[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
It makes Terran medical science look primitive! Magda thought.
But if it was psi force, what was the function of the blue jewel? Was it only a
focus? Magda knew she would never rest till she knew the answer to these questions.
The key seemed to be the strange word laran, which was colloquially translated as an
art, skill, gift or talent; she surmised that a leronis was one who used laran, and that the
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
meanings of wise-woman or sorceress were ancillary. Jaelle verified this guess,
adding that laran meant an inborn gift for psi power, and that while she herself had a
little of it, she had not wanted to be trained in its use. When Magda repeated Rohana s
remark that she herself seemed to have laran Jaelle shut up and could not be
persuaded to say another word.
In midafternoon the promised festival dresses arrived, brought by one of
Rohana s women. Magda s was a rust-colored gown with narrow sable fur trim, and
trailing sleeves lined with golden silk; it was one of the prettiest dresses she had ever
seen, and fitted her well enough. She felt a twinge of regret as she put it on and
brushed her dark smooth hair, thinking of the silver butterfly-clasp that she would
never wear again.
Jaelle said, Among Terran women, is close-cropped hair thought a disgrace?
Oh, no. Most women in Empire service wear their hair little longer than men;
but I have lived on Darkover most of my life, and kept mine long to be able to mingle
unnoticed with women here, so I am accustomed to long hair, Magda said. I had half
expected to be told that Amazons were not allowed to wear women s dress! Is this
simply a courtesy to dom Gabriel, then, Jaelle?
Jaelle laughed merrily. She had put on the delicate green gown Rohana had sent
her. She said that it had been made for her cousin, Rohana s seventeen-year-old
daughter, whose name was Elorie but who was usually called Lori. With a little pinning
at the waist, it fitted Jaelle beautifully. As she brushed her own hair into a burnished
coppery helmet and fastened it with a pair of gold bar-clasps from her saddlebags, she
said, Oh, no! Do you think we wear trousers compulsively, like men, you silly girl?
We wear them when we have to ride, or work like men, but in the Guild-house, or
when working indoors, we wear whatever seems comfortable to us. We are not
required to wear anything in particular; we simply refuse to accept the social rule that
forbids women to wear any comfortable garment for reasons of modesty or custom.
The only thing we may not wear by our Charter is a sword. Again, she laughed.
Kindra chided me, now and then, that I spent so much of what I earned on finery; I
probably have as many pretty gowns as Rohana, or more, because I need not account
to anyone for what use I make of my money!
Magda felt a little relieved; she was not fond of fine clothes, in particular, but she
would have felt strange to think of spending the rest of her life in rough and
unattractive work clothes!
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
Jaelle said delightedly, when they were ready to go down, I had no idea you
were so pretty! When I first saw you, you looked like a half-frozen rabbit, and after that
I have not been able to notice!
Magda herself had been aware of Jaelle s astonishing beauty, even in rough
Amazon dress; in the green gown, she was breathtaking. She saw her own opinion
confirmed when Peter joined them in the hallway, outside their connecting rooms; he
looked at Jaelle in delighted amazement. She smiled at him shyly, and lowered her eyes;
Magda knew Jaelle was embarrassed at recalling how she had clung to him when she
was weak and ill. Jaelle did not offer him her hand as she had done readily during her
illness; strangely, the very omission seemed to create a greater closeness than the frank
gesture. She reacted to him as a child reacts then. Now she is very aware that he is a
man and she a woman, Magda thought.
Peter said softly, I am very happy to see you recovered, Jaelle, and with
something of her own constraint, turned to Magda, and offered her his arm. She took
it, mostly because she sensed his embarrassment and tension and it was an old habit, to
cover his indecision.
Have you noticed how like our own celebrations this is? The halls decorated
with greenery, the great fire, the exchanged gifts even the smell of the spice-bread!
She knew he was only saying the first thing that came into his head, to cover
embarrassment; it roused an old emotion, a mixture of tenderness and exasperation, so
familiar that she felt an old, inner trembling.
You are lovely, Magda. But I miss your lovely long hair He put up his hand
to touch the bare nape of her neck: a gesture of intimacy, permitted only to lovers.
Magda felt embarrassed. She said in a low voice, Don t, Piedro. She used his
Darkovan name deliberately, to remind him of where they were. Yet she knew it had
had exactly the reverse effect; it had recreated the old intimacy.
He said, Margali, speaking her Darkovan name like a special caress. She saw
Jaelle s eyes on them and dropped his hand as if it burned her, so that they went into
the Great Hall side by side, but not together.
The kindled midwinter-fire burned on the great hearth, and dom Gabriel, Lord
of Ardais, stood before it, a tall, soldierly man, with graying russet hair, dressed in
green and scarlet. When Jaelle stepped toward him with a formal bow, he clasped her,
briefly, in a kinsman s embrace, pressing his lips to her cheek.
I rejoice that you are well enough to join us, Jaelle. A pleasant year to you, and
all happiness.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
I thank you for your hospitality, for myself and my friends, Uncle, Jaelle said,
and stepped along, to be warmly hugged by Rohana and to exchange greetings with
her cousins. Magda and Peter stood before the Ardais lord; he bowed over her hand,
raising his eyes to hers with a puzzled, kindly smile. Magda thought of what Jaelle had
said: Anything belonging to Rohana he will treat kindly pet dogs, Free Amazons,
even Terrans & ! It seemed to her for a moment that Jaelle had been hard on him;
from the very touch of his hand she sensed he was a decent man and a kind one, if a
little narrowed by the prejudices of his caste, and without much imagination. Anyway,
if Rohana loved and obeyed him, he must have more virtues than Jaelle could see in
him.
Welcome, mestra, as my kinswoman s friend; a pleasant holiday to you, and a
fortunate year.
Magda, recalling the New Year s greeting of her Caer Donn childhood, said, My
year will be brightened by the memory of your hospitality; may the fires of your hearth
never grow cold, Lord Ardais, and saw the puzzlement grow in his eyes. As she
moved on to exchange formal greetings with Rohana and her grown children, she
thought, He obviously knows we are Terrans. Is he surprised that we can manage
ordinary politeness? She wondered if the Ardais lord really thought that a race which
could create a Galactic empire were all ignorant boors without any sense of good
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]