Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

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Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html Celestialis, this one doesn't know anything. By Arkan law, women could not hold property, being considered property themselves. But the first thing he d learned in the Irefas academy was that laws and customs in other lands could take any form, no matter how unnatural. "Zak and Brahvnikian law allows a woman to be a well-to-do merchant, as Whitlock is, sir."Else I'd hardly be after her, would I, you bonehead . Somehow this seemed to get through into the cogs of the Mahid's mind; or else was brushed off and forgotten, Matthas couldn't tell. "Tell me more about this Shh— skira Farshot, she's married to." Matthas began. Two words in, Eforas interrupted. "Did you say she again?" "I did, sir." For a moment the Mahid sat stock-still.Oh-oh. Has some part been jolted slightly out of line ? "These barbarian cultures have somevery perverse customs, honored Mahid," he continued smoothly. "Explain entirely this Megan's marital status," Eforas commanded. Oh, my little professional God, Matthas groaned inwardly.Why did you have to ask that ? He'd been hoping just to have to tell about Shkai'ra. "I hope you will forgive the bizarre complexity of the situation, honored Mahid, but in F'talezon, multiple marriages are quite accepted. The two are part of a foursome, with Rilla called Shadow's Shade, who is also Megan's cousin, and Shyll called Doglord, the one man. They were wed almost a year ago in F'talezon." "Ah. A harem arrangement, with one woman owning the mercantile house in the master's name, or because she inherited it, since her father had no sons. That isn't so complicated,fessas , I've heard of such things in uncivilized lands. Why didn't you explain it that way from the beginning?" Matthas remembered his classes in the Irefas training academy on dealing with alien cultures.Yeola-e, Brahvniki, Tor Ench, Laka, they taught us how to adjust to; never Mahid . "Because, if you please, sir, that's not howit is. The four, man and women alike, act as… equals, if you'll forgive me for explaining something so difficult to envision; the closest they have to a leader is Whitlock. In terms of love-bonds" Celestialis, why did I have to get into the sticky parts? " —they're actually sort of two pairs, Megan and Shkai'ra in base depravity, and Rilla and Shyll, who have produced a child. Though there are apparently feelings between Megan and Shyll as well…" Eforas sat looking, though Matthas had not thought that possible, even more like metal than he had before. Remembering seeing a Press servant, when one of the smaller devices broke down, curing it with a hefty whack with his fist, he suddenly imagined himself having to thump the Mahid on the skull, on which he would snap to life and begin talking sense, and maybe even smile. "It is to purge this sort of cancer from the world that is Arko's sacred mission of civilization," Eforas said evenly. "Exactly," Matthas answered smoothly.Back to the matter at hand: whew . "Which is why they must be waylaid and truth-drugged."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html "Very well,fessas , I shall allocate funds for one embassy strong-arm, which day do you want him?" "Er… Honored Mahid… You must forgive me for not enabling you to understand what we're up against here. By my estimation, it would take ten." "Ten?"My professional God, an expression. Disapproval and contempt, of course . "You said they were both women, did you not? And one is a Zak, a race with an average height of some four feet?" How do I explain four feet plus about forty knives, including ten where normal women have nails? Or the other one, six feet of solid muscle with breasts, her fighting skills of the calibre that elite forces would covet. He remembered the challenge archery and climbing race that had been the talk of the city a year and a half ago, Shkai'ra's show-off shot that had brought down a seagull from what had to be a hundred and fifty paces straight up. And then themanraug , this magic thing, that Megan's people could do… no. He wasn't even going to try. "These are…unusual women, Honored Mahid. Extraordinary, you might say. You of course know that many barbarian lands train their womenfolk in the fighting arts. These two were exceptional students, shall we say." "It is among the worst excesses of savages to force the mothers and wives of their nations to be spear-fodder," Eforas pronounced. "No female is capable of performing the exercises or trials of proper war-training… and you claim you need ten men to restrain two women. Is there some other operation you are planning without the permission of your superiors,fessas ?" "Most emphatically there is not, Honored Mahid."I've served Irefas totally loyally and faithfully for fifteen years as you know damn well from your briefing, you onyxine asshole; don't call me a fikken liar . "I'll swear on my hope of Celestialis if you wish. I'll submit to a dose of truth-drug myself. These women aredangerous ." "I think I understand," the Mahid said. "It's an old merchant's bargaining trick, to ask at first for an outrageous sum, isn't it, Matthas Bennas, fessas? Perhaps your cover profession is more suitable to your true nature." They're erecting new hitching posts at the Kremlview Inn, Matthas thought,perhaps you'd like to apply for the job. Then again, perhaps Iwould . Eforas wrote out the papers allocating four men, Arkans attached to the embassy. At least it was better than one. If they were fourgood men, with a good enough plan… "But you understand,fessas ," Eforas added, as he made the last signature required, his voice taking on a pitch of claws on a chalk-board, "directing this many men for such an operation, I am taking as a guarantee of success. If by some implausible chance it fails, you will be held personally responsible." The blank eyes fixed on his, and their very emptiness suddenly became terrifying, like a bottomless pit into which he was about to be dropped, a cavern of Hayel void even of air, in which sinners lived in the instant in which holding one's breath becomes unbearable, stretched out to eternity… He felt a cold sweat break out on his back and neck. "You had better not fail." "I'm holding you personally responsible for this," the Mahid said, toeing one of the corpses.
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