Студопедия
Случайная страница | ТОМ-1 | ТОМ-2 | ТОМ-3
АрхитектураБиологияГеографияДругоеИностранные языки
ИнформатикаИсторияКультураЛитератураМатематика
МедицинаМеханикаОбразованиеОхрана трудаПедагогика
ПолитикаПравоПрограммированиеПсихологияРелигия
СоциологияСпортСтроительствоФизикаФилософия
ФинансыХимияЭкологияЭкономикаЭлектроника

sf_fantasyB CoeSorcerer's PlagueB. Coe enthralled readers and critics with his Winds of the Forelands, an epic fantasy full of political intrigue, complex characters, and magical conspiracy. Now he 7 страница



"Cook will be in with th' meal soon enough. I hope bluefish is all right."

"Yes, of course," Grinsa said.smiled, but the captain could see that it was forced. He didn't expect that she'd eat much.

"In th' meantime," he said, "how's about a bit o' wine?"Rois filled three glasses with some of the pale golden wine he had traded for during his last visit to Qosantia, his first mate, Pelton Fent, arrived, taking the fourth seat at the table. Usually Pelton ate with the crew, but the captain had asked him to join them. True, Grinsa had saved the ship, but still Rois didn't relish the notion of passing the evening alone with a family of Qirsi.introduced Pelton to the white-hairs and poured the man some wine. Then he raised his own glass, and with a glance at Cresenne, offered a toast. "To smooth waters th' rest o' th' way."woman smiled. She really was a beauty. "To smooth waters," she repeated.all sipped their wine.

"That's very good, Captain," Grinsa said. "Can I ask where it's from?"

"Th' lowlands," Rois said. Seeing the puzzled look on the Qirsi's face, he added, "Qosantia. One o' th' Eandi sovereignties of th' eastern Southlands."man and woman exchanged a look before Grinsa faced the captain again.

"Am I to understand, then, that there are separate Qirsi and Eandi sovereignties in the Southlands?"

"Ya didn't know?" Pelton asked in his heavy lowlands accent, eyeing the man.glanced at Cresenne again and shook his head. "No. We were… eager to leave the Forelands, and in our haste I'm afraid we didn't learn as much about our new home as we might have otherwise."

"More's a pity," the first mate said. "Ya woulda been better off taking th' otha route down."white-hair frowned and looked at Rois.

"What he means is the Qirsi clans hold th' west, th' Eandi th' east. Ye'll have little choice now but t' cross through th' Eandi sovereignties if ye're t' reach Qirsi lands."

"Do no Qirsi live among the Eandi?" the woman asked, her brow creased.his feelings about Qirsi, Rois would have liked to find some way to smooth that pale forehead once more. But he wasn't going to lie to them.

"Very few, ma'am. And them that does have a hard time of it, if ye follow me."

"If you knew this when we first-"man laid a hand on her arm, silencing her. She continued to glare at Rois for another moment, though, before finally looking away and raking a hand through her long hair. The baby let out a small squeal, but no one else made a sound.some time, there was a knock at the door and Cook and his assistant came in bearing the fish and two loaves of bread. The old man had a smile on his face when he opened the door, but seeing the captain's expression and the frowns of his guests, Cook's face fell. He and the boy served everyone quickly and without a word, before fleeing the cabin.

"I swear t' ye, ma'am," Rois said when they were gone, "we thought ye knew."stared at her wine, her lips pressed thin, but after a moment she nodded.

"Ye've paid t' go as far as Yorl, in Aelea-"

"And how much farther is that?" Grinsa asked.

"We're about to Redcliff now," Rois said. "With a bit o' luck and a bit o' wind, we'll reach Yorl in the morning. But what I was going t' say is this. Ye having saved my ship and all, and me taking a shine to th' baby there-Bryntelle, isn't it?"man smiled. "Yes. Bryntelle."

"With all o' that, I could see clear to take ye south to Shevden, in Tordjanne. Or better still, Ferenham. That's in Qosantia. No charge, o' course."glanced at the woman, who gave a quick shake of her head. He held her gaze, though, and after a moment she shrugged, looking unhappy. "That's a generous offer, Captain," the man went on, facing Rois again. "What would we gain by going farther?"

"Well, some o' th' sovereignties are better fer yer kind than others. Stopping in Aelea, ye'll have t' go through that one and Stelpana before ye reach Qirsi land. Them's two o' th' worst."



"Why are they so bad?" Cresenne asked.captain shrugged. "They bore th' brunt o' th' Blood Wars when they was fought. Folks don't forget, even after more than a century." He wasn't sure that either of them knew anything about the Blood Wars, but they didn't ask, and he didn't see any reason to go into it lest it lead to more ugliness. "In any case," he said instead, "once ye're in Qosantia, ye can cross t' th' Ofirean Sea and get passage across t' whichever o' th' clan lands ye want."Grinsa and the woman shared a look. After a few moments, Grinsa actually smiled and reached to take Cresenne's hand.

"Actually," he said, "I'm not certain that we want to spend that much more time aboard any ship, even one as fine as yours, Captain."nodded. "I think I understand. In that case, let me offer ye this. I know a farrier in Yorl who's always got a few beasts he's tryin' t' sell. I expect I can get ye a pair o' horses at a fair price. Yorl's the farthest point inland on th' Aelean shore. Ye can make for Eagle's Pass and head due west across th' center o' Stelpana. They're no kinder t' Qirsi there, but there's fewer o' them. There's more people in th' north, near the Companion Lakes, and in th' south near th' seacoast. Steer clear o' those areas."

"All right, we will. Thank you."

"How well do ye know th' lay o' th' land?" Rois asked.white-hair shook his head. "I'm afraid we don't know it at all. If you have a map we can look at, I'd be most grateful."

"I don't," the captain said. "But I can describe it for ye some." He looked at Cresenne. "Go ahead and eat a bit, ma'am. It'll do ye good t' have a bit in ye."gave a tight smile and nodded. And as they all finally tucked into Cook's fish, Rois began to tell Grinsa and the woman about a few of the more important features of the land south of the Border Range. Pelton put in a word or two along the way, and both Qirsi asked questions now and again. Describing a land so large to strangers without the aid of a map was a bit like guiding a blindfolded man through a rocky shoal, but by the end of the meal, both of them seemed to have a better sense of the Southlands.woman's anger faded during the course of the supper, but only slowly, and even as the evening was ending, Rois could see that she remained withdrawn.

"Is there anything else you can tell us about these Blood Wars you mentioned earlier?" Grinsa finally asked, as they lingered over one last cup of wine.shifted in his chair. He felt the first mate staring at him, but he ignored him for the moment. "There's not a lot t' tell," he said. "There've been Blood Wars in th' Southlands for hundreds o' years."

"Some say there were only th' one," Pelton put in.

"But they've been over for a hundred years," Grinsa said, looking from mate to captain.nodded. "They 'ave."

"And still it's not safe for us in Eandi lands."first mate looked away. "Joost 'cuz th' wars ended doesn't mean folks like white-hairs any more 'an they did."

"Are you from the Southlands, Pelton?"first mate pushed out his cheek with his tongue and nodded, his eyes trained on the table. "Naqbae," he said.frowned.

"Th' southernmost sovereignty," Rois told him. "Th' Horsemen, they're called."

"And yet our Horseman is a sailor," Grinsa said.looked up at that, a grin on his round face. "I can ride, too. All us Horsemen can."

"But you don't like our people very much, do you?" Cresenne asked him, a guarded look in those ghostly pale eyes.

"Fighting white-hairs is what my kind are famous fer," he said, not shying from her glare. "No other sovereignty has held back th' Qirsi armies th' way th' Naqbae did. When th' Stelpana were bein' pushed back across th' K'Sand and th' Thraedes and finally th' Silverwater, an' th Qosantians an' Tordjannis were countin' their gold, we were forcin' th' T'Saan back int' th' hills. T' this day, we hold both banks of th' Grand Salt."

"That doesn't answer my question," she said.

"It's as much o' 'n answer as I got," he told her.baby had long since fallen asleep, but she stirred now, perhaps sensing her mother's anger, and she began to fuss.

"Perhaps it's time we were getting back to our quarters," Grinsa said, a smile fixed on his lips. "Thank you for a fine meal, Captain, and as well for all you've offered to do on our behalf."held out a hand, which Grinsa took in a powerful grip. "It's th' least I owed ye." He stood, stepped to the door, and held it open for them. As the woman walked past him, he inclined his head slightly, and said, "Ma'am."small smile touched her lips, but she said nothing.

"We'll put int' Yorl by midmornin'," he told Grinsa, as the Qirsi stepped past him. "Once we're in Eagles Inlet, th' waters should be calmer. Th' lady shouldn't have any more troubles, on this trip at least."

"Thank you, Captain. You've been very kind to us." He turned to look at Pelton. "Mister Fent."first mate gave a curt nod.they'd gone, Rois closed the door and exhaled heavily.

"I'm sorry, Captain," the mate said. "I'd 'ave done better t' keep my mouth shut."returned to his seat and poured the rest of the wine into his cup. "Ye did fine." He felt weary. The storm, this supper with the Qirsithey'd worn him out.

"It could be dangerous for 'em in Aelea," Pelton said. "An' Stelpana's even worse. They should sail farther south."

"I know that," Rois said. "But it seems they've made up their minds." He sipped his wine. "I have th' feeling they can take care o' themselves. Seems they came through all tha' trouble in th' Forelands all right. And I'd wager there's more t' both o' them than meets th' eye."

"Maybe," the first mate said. "But th' Eandi sovereignties are no place for a Qirsi family, 'specially one what doesn' know th' ways o' th' land."walked back to their cramped quarters without saying a word, except for Bryntelle, who fussed and cried and would have givenCresenne and Grinsa an earful had she been able. Once they were alone, a candle lit and the door closed, Cresenne pulled off her shirt, sat on the small bed, and began to nurse the child. Grinsa stood in the center of the chamber, his eyes trained on the floor. After a moment, he looked up at Cresenne and smiled.

"The captain was right. It's calmer."

"You were nicer to them than I would have been," she said.

"It's really not their fault that we know so little about where we're going. It's mine. Entirely."was always doing this: finding reasons to forgive people for their failings, be they friends or utter strangers. It was one of the reasons she loved him, and yet she often found it annoying. She did now.

"I'm not so sure I agree with you. I think they were so eager to take our gold that they gave no thought at all to anything else."

"And they should have?"frowned. "Yes! Of course they should have! We have a child with us. It should have been clear to them that we were strangers to the Southlands. Our accents alone mark us as being from the Forelands."

"Yes, they do. But I doubt many people embark on a voyage like this one without learning a bit more about their destination. I certainly wouldn't have had we been given the choice."could hardly argue with that. They'd been forced by circumstance to leave the Forelands. She had once been party to a Qirsi conspiracy that very nearly succeeded in toppling the Forelands' Eandi courts. Grinsa was a Weaver, a sorcerer who could bind together the powers of many Qirsi into a single tool. Or a single weapon. Since the Qirsi invasion of the Forelands nine centuries ago, Weavers had been feared, persecuted, and, when captured, put to death, along with their families. Yes, the two of them had allied themselves with the courts, risking their lives to fight the conspiracy, but the law of the land was clear. Eibithar's king had shielded Cresenne from punishment for her earlier crimes against the courts, and he had refused to treat Grinsa as anything other than the hero he was, but his land was riven by conflict and he could not risk civil war by summarily doing away with nine centuries of legal tradition.might have made a life for themselves in another realm of the Forelands, but the other Eandi courts were every bit as fearful of Weavers as was Eibithar. And so they chose the Southlands.was something romantic in the notion, something mysterious and wonderful. The Southlands. Home of the first Qirsi to come to the Forelands. True, they had come as would-be conquerors, but that did nothing to diminish the allure of the place, at least not as far as Cresenne was concerned. Perhaps here, Grinsa wouldn't have to hide the fact that he was a Weaver, as he had done in the Forelands, making his way through Eibithar with Bohdan's Revel, pretending to be nothing more than a festival gleaner, a Qirsi who used his power to offer others glimpses of their futures. Perhaps here, if Bryntelle grew up to be a Weaver like her father, she could wield her powers with pride rather than fear. Perhaps here, Cresenne could forget the shame of having been labeled a traitor by Eandi and Qirsi alike, of having joined the movement to overthrow the courts only to realize that the man who led it would prove to be a worse despot than any Eandi monarch in the history of the Forelands. She had such great hopes for this journey, all of which made what they had learned tonight from the captain and his first mate that much more disturbing.

"I'm still angry with them," she said at last. "And I still think you're being too…" She trailed off, shaking her head.Grinsa knew what she was going to say, because he smiled, looking away.forgiving. That was another of his faults. Cresenne shuddered to think what her life would be like if it wasn't. For he had forgiven her.love had begun as a seduction, an elaborate deception on her part so that she might learn from this man what he knew of the courts and the gleaned fate of one particular noble. Twice, while still a part of the conspiracy, she had sent assassins to kill him, and even after Bryntelle's birth, when she should have been doing all she could to reconcile with Grinsa, she had instead railed at him, calling him a traitor to his people and worse. Yet still he loved her, and she him. She had finally found the strength to admit as much both to him and herself. She had loved him from the start, and-gods be praised-he had forgiven her for all that she had done to deny and destroy that love, which she had once mistaken for a weakness.

"If it makes you feel any better," he said after some time, "I didn't like Pelton any more than you did. But I do feel that the captain was trying to make amends. And I promise to make certain that he gets us those mounts at a fair price."had to smile. Would that she could be as fair-minded.

"And will you hold him to his promise of smoother seas?" she asked.sat beside her on the bed and kissed her shoulder. "I will. And if he breaks his word, I'll summon a wind and smooth them myself."

"Well, all right then." She looked down at the nursing child. "In that case we'll let him stay, won't we, Bryntelle?"baby paused in her suckling to look up at her mother briefly. After just a moment she resumed her meal.

"That's a yes," Cresenne said.laughed. "I'll take your word for it."some time, they sat together, watching Bryntelle eat, smiling as the baby's pale eyes gradually closed and she fell into a deep sleep.carried the child to the small crib the captain had found for them before departing Rennach and gently placed her on the bedding, taking care to cover her in case the night turned chill. Then she re-to Grinsa's side and kissed him softly on the lips. She lay down on the bed and pulled him to her.

"Are you feeling well enough?"nodded, smiled. "I'm fine, and I have it on good authority that we're done with rough waters."kissed again, deeply this time. Then she undressed him, and quietly, tenderly, they made love., as Cresenne rested her head on his chest and stared at the small bright flame atop the candle, she began to ponder once more all they had heard this night about the new land to which they'd sailed.

"It never occurred to me that things might be worse in the South- lands," she murmured.stirred, as if he had nodded off briefly. "What did you say?" he asked, sounding sleepy.

"Nothing. I just was thinking about supper. About what they told us." "Are you having second thoughts?"shrugged. "Would it matter? Where else can we go?"seemed to consider this for a few moments. "We could go back to the Forelands," he finally said. "We could find a small town in Sanbira or Caerisse. Some place where they wouldn't know us."

"No. I don't want that. I was just hoping that the Southlands would be different."laughed at that. "I gather that it is."smiled, too. "You know what I mean. I had hoped that all of this wouldn't be as bad down here, that maybe the races had found a way to live together, without conspiracies or blood wars, or anything else of that sort."

"Well," he said, "from what the captain says I gather the Blood Wars have been over for a long time. There's peace now. Maybe in building separate societies, they've found the answer. It's not what I had in mind either, but it's working. Really, that's all that matters."lifted her head and looked at him. "I wouldn't have expected that from you."

"And I wouldn't expect you to mind."was right. He had worked so hard to defeat the conspiracy, forging an alliance of loyal Qirsi and Eandi who waged war against the renegades. Since the day she met him, he had devoted himself to bringing the two races together. And though she owed her life to his success, and admired his courage and resolve, she knew that she wouldn't have sacrificed so much for the same ends. She had expected herself to welcome this change in him, seeing in it the promise of a quieter, more peaceful life. Instead, she was unnerved.

"It's not that I mind," she said, holding his gaze. "I'm just not sure that I understand."

"I'm tired, Cresenne. It's that simple. I'm tired. We came here to start over, and that's what I want to do. I don't want to worry about whether the person standing next to me in a marketplace knows that I'm a Weaver. I don't want to spend Bryntelle's childhood worrying all the time about what powers she's going to develop." He reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her brow. "Even Weavers don't live forever. I don't know how many years I have left, but I want to spend them with you, without having to worry all the time about what the rest of the world is doing to destroy itself. If the Qirsi and Eandi of the Southlands have found peace by living separately, so be it."gazed at him another moment. Then she kissed him, and once more they gave themselves over to the passion they shared. And for a time she couldn't tell the rhythm of their movements from the gentle motion of the ship as it sailed Amon's waters.7to his word, the captain had steered his ship into Eagles Inlet by the time Grinsa and Cresenne emerged from their quarters the next morning. Cresenne carried Bryntelle up onto the deck; Grinsa bore a travel sack on his shoulders. The remnants of the previous day's storm had long since blown out to sea, and the sky above the inlet was sapphire blue. Sheer red cliffs rose on either side of the channel, their reflections staining the brilliant aqua waters as if with blood. Flocks of gulls circled overhead, their cries echoing off the stone, and cormorants sat on the narrow strip of rocky shore, holding out their wings to dry and eyeing the ship warily.was no wind, no ripple upon the water, no sign of any other vessel. Searching the cliff faces, Grinsa saw nothing to indicate that anyone lived here, or ever had. The crew of the Fortune Seeker went about their business without a word, and even the captain, apparently seeing no need to shout orders at men who already knew their duties, held his peace. Aside from the calls of the gulls and the rhythmic splashing of the sweeps as the men below rowed the ship through the inlet, all was silent. The effect was both peaceful and eerie, and when at last the ship turned a gentle corner in the channel, revealing a large settlement at the end of the inlet, Grinsa felt himself relax just a bit. Until that moment he hadn't been aware of the tension in his neck and back.

"Yorl," the captain said, breaking the stillness.turned and nodded, before facing forward again.was the largest city Grinsa had ever seen, and though it looked welcoming from a distance, the closer they drew to the end of the inlet, the more he came to realize how misleading this initial impression had been. Several wooden piers stood at the water's edge, and boats both large and small were moored beside them. Just behind them, however, a ponderous stone wall guarded the better part of the settlement, its color a match for the great cliffs surrounding the inlet. The terrain behind the wall sloped upward, so that the jumble of buildings and homes comprising the town seemed to have spilled haphazardly from the highlands above. Near the top of the dale a great fortress stood watch over the city, its towers built of the same red stone, its walls as massive as those of any castle in Eibithar or Aneira or any of the other realms of the Forelands.pair of flags, one of them purple and gold, the other blue and red, flew above the towers of the fortress, stirring lazily in the light wind. Soldiers stood on the ramparts of the fortress, their helms and spears glinting in the morning sun, but Grinsa couldn't imagine an enemy daring to attack such a place.

"I thought the Blood Wars were over," Cresenne said under her breath.smiled faintly, his eyes still fixed on the battlements. "It seems people here have long memories. Are you certain you wouldn't rather sail south a bit farther? Maybe cross one of the other sovereignties?"

"Do you think it would make much difference?"

"The captain thought it would."looked down at Bryntelle, who cooed in her arms, a toothless grin on her lovely face. This journey had been as hard on Bryntelle as it had been on Cresenne. The baby had eaten poorly for days. This was as happy as she had seemed since they boarded the ship in Rennach.

"I can't, Grinsa," she said at last. "And neither can Bryntelle. Probably we should. But the thought of another day aboard this ship is almost enough to make me weep." She glanced up at him. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I'm not certain I could bear to eat another bite of fish. We'll do as we planned, and we'll find a way through to Qirsi lands."nodded, though she still looked apprehensive.Fortune Seeker continued on her steady course toward the pier, and Grinsa and Cresenne remained on the deck, watching the city draw near, eyeing that hulking fortress as a sea captain might the towering grey clouds of an approaching storm. Before long-too soon, as far as Grinsa was concerned-the vessel had glided to one of the piers. Two of the crew jumped nimbly onto the dock and tied mooring ropes to a pair of heavy iron cleats bolted into the old wood. Other sailors on the dock, who might have spared only a glance for the merchant vessel under other circumstances, stared hard at the Qirsi, most with dark expressions, a few with genuine surprise. Grinsa pretended not to notice, but he moved a bit closer to Cresenne and Bryntelle, and he took hold of his magic, the way a soldier might grip the hilt of a sheathed sword, just in case.the ship had been tied fast and the gangway lowered to the dock, Grinsa took Cresenne's hand and made himself smile.

"Ready?"she could answer, Grinsa heard a footstep behind them., he saw the captain walking toward them.

"Stay here," the man said as he stepped past and made his way to the gangway. "I'll be back shortly."

"Captain?" Grinsa called after him.looked back at them, scratching his paunch, the morning sun lighting the silver flecks in his black hair. "Ye shouldn' linger in th' city too long. I'll arrange fer th' horses as I promised ye."approached him, pulling out the small leather pouch that held their gold. "You'll need money."the captain held up a broad hand and shook his head. "Ye kin pay 'im after I've arranged matters."

"Can I pay you for your trouble?"

"No." He nodded toward Cresenne. "Th' lady was right. We shoulda warned ye. I'm jest makin' things right atween us."

"You're a good man, Captain."man waved the compliment away. "Ye should save yer gold if'ncan. Or if ye have t' spend it, buy somethin' fer th' little beauty. Later. When ye's away from here."had to smile. "We will. Thank you."

"I won' be long," the man said, and left his ship.the captain gone, Pelton Fent took command of the vessel. He stood in the middle of the deck, not far from the Qirsi, his stout legs planted, his arms crossed over his barrel chest, and he watched the men, barking commands occasionally, but mostly letting the crew go about their work, just as the captain had done. He didn't so much as look at Grinsa or Cresenne, and the rest of the men, perhaps following his example, ignored them as well.

"What if he can't find us horses?" Cresenne asked after some time.shrugged. "We'll walk."actually laughed. "Even I'm not that desperate to get off the sea. -We'll sail farther."glanced at her, grinning. "Do you really need me for this conversation?"

"Who says I was talking to you? Right, Bryntelle?" She kissed the baby's belly, eliciting a loud squeal that drew the stares and smiles of several of the crew.

"We could do worse than to remain on this ship," Grinsa said, lowering his voice.

"I know. But I'd rather it didn't come to that."few moments later, Grinsa spied the captain making his way down the main road leading from the city walls to the wharf. He walked briskly, and as he stepped onto the pier, he caught Grinsa's eye and nodded.

"He's done it," the gleaner said.looked at him. "You're certain?"took her hand again. "Come on."walked to the gangway, meeting the captain just as he stepped onto the ship.

"Well, I've found ye two fine beasts," Rois said. "And at a fair price t' boot."

"Thank you, Captain. We're in your debt."

"Not at all. Th' farrier is a man named Dren Meigen. His shop's just off th' west end o' th' marketplace. Ye shouldn' have any trouble findin' it. I've found ye a bay and a dun-good animals both. Dren wanted eight sovereigns fifty fer each, but he owes me a favor-owed me, that is. I got 'im down t' twelve sovereigns even fer th' pair."captain said this last with some pride, and though Grinsa knewlittle about Southlands currency as he had about everything else in this strange land, he smiled and nodded.

"Well done, Captain. Thank you." He pulled out his money pouch again. "Will the farrier take Forelands money?"laughed. "Dren will take any coin ye give 'im. So will any other man or woman in th' markets here. Gold's gold, wherever it be from.five o' yer qinde ought t' do it. Tha's a bit on th' generous side, but close enough."nodded. Twenty-five qinde for a pair of horses wasn't a bad price, though in the Forelands it might not have been cause for quite as much satisfaction as he'd seen on the captain's face.

"Tell me, Captain. Will we need different coin when we reach Qirsi land?"man shook his head. "They take sovereigns, too. Or qinde. As I say, gold is gold. Th' clans tend t' trade in goods rather than gold, which may be why they's never had much use fer coin. But they'll take gold all right. Th' Talm'Orast and H'Bel seem t' collect it." He laughed, but seeing that Grinsa and Cresenne didn't understand the joke, he quickly grew serious again. "Anyway, yer fine with what ye got."

"Very well." He held out a hand, which the captain gripped. "Again, Captain, you have our thanks. May the Fortune Seeker always find helping winds and easy waters."

"I 'preciate that. Ye take care o' these lovelies now, ye hear?" He took's hand between both of his own and looked her in the eyes. He was about her height, but so powerfully built that she looked like a child beside him. "I know ye think we done ye wrong, ma'am. But I swears agin, it weren't on purpose."


Дата добавления: 2015-11-04; просмотров: 26 | Нарушение авторских прав







mybiblioteka.su - 2015-2024 год. (0.019 сек.)







<== предыдущая лекция | следующая лекция ==>