[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
You must learn who your friends really are. You have been mistaken about such
things before, he said. Watch Perkar. Especially watch the Crow God.
Then the plain went dark, as if it were a room in which all of the candles had
been blown out. Real sleep swallowed her up, and no more dreams came until
dawn.
Perkar sat gazing at the fire, knowing he should feel elated, wondering why he
did not. He felt weary
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unbelievably weary, considering that he had only been awake for half a day at
best and yet the thought of sleep unaccountably sickened him.
They say there is a man at this fire in need of some wine, a soft voice
asserted from just behind him. It was Raincaster, returned from rubbing down
the horses for the night. Yuu han was only a score of steps behind him,
bearing a wineskin.
I should have helped you with the horses, Perkar murmured. I feel well
enough.
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THE BLACKGOD
You don t look well enough, Raincaster said. And it insults a horse to
treat her halfheartedly.
I would not have been half
Raincaster meant no insult, Yuu han intervened. You are not as strong yet
as you would like to think, that is all. Have some wine. He proffered the
skin.
Perkar sighed. Very well. I m sorry, Raincaster.
Raincaster wiped his forehead, a Mang gesture that dismissed all blame. You
have been fighting for your life against demons, he reminded everyone. No
reason to think such an experience would sweeten your mood.
Perkar returned the smile, though he did not feel like doing so. He liked
Raincaster. He liked Yuu han, as well, but with Yuu han there was always the
sense that his cordiality to Perkar arose out of duty
duty to Brother Horse and the responsibilities of hospitality. Raincaster
seemed to genuinely like him
and to have an interest in the ways of the Cattle People. Perhaps I need
some wine, he said, by way do of further, though indirect, apology. Perkar
accepted the proffered skin, tilting it back and catching a mouthful of its
contents though with some misgivings. He quickly discovered his misgivings
were justified; the wine was kbena
, a strong drink made from some sort of desert plant, sweet and tainted by an
unpleasant aftertaste that reminded Perkar of rotten pears. It was certainly
nothing at all like woti, the prized drink of warriors in his home
country save that it did warm his belly. He also knew from experience that the
first mouthful was the worst, and so quickly swallowed another before passing
the skin on to Raincaster. The three of them drank in silence for a while,
watching the Fire Goddess consume withered juniper scraps. The night sky lay
heavy above, revealing no light.
Perkar quickly realized that he did not want to get drunk any more than he
wanted to sleep. The fifth time the skin came around, he shook his head and
passed it on. Yuu han shrugged and took a long draft.
The wine stirred something in Perkar, something he might ordinarily not have
brought up.
I know it was hard for you, he mumbled, addressing both of the Mang.
Yuu han nodded, understanding him and already accepting the implied thanks,
but Raincaster s expression demanded that Perkar express himself more fully.
To leave your kin to help us. With the war and everything. Even a mere five
drinks of the potent kbena was enough to thicken his tongue and make him feel
more stupid than usual. He wished for eloquence rather than the gruff, clumsy,
apologetic statement he had just uttered but, as usual, it was too late to
correct.
file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/Keyes,_J_Gregory_-_[Chosen_of_the_Changeling_02]_-_B
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THE BLACKGOD
Raincaster shrugged, apprehending the spirit of the comment. Our uncle is
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right, and the others are wrong. Anyway, I ve never cared much for those Four
Spruces People. They ve always had delusions of grandeur.
Yuu han s somewhat bleak expression softened at that. Remember Mane
Gatherer? he said.
I ve heard the story, Raincaster replied.
Ihaven t.
Mane Gatherer told us the sun had spoken to him. He wanted us all to band up
behind him and invade the Southlands conquer Nhol, the Fisherfolk, the whole
world, he said.
Oh.
Yes. Yuu han gulped down another mouthful. He said it was the destiny of
the Mang to rule the cities.
What happened?
Yuu han cracked a cryptic grin. You ve seen a city. Would you want to try to
rule one?
Perkar stared at the two Mang for only an instant, considering, before
swearing, Wo. By the gods
, no.
Raincaster clapped his cousin on the shoulder. Our reaction exactly, he
proclaimed.
Not much later, Yuu han took the watch and Raincaster retired. Two tents had
been erected: one for
Tsem, Brother Horse, Heen, and Hezhi, the second for the two younger Mang,
Ngangata, and Perkar.
Perkar sought his blanket near Raincaster, after making Yuu han promise that
Raincaster who had the next watch would wake him for the last, or dawn,
quarter. He could tell by Yuu han s answer that he would not be trusted to
stand watch, not in his present condition.
He lay awake long, unable to understand what was growing in him, gnawing at
him. He dozed fitfully once and awoke sweating, heart pounding. Raincaster was
gone, Yuu han in his place. Ngangata was curled in his blanket, snoring
faintly. The brief nap had not rested Perkar in the least, but it had
tightened something in his mind, so that he knew what dark disquiet had
replaced the demon Hezhi and Brother
Horse had driven from him. It gathered itself together and shouted him its
name.
Fear.
A mere spark before, it had caught in him now and burned furiously. In the
past year, he had seen more
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lackgod_(V1)_[html].html (223 of 432)22-12-2006 20:35:34
THE BLACKGOD
bloodshed than he dreamed possible. He had murdered and fought fairly. More to
the point, he had been disemboweled, been lanced through the throat, and
stabbed numerous times once through the heart. He still dreamed of each of
those wounds; the pain of each was written clearly on his body and in his
mind.
When he thought about it much, it revolted him. Despite all of that, still he
had developed the illusion that he was invulnerable, unstoppable, because
keeping grasp of that belief was the only thing that kept all of his terrors
at bay. When he was a child lying in bed with the terrible nighttime
understanding that death would claim him one day, he had faced that by pushing
it away, insisting that it was many, many years before he would have to face
such an unfair reality. The child in him had used Harka to do that again, to
place death in a far-off place and time he need not think about.
But now he had experienced the pain of death several times over and no stnall
taste of her oblivion. He owed his beating heart to Harka, but now he
understood that even Harka could not protect him. Not against Karak, who had
Page 163
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
brushed him aside as if he were a chikl not against Chuuzek, either, who had
flicked him almost casually from his saddle.
He did not consciously remember the past several days, but something in him
did. He felt as if he had been lying in a grave with spiders crawling in and
out of his mouth, with worms chewing at his eyes. A
simple warrior a boy [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
You must learn who your friends really are. You have been mistaken about such
things before, he said. Watch Perkar. Especially watch the Crow God.
Then the plain went dark, as if it were a room in which all of the candles had
been blown out. Real sleep swallowed her up, and no more dreams came until
dawn.
Perkar sat gazing at the fire, knowing he should feel elated, wondering why he
did not. He felt weary
Page 161
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
unbelievably weary, considering that he had only been awake for half a day at
best and yet the thought of sleep unaccountably sickened him.
They say there is a man at this fire in need of some wine, a soft voice
asserted from just behind him. It was Raincaster, returned from rubbing down
the horses for the night. Yuu han was only a score of steps behind him,
bearing a wineskin.
I should have helped you with the horses, Perkar murmured. I feel well
enough.
file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/Keyes,_J_Gregory_-_[Chosen_of_the_Changeling_02]_-_B
lackgod_(V1)_[html].html (221 of 432)22-12-2006 20:35:34
THE BLACKGOD
You don t look well enough, Raincaster said. And it insults a horse to
treat her halfheartedly.
I would not have been half
Raincaster meant no insult, Yuu han intervened. You are not as strong yet
as you would like to think, that is all. Have some wine. He proffered the
skin.
Perkar sighed. Very well. I m sorry, Raincaster.
Raincaster wiped his forehead, a Mang gesture that dismissed all blame. You
have been fighting for your life against demons, he reminded everyone. No
reason to think such an experience would sweeten your mood.
Perkar returned the smile, though he did not feel like doing so. He liked
Raincaster. He liked Yuu han, as well, but with Yuu han there was always the
sense that his cordiality to Perkar arose out of duty
duty to Brother Horse and the responsibilities of hospitality. Raincaster
seemed to genuinely like him
and to have an interest in the ways of the Cattle People. Perhaps I need
some wine, he said, by way do of further, though indirect, apology. Perkar
accepted the proffered skin, tilting it back and catching a mouthful of its
contents though with some misgivings. He quickly discovered his misgivings
were justified; the wine was kbena
, a strong drink made from some sort of desert plant, sweet and tainted by an
unpleasant aftertaste that reminded Perkar of rotten pears. It was certainly
nothing at all like woti, the prized drink of warriors in his home
country save that it did warm his belly. He also knew from experience that the
first mouthful was the worst, and so quickly swallowed another before passing
the skin on to Raincaster. The three of them drank in silence for a while,
watching the Fire Goddess consume withered juniper scraps. The night sky lay
heavy above, revealing no light.
Perkar quickly realized that he did not want to get drunk any more than he
wanted to sleep. The fifth time the skin came around, he shook his head and
passed it on. Yuu han shrugged and took a long draft.
The wine stirred something in Perkar, something he might ordinarily not have
brought up.
I know it was hard for you, he mumbled, addressing both of the Mang.
Yuu han nodded, understanding him and already accepting the implied thanks,
but Raincaster s expression demanded that Perkar express himself more fully.
To leave your kin to help us. With the war and everything. Even a mere five
drinks of the potent kbena was enough to thicken his tongue and make him feel
more stupid than usual. He wished for eloquence rather than the gruff, clumsy,
apologetic statement he had just uttered but, as usual, it was too late to
correct.
file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/Keyes,_J_Gregory_-_[Chosen_of_the_Changeling_02]_-_B
lackgod_(V1)_[html].html (222 of 432)22-12-2006 20:35:34
THE BLACKGOD
Raincaster shrugged, apprehending the spirit of the comment. Our uncle is
Page 162
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
right, and the others are wrong. Anyway, I ve never cared much for those Four
Spruces People. They ve always had delusions of grandeur.
Yuu han s somewhat bleak expression softened at that. Remember Mane
Gatherer? he said.
I ve heard the story, Raincaster replied.
Ihaven t.
Mane Gatherer told us the sun had spoken to him. He wanted us all to band up
behind him and invade the Southlands conquer Nhol, the Fisherfolk, the whole
world, he said.
Oh.
Yes. Yuu han gulped down another mouthful. He said it was the destiny of
the Mang to rule the cities.
What happened?
Yuu han cracked a cryptic grin. You ve seen a city. Would you want to try to
rule one?
Perkar stared at the two Mang for only an instant, considering, before
swearing, Wo. By the gods
, no.
Raincaster clapped his cousin on the shoulder. Our reaction exactly, he
proclaimed.
Not much later, Yuu han took the watch and Raincaster retired. Two tents had
been erected: one for
Tsem, Brother Horse, Heen, and Hezhi, the second for the two younger Mang,
Ngangata, and Perkar.
Perkar sought his blanket near Raincaster, after making Yuu han promise that
Raincaster who had the next watch would wake him for the last, or dawn,
quarter. He could tell by Yuu han s answer that he would not be trusted to
stand watch, not in his present condition.
He lay awake long, unable to understand what was growing in him, gnawing at
him. He dozed fitfully once and awoke sweating, heart pounding. Raincaster was
gone, Yuu han in his place. Ngangata was curled in his blanket, snoring
faintly. The brief nap had not rested Perkar in the least, but it had
tightened something in his mind, so that he knew what dark disquiet had
replaced the demon Hezhi and Brother
Horse had driven from him. It gathered itself together and shouted him its
name.
Fear.
A mere spark before, it had caught in him now and burned furiously. In the
past year, he had seen more
file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/Keyes,_J_Gregory_-_[Chosen_of_the_Changeling_02]_-_B
lackgod_(V1)_[html].html (223 of 432)22-12-2006 20:35:34
THE BLACKGOD
bloodshed than he dreamed possible. He had murdered and fought fairly. More to
the point, he had been disemboweled, been lanced through the throat, and
stabbed numerous times once through the heart. He still dreamed of each of
those wounds; the pain of each was written clearly on his body and in his
mind.
When he thought about it much, it revolted him. Despite all of that, still he
had developed the illusion that he was invulnerable, unstoppable, because
keeping grasp of that belief was the only thing that kept all of his terrors
at bay. When he was a child lying in bed with the terrible nighttime
understanding that death would claim him one day, he had faced that by pushing
it away, insisting that it was many, many years before he would have to face
such an unfair reality. The child in him had used Harka to do that again, to
place death in a far-off place and time he need not think about.
But now he had experienced the pain of death several times over and no stnall
taste of her oblivion. He owed his beating heart to Harka, but now he
understood that even Harka could not protect him. Not against Karak, who had
Page 163
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
brushed him aside as if he were a chikl not against Chuuzek, either, who had
flicked him almost casually from his saddle.
He did not consciously remember the past several days, but something in him
did. He felt as if he had been lying in a grave with spiders crawling in and
out of his mouth, with worms chewing at his eyes. A
simple warrior a boy [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]