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that a man cannot be brought to high estate against his will."
"He wills it not."
"You said that."
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"That's right. I did. I'm saying it again."
"I could grant you sleep, one night's rest in thousands of sleepless nights.
I'd just like to talk to him."
"Absolutely not."
The dream lord sighed. "Whatever you wish. But Cime conies back with me."
"She's taken coin from my hand and not yet given service."
The dream lord smiled. "She would try that. We'll have her give it back.
Release her from her bond. Unless, that is, you want the two of them Cime and
Jinan to try to deal with. I wouldn't, but the choice is up to you."
"She's my sister. I can't consign her to "
Aa
kelon eyed him sidelong: "Consider it medicine for her ills. Without my
help, she'll languish with that curse forever. She's never quite grown up.
Children often resist medicine."
Tempus thought that over. "I'll get back my coin and leave the two of you
alone. The rest is up to you."
"Good." He smiled and a break came in the dusky sky; sunrays burst on through.
Then the dimness blew away and they walked in bright, pure sunshine. "A word
of warning: that boy you have, Ajami's so-called son, is half a wizard.
Remember Abarsis, and be careful with him. What he becomes is partly up to
you, Riddler."
"Up to his father, or the man who claims to be so. You're telling me that
Adrastus doesn't know?"
"Suspects, sleepless one. Suspects. By Mygdonian law, he'd have to slay his
wife as an adulteress and put the boy to death& So you see, as human matters
are, it's delicate. It needs a hand like yours to "
"I have no patience with children. He goes to Mygdon; that is that."
"As you wish, again. Now, take me to your sister. And let's try to avoid
meeting Jihan, if we can."
Tempus grinned: at least they had something more than overlong existence in
common; even
Aa
kelon feared the Froth Daughter's righteous wrath.
They found Cime cuddled up with Straton in his quarters; Critias was pacing
back and forth outside.
"She's in there with him, says she'll heal his eyesight, but Strat's not up to
fending off& " Crit paused, looked up for the first time, saw Aa
kelon and made
a warding sign. His hand dug in his belt pouch, and Tempus, who knew his first
officer quite well, knew Crit was fingering his good luck charms. "Well," he
finished lamely, "she's& more a woman than any of us quite know how to handle,
my lords& " He raked his hair with spread fingers: "Going in? You'd better
knock first."
Tempus did that.
Straton came to the door, flushed and disheveled: "Your sister. Yes,
commander& right this way. I've got to go find Crit at any rate. She was
seeing if she might alleviate this blurriness I see close-up or very far
away "
"It's fine, Straton. Thank you. Crit's right outside."
Then Strat had hurried past them, and Tempus stepped in first.
She was lacing up the Ilsig doeskins she yet affected, breathing heavily,
smiling just a bit. "Now, brother, let's not argue. A woman spurned takes
comfort where and when& she& " Seeing
Aa
kelon, she scrambled up, her hands before her.
"I'll take that gold Imperial I gave you," Tempus said quite low.
"You beast! You wouldn't! Oh please& " Then she seemed to quiver and to blink
away the extra brightness in her eyes. "Here." She fumbled in her belt and
slapped the coin into his outstretched palm. "Satisfied? Stay with your
storm-sprung slut. And may you soon have need of me again. Now, go! Get out of
here, traitor! Leave, and leave me to my fate, as you always do and ever have
done. It's a lucky thing, after all, that you don't sleep, for all the wrongs
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you've done would surely make your dreams a horror "
"Silence best becomes you," Aa
kelon interrupted and, amazingly, Cime shut her
mouth.
"Good fortune, Riddler," Aa
kelon wished him. "As you said so long ago: 'War is
common and right is strife." War rightly, and may your Stepsons flourish, and
your might prevail."
Then, in an eyeblink, both the dream lord and Tempus' sister were no more.
Alone, he sat down on Straton's unmade bunk to reconsider matters in the light
of what had just transpired. With Cime gone, Jihan was not a major problem his
Stepsons weren't thrilled to have her bunking in among them, but whatever he
did was accepted without question by Sacred
Banders, and the others took their cue from how the pairs behaved. Perhaps
Grille was right in wanting to keep Shamshi as collateral until Adrastus came
through with all the aid he'd promised.
He'd keep Jihan close at hand (the boy was fond of her and she of him), and
they'd confer on what to do about the child.
When he came out of there, a real dusk was just beginning, and Crit was
loitering by the threshold: "Everything all right, Commander?"
"Perfect, Critias. And with you?"
"Strat's vision he says it's better." Grit's cynical grin flashed. "I didn't
think that was really what she meant to do with him& "
"I know." Tempus, as well as Crit, felt uncomfortable. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]