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assaults, the wars, the crushing taxes- Well, now, the taxes- -the evil abroad everywhere in men. The plague, as I mentioned, the weakness of our kings-now, Edward the First of glorious memory was a man and a King! whereas our present Edward-and his taxes are piled upon taxes until we are stripped to the bone. I tell you, James... hark, hold up a moment! Do you hear what I hear? Brian had pulled Blanchard to a halt. Jim stopped Gorp beside the other horse and listened. Now that neither of them were talking, he could clearly hear what Brian had mentioned, though it was at some little distance. It was someone crying, although the sound was not that of a child in tears. Possibly a woman. Come, said Brian, and started Blanchard through the trees off to their left. Jim caught up with him, after being stopped short by the need to catch the lead rope of the sumpter horse, which Brian had summarily cut loose from Blanchard s saddle. The sumpter horse, in fact, had taken advantage of their pause to crop some of the dark vegetation underhoof; and it looked at Jim with a disgusted What now? expression as it had to follow once more. I just hope that stuff growing here doesn t poison you, Jim said to it. James? Brian looked back over his shoulder. Nothing, said Jim. Keep going. Brian did; and scarcely a minute later they came out into a little glade, lit by the white moon (or sun) through a rare opening in the forest canopy overhead. On a mossy bank there was what looked like a girl in her teens, dressed in a long white gown, with a filmy scarf, also white, adorning rather than hiding her long, black hair. Brian spurred to her, and reined Blanchard in sharply just before her. My Lady, he said, is help needed? Because if it is I am at your command. Page 47 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html She wept a few more tears. Oh, kind knight, she said, I seek my father, who has been carried off by cruel enemies, who live further in this wood. But a dear little creature of these wild lands, who by some miracle was able to speak to me, did just now tell me in words I understood that those same enemies are lying in wait for me, a round dozen of them. They wait to take me, in ambush, only a little further on. So that I dare not go on; and yet I must go on. Oh, was ever maiden in such a trouble as this! She began to weep more heavily, into a tiny white handkerchief that should by this time be too sodden to be of any use; but at this moment seemed as dry as if it had never absorbed a tear. Brian, said Jim uneasily, looking at that handkerchief. But Brian paid no attention. I pray you, sorrow no more, fair lady, he was saying. I and my friend will escort you forward; and I promise it, you may fear none of those who lie in wait for us. Brian- began Jim more strongly; but before he could say anything else, the blackness of the grass below him seemed to flow up about him, wrapping itself around him like a tight, heavy blanket, immobilizing and stifling him, so that he could not breathe. He felt himself suffocating, slipping away so that he plunged into unconsciousness. He came to groggily at first, but his head cleared rapidly. He was in what was clearly a castle, remindful of some of the older ones he had seen in England, since its walls were of rough-faced cut stone. But the arched doorway and ceiling gave a different feel to the building. Brian was not with him. The room was large and the ceiling high. A few straight chairs stood around the walls; and one, with carved armrests and a tall back with what looked like a snake cut into it, sat alone on a dais at the far end of the room. Immediately before him was the maiden they had seen, but grown suddenly taller, and older-with all the helplessness gone out of her. She was a tall woman now; and her dress, while still white, was a delicate thing of lace and a shimmering fabric like silk. But her hair was the color of utter lightlessness and her eyes so dark it was impossible to say what their original color was. She was incredibly beautiful, but there was a hardness and imperiousness about her that was the extreme opposite of the helplessness he and Brian had looked upon earlier. So, she said, you are recovered. You understand me now, do you not, my rash young intruder? What made you think you could intrude on my Domain, as if these lands were free of passage to anyone- She broke off and sniffed at him. Aha! she said. I smell magick on you. So you know something of the Art and that is what made you think you could trespass here-and you have a little ward, as well-no doubt with your filthy little magick inside. How did one so young even think he could learn enough to face me? No answer came to Jim, offhand. This was all too much like a very old-fashioned melodrama, with the villain twirling his black mustache and Page 48 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html saying to the heroine: Hab, me proud beauty! So you dared to come plead with me yourself?... etc. He stood wordless, staring at her. -Well, I ll just strip that ward from you and see what pitiful little power you do possess... Her hand came toward him as she spoke, but before it touched him, a little flare like miniature lightning leaped from Jim s chest to meet her oncoming fingers; and she snatched her hand back, crying out. Poisoned! She spit the word out. Poisoned against me, personally! Who dares do that? Jim s lips parted without his willing it; but the voice that came out of him was not his, though it had become a very familiar one lately. I am KinetetE. Kin... what sort of unpronounceable name is that? I never heard of you. You must have some small holding of magick to poison the ward about this young lout here-let alone poison it against Me! Did you realize who you were offending when you did that to Queen Morgan le Fay? Oh, I had you clearly in mind at the time, I promise you, Morgan. Why you insufferable cow! How dare you address me by my given name? We Mages speak to all lesser ones so. Lesser! I am not lesser! All are lesser than I! I just told you-I am Morgan le Fay, Queen of Gore! And in this land, there is none who does not feel fear at my name! There are two who don t. What two? I tell you there are none such! What two? Why, I m one and the young magickian who stands before you in my ward is the other. I don t like her, Hob was muttering between Jim s shoulder blades, barely loud enough for Jim to hear. For the first time Jim realized that the little hobgoblin must have crept into his favorite hiding place there under Jim s clothing, without his noticing it. There s one other, at least, come to think of it, added KinetetE s voice, thoughtfully. Name her to me! He, in this case. Merlin. There was a moment in which nothing in the vaulted room moved-even the air about Jim refused to enter his lungs. Then Morgan le Fay spoke. Merlin is locked in a tree forevermore. I am unchallenged in Lyonesse. Time is greater than you think, Morgan, said KinetetE. Not that I think Page 49 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Merlin would have ever considered dealing with you as anything of a challenge. You tire me, said Morgan le Fay. It is time I was rid of you. She pointed a finger at Jim. Come to me, here, Kin-whatever your name is! Now! The finger stayed there. Nothing happened. As I ve been trying to make clear to you, Morgan, said KinetetE, you vastly overrate yourself-and most vastly underrate me. You can t move me [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |