[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
as a member of the Krozairs of Zy."
"I m finished with all that!"
"You will never leave the inner sea until you do."
All along, all during the time of my boasting and planning, when I had ridden to Magdag, when I had
taken the argenter, all the time, I must have known had known that I could not leave the Eye of the
World. Those vast and implacable forces operating outside of the time and space I knew held me fast
caught. Until what they desired occurred I must remain here, a free man within the confines of the inner
sea, but imprisoned here as I had been imprisoned on my own Earth.
"The Krozairs of Zy mean nothing to me now. I am Apushniad. Had you forgotten?"
"I do not forget important things so lightly."
"It s not important! Not any longer!" I was shouting. "I have put the Krozairs behind me, cast them off,
shed them as a snake sheds a skin. There are other places of Kregen I hold more dear."
She bent her gaze upon me. "As a snake, you said. . ."
"Well, then? I am evil, so a snake will serve. Although I detest the things, even though they live according
to their natures."
"The man of your Earth called Shakespeare had a word for your conduct now, Pur Dray."
"He had a word for everything."
"And I have a word for you. You are held here. When you are once more a Krozair of Zy, then
perchance you may return to your Valka "
"And Delia?"
She put one long white finger to her lips. Those lips, red and soft, parted and I caught the gleam of white
teeth. She cared for herself, this Zena Iztar. "You know your wife. You know her mettle. She is safe, as
happy as she will ever be without you poor soul! yet will she risk all to find you again."
"And you condemn her to that!"
She was very brisk about that. "I condemn no one to anything. Men and women have suffered since the
beginning and, assuredly, will suffer until the end."
"You told me I would face a choice, a hard choice "
"Not this petty business, serious though it may be." She brushed my words aside. "The choice will come
later. Also, I said that even Grodno might play a part, that stranger things have happened."
"I remember. That was the first time, in my chambers in London, before the séance "
"And when I saw you for the second time, by the banks of the Grand Canal, I warned you afresh. You
have a part to play. I would you would play it with all your heart."
"When I am parted from Delia, that I cannot do."
"I see that, and I believe it. Then I say this to you: you must pursue the path with every part of you that
you can. Put as much of yourself into your struggle as you can possibly spend. I know whereof I speak. I
salute you as Pur Dray."
I nodded my head at the thrones. "And if Susheeng recognizes me?"
"I do not think the the princess Susheeng will know you. For her the Eye of the World revolves about
the king. And she will not wish the king to know she once abased herself to you and that you spurned
her."
"Aye. She didn t relish that, by Vox!"
"But you did?"
I flicked up my evil old eyes to glare at her. "Sharp, Madam Zena Iztar! No, I do not think I relished
seeing a silly hulu make a fool of herself. I do not think I took pleasure from that. But had I done so, I
could have understood myself passing well."
"I have no more to say to you now."
I knew that in a moment she would walk off and the silent, motionless people all about would wake to
life and the ceremony would proceed. Already the Chulik Chuktar, he who held my shortsword, had the
piece of red cloth extended, still and unmoving. There were very many things I wished to ask this woman,
and every time she sidestepped them and we got into an argument. I said, "Not the Star Lords, not the
Savanti, then who, Zena Iztar?"
She saw my eyes and looked where I looked and saw the scrap of red cloth in the fingers of the
Chuktar.
"They will make you "
"Yes, I know."
"And it will mean nothing?"
"Nothing."
"Remember what I have said. Your only way out. Remember."
"But tell me who you are and why " But she was walking away with that lithe swinging gait, going
out the doors. She had passed along all that long expanse of marble with supernatural speed; yet she
appeared to be only walking naturally. The double doors closed of their own volition or so it seemed.
She was gone. The piece of red cloth in the Chulik Chuktar s fingers jerked as he finished ripping it from
his pocket. He held it up, ready for the king s signal.
Silver trumpets pealed. The high room filled with the sigh and murmur of hundreds of people gathered
together to witness the repudiation of the Red and the acceptance of the Green. The king finished making
his signal.
So the sorry charade was gone through, when I spat on the red cloth it was an old swifter flag and
trampled on it. I made various promises which, as they were made in the name of Grodno, meant nothing
and all the time I heard those ominous words clanging about in my vosk skull of a head.
"To leave the inner sea you must become a Krozair of Zy!"
Chapter Six
Gadak the Renegade rides north
"Such plans the king has!" said Gafard, guiding his sectrix past a broken tree stump in the forest trail.
"Such plans, Gadak, as gods must surely dream!"
I wasn t fool enough to point out that the king was no god.
"You may rest assured, gernu, that I will do all I can to help the king." I looked at him as he rode, a tall,
strong robust man with that iron profile eager and aimed always for the heights. I decided to take a
chance. "I think, gernu, all I can for the king after you."
He turned his head to regard me. His Zairian face glowered. Then the sheer infectious bubbling of his
good spirits broke down that overlaid Grodnim severity. "Aye, Gadak I know what you mean, and I
joy in it, for that is why I chose you. But, for all our good and health, never say it again."
"Your orders, my commands, gernu."
"Remember it!"
We rode for the northern mountains. We rode for battle. The leemsheads outlaws had allied
themselves with the barbarians of the north and King Genod had arisen in his wrath and dispatched his [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
as a member of the Krozairs of Zy."
"I m finished with all that!"
"You will never leave the inner sea until you do."
All along, all during the time of my boasting and planning, when I had ridden to Magdag, when I had
taken the argenter, all the time, I must have known had known that I could not leave the Eye of the
World. Those vast and implacable forces operating outside of the time and space I knew held me fast
caught. Until what they desired occurred I must remain here, a free man within the confines of the inner
sea, but imprisoned here as I had been imprisoned on my own Earth.
"The Krozairs of Zy mean nothing to me now. I am Apushniad. Had you forgotten?"
"I do not forget important things so lightly."
"It s not important! Not any longer!" I was shouting. "I have put the Krozairs behind me, cast them off,
shed them as a snake sheds a skin. There are other places of Kregen I hold more dear."
She bent her gaze upon me. "As a snake, you said. . ."
"Well, then? I am evil, so a snake will serve. Although I detest the things, even though they live according
to their natures."
"The man of your Earth called Shakespeare had a word for your conduct now, Pur Dray."
"He had a word for everything."
"And I have a word for you. You are held here. When you are once more a Krozair of Zy, then
perchance you may return to your Valka "
"And Delia?"
She put one long white finger to her lips. Those lips, red and soft, parted and I caught the gleam of white
teeth. She cared for herself, this Zena Iztar. "You know your wife. You know her mettle. She is safe, as
happy as she will ever be without you poor soul! yet will she risk all to find you again."
"And you condemn her to that!"
She was very brisk about that. "I condemn no one to anything. Men and women have suffered since the
beginning and, assuredly, will suffer until the end."
"You told me I would face a choice, a hard choice "
"Not this petty business, serious though it may be." She brushed my words aside. "The choice will come
later. Also, I said that even Grodno might play a part, that stranger things have happened."
"I remember. That was the first time, in my chambers in London, before the séance "
"And when I saw you for the second time, by the banks of the Grand Canal, I warned you afresh. You
have a part to play. I would you would play it with all your heart."
"When I am parted from Delia, that I cannot do."
"I see that, and I believe it. Then I say this to you: you must pursue the path with every part of you that
you can. Put as much of yourself into your struggle as you can possibly spend. I know whereof I speak. I
salute you as Pur Dray."
I nodded my head at the thrones. "And if Susheeng recognizes me?"
"I do not think the the princess Susheeng will know you. For her the Eye of the World revolves about
the king. And she will not wish the king to know she once abased herself to you and that you spurned
her."
"Aye. She didn t relish that, by Vox!"
"But you did?"
I flicked up my evil old eyes to glare at her. "Sharp, Madam Zena Iztar! No, I do not think I relished
seeing a silly hulu make a fool of herself. I do not think I took pleasure from that. But had I done so, I
could have understood myself passing well."
"I have no more to say to you now."
I knew that in a moment she would walk off and the silent, motionless people all about would wake to
life and the ceremony would proceed. Already the Chulik Chuktar, he who held my shortsword, had the
piece of red cloth extended, still and unmoving. There were very many things I wished to ask this woman,
and every time she sidestepped them and we got into an argument. I said, "Not the Star Lords, not the
Savanti, then who, Zena Iztar?"
She saw my eyes and looked where I looked and saw the scrap of red cloth in the fingers of the
Chuktar.
"They will make you "
"Yes, I know."
"And it will mean nothing?"
"Nothing."
"Remember what I have said. Your only way out. Remember."
"But tell me who you are and why " But she was walking away with that lithe swinging gait, going
out the doors. She had passed along all that long expanse of marble with supernatural speed; yet she
appeared to be only walking naturally. The double doors closed of their own volition or so it seemed.
She was gone. The piece of red cloth in the Chulik Chuktar s fingers jerked as he finished ripping it from
his pocket. He held it up, ready for the king s signal.
Silver trumpets pealed. The high room filled with the sigh and murmur of hundreds of people gathered
together to witness the repudiation of the Red and the acceptance of the Green. The king finished making
his signal.
So the sorry charade was gone through, when I spat on the red cloth it was an old swifter flag and
trampled on it. I made various promises which, as they were made in the name of Grodno, meant nothing
and all the time I heard those ominous words clanging about in my vosk skull of a head.
"To leave the inner sea you must become a Krozair of Zy!"
Chapter Six
Gadak the Renegade rides north
"Such plans the king has!" said Gafard, guiding his sectrix past a broken tree stump in the forest trail.
"Such plans, Gadak, as gods must surely dream!"
I wasn t fool enough to point out that the king was no god.
"You may rest assured, gernu, that I will do all I can to help the king." I looked at him as he rode, a tall,
strong robust man with that iron profile eager and aimed always for the heights. I decided to take a
chance. "I think, gernu, all I can for the king after you."
He turned his head to regard me. His Zairian face glowered. Then the sheer infectious bubbling of his
good spirits broke down that overlaid Grodnim severity. "Aye, Gadak I know what you mean, and I
joy in it, for that is why I chose you. But, for all our good and health, never say it again."
"Your orders, my commands, gernu."
"Remember it!"
We rode for the northern mountains. We rode for battle. The leemsheads outlaws had allied
themselves with the barbarians of the north and King Genod had arisen in his wrath and dispatched his [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]