happening among the mots.What they feel about us.How they will react in this difficult situation."Nuza studied him closely."You want me to be your spy?"He grinned."Oh, my Nuza, so quick, so sharp.Spy? Not so.I do not need a spy, because I trust General Toshak.No, I need an informant.A different role entirely, not spying on your soldiers but telling me what your people are saying, how they see this situation.Will you help me?"Nuza knew she could not refuse him."Of course, Lord, I will do anything to help you win this war.""Good.""And I will bring you reports.Or shall I give them to Simona?""Best if you can come here in person, of course, but I understand how busy you are with your work, so if you can tell Simona, or give it to her in writing, then do that.""That stolen cask of ale, by the way?""Yes." His head came up, his eyes tightened."The general opinion I have heard is that men are thieves by nature.They steal from each other, steal from the land, steal from the sea and the air, and are beggars because of it.Another opinion I heard expressed was more favorable.Men are trying to learn how to brew ale like ours because their own brewing arts are so weak.""Ah-ha, well, already that is invaluable.Your people have a low opinion of us, then.""What else would you expect?"He nodded glumly."And the punishment, the whipping of the thief?""Yes?""That, too, has been much commented on.Among us, the penalty would have been less severe but more accurately connected to the crime.""And what would that have meant?""Someone who stole beer would be made to work for the brewer for a period that matched the severity of his misdeed.A barrel stolen might be repaid with a week's work mashing wort in the brewhouse."Aeswiren chuckled, enjoying the thought of Puugil, the soldier who'd been lashed, being condemned to a week mashing hot grain in a brew cellar.Aeswiren knew the men would rather take a lashing any day than be demeaned by performing slaves' work."I'm afraid in this army we don't have the resources for such a punishment regime, and my men would rebel if I tried to introduce it.But he'll wear those forty stripes for at least a week and be proud of them, too."Nuza could not understand this, but Aeswiren assured her that it was so."My men are soldiers, dear Nuza, not brewers, and they touch no tools except their weapons.That is the way it is among us."The talk turned to the city and its people and to Toshak and finally to Thru Gillo, her beloved, who once more was lost from view on a dangerous mission.Nuza tried to keep her fears in check."I fear for him, but at the same time I feel that the Spirit truly watches over him.He survived a journey across Shasht, passing through great dangers.Surely he will survive this, too.""If anyone can, it is he.I have dealt with him now many times, my dear, and I have rarely met anyone of my own kind who seems so capable."They finally parted at the entrance to the tent."Farewell, dear Nuza, and please come to tell me what your people are saying when you have the opportunity."They clasped hands a moment and she left him.—|—The drums thundered anew as the Lord Leader, the Great One, the High Master of the World, stepped back from the stakes and the men who were tied to them.He had cut the three men's throats with smooth strokes of his long knife.Their blood ran hot and red down their naked chests, carrying their lives away with it and pooling on the ground atop the magic circle of powdered bone.The Old One spoke the words of power and felt the very ground tremble beneath his feet.The magic took hold.The drums thundered.Thousands of pyluk bulls stood before him, a great mass of green-skinned terrors, their yellow eyes staring, their bald pates glistening.In their hands they clutched their long spears.At the sight of the blood flowing down the men's chests, thousands of jaws lined with sharp teeth opened, and a massive hiss of appreciation rose into the air [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.She was uncomfortable sometimes when she remembered the closeness that had existed between them.Had she let him come too close? Certainly, she had never told Thru all that had gone on between herself and the Emperor.But, then, what else should she have done, alone in that far-off land with no friends except one, and he the mightiest man in the entire country?In the end she swallowed her doubts and made her way into the Shasht camp on the old battlefield.The warrant with the imperial seal was enough to get her past the guards, and her ability to speak Shashti took care of the one guard who was inclined to question it.She found him waiting for her, barefoot on a lovely rug, a lush version of "Mots at Prayer" in the style of the great Misho."I have missed you," he said, typically blunt and to the point."And I you, Lord, Great King of Shasht."But he knew she hadn't, not really, and he understood.He was man, she was mor, and they were of different kind under the sun."Now, don't lie to me.Remember, I know you well."She recalled how penetrating those eyes of his could be."No, Lord, I will not deceive you.I owe you too much for that.""And I owe you everything, Nuza of Tamf."She blinked.He had never called her that before."Tamf was burned to the ground by your soldiers.""Yes, and we are helping to rebuild it.We will do what we can to make amends."Again their eyes met, and neither wavered."I would have killed myself that day but for your intervention," he said at length."I am very glad that you did not, Lord."Impelled by some unknown emotion, Nuza stepped forward and kissed Aeswiren on the cheek.It was not so strange.She had done it many times before when they had been together on the ship.She felt affection for this man, despite the chasm that separated them.He put his hand to the spot, then kissed his fingers."Thank you, Nuza of Tamf."She felt uncomfortable once again."What do you want from me, Lord?""Other than just to see you once more and talk like we did in the old days?" He smiled, seeing her unease."No, fear not, I have no heavy demands to make of you, dear Nuza.I understand that each of us must go his or her own way in this world.We were not made to be together.I was infatuated with your beauty—it gave me solace in a desperate time.But that is behind us.You need not fear me."The small cloud that had settled in her eyes was dispelled again, and he was pleased."But, yes, I do have a purpose for seeing you.An excuse, if you like.""Good, because as you know, I have little time for anything other than my work these days.""Yes, yes, I know.We are both slaves to the machinery of this war, but you, my dear, you are bringing something new and wonderful into the world, while I, well, I merely continue to practice the art of war."She waited, watching him carefully, wondering what he wanted from her."All right, yes, I want your help, dear Nuza.I need information."Her big eyebrows rose at these words."It is not so strange a request, surely? I am here on the sufferance of your people, of your King and General Toshak.And though I have a good rapport with the general now, that is not the case with the rest of his army.There is bad blood between our peoples.We have incidents now and again that threaten our alliance.Where I can anticipate such problems, I warn my men.I have laid down strict rules to keep us separated.Yesterday a man was given forty lashes for stealing a cask of ale.But, while I can try to control my men, I cannot know or control your people.I feel sometimes that outside the perimeters of this camp is a world of which I know almost nothing.I need someone I can trust who can tell me what is happening among the mots.What they feel about us.How they will react in this difficult situation."Nuza studied him closely."You want me to be your spy?"He grinned."Oh, my Nuza, so quick, so sharp.Spy? Not so.I do not need a spy, because I trust General Toshak.No, I need an informant.A different role entirely, not spying on your soldiers but telling me what your people are saying, how they see this situation.Will you help me?"Nuza knew she could not refuse him."Of course, Lord, I will do anything to help you win this war.""Good.""And I will bring you reports.Or shall I give them to Simona?""Best if you can come here in person, of course, but I understand how busy you are with your work, so if you can tell Simona, or give it to her in writing, then do that.""That stolen cask of ale, by the way?""Yes." His head came up, his eyes tightened."The general opinion I have heard is that men are thieves by nature.They steal from each other, steal from the land, steal from the sea and the air, and are beggars because of it.Another opinion I heard expressed was more favorable.Men are trying to learn how to brew ale like ours because their own brewing arts are so weak.""Ah-ha, well, already that is invaluable.Your people have a low opinion of us, then.""What else would you expect?"He nodded glumly."And the punishment, the whipping of the thief?""Yes?""That, too, has been much commented on.Among us, the penalty would have been less severe but more accurately connected to the crime.""And what would that have meant?""Someone who stole beer would be made to work for the brewer for a period that matched the severity of his misdeed.A barrel stolen might be repaid with a week's work mashing wort in the brewhouse."Aeswiren chuckled, enjoying the thought of Puugil, the soldier who'd been lashed, being condemned to a week mashing hot grain in a brew cellar.Aeswiren knew the men would rather take a lashing any day than be demeaned by performing slaves' work."I'm afraid in this army we don't have the resources for such a punishment regime, and my men would rebel if I tried to introduce it.But he'll wear those forty stripes for at least a week and be proud of them, too."Nuza could not understand this, but Aeswiren assured her that it was so."My men are soldiers, dear Nuza, not brewers, and they touch no tools except their weapons.That is the way it is among us."The talk turned to the city and its people and to Toshak and finally to Thru Gillo, her beloved, who once more was lost from view on a dangerous mission.Nuza tried to keep her fears in check."I fear for him, but at the same time I feel that the Spirit truly watches over him.He survived a journey across Shasht, passing through great dangers.Surely he will survive this, too.""If anyone can, it is he.I have dealt with him now many times, my dear, and I have rarely met anyone of my own kind who seems so capable."They finally parted at the entrance to the tent."Farewell, dear Nuza, and please come to tell me what your people are saying when you have the opportunity."They clasped hands a moment and she left him.—|—The drums thundered anew as the Lord Leader, the Great One, the High Master of the World, stepped back from the stakes and the men who were tied to them.He had cut the three men's throats with smooth strokes of his long knife.Their blood ran hot and red down their naked chests, carrying their lives away with it and pooling on the ground atop the magic circle of powdered bone.The Old One spoke the words of power and felt the very ground tremble beneath his feet.The magic took hold.The drums thundered.Thousands of pyluk bulls stood before him, a great mass of green-skinned terrors, their yellow eyes staring, their bald pates glistening.In their hands they clutched their long spears.At the sight of the blood flowing down the men's chests, thousands of jaws lined with sharp teeth opened, and a massive hiss of appreciation rose into the air [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]