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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

want to cry in front of Mannas because he was a famous gladiator even if he was base-born, Mannas said he didn't mind and wouldn't think any less of Rasas for it; so Rasas did, and felt better after than he ever had before in his life that he could remember. Then Mannas said, "Where you from?" "Arko," Rasas answered. "No, you naht." "Yes, I am." All the time they'd talked the barbarian hadn't minded him talking back, but just argued as if he was a grown-up too, so he felt safe contradicting him. "You cahn't be," Mannas said. "Arkahns all hanve blue eyes.Yourrhs are blahck." Nowadays, he couldn't remember what they'd said after that. It was a blur, of things about… when he'd been little, all his made-up stories and places and the made-up dream-tongue that he'd got in trouble for long ago. Every time he d talked in it or mentioned it they beat him, until he'd stopped, except in his head. Gradually he'd forgotten the words. No, he thought.I mustn't think about it. It's too good. It hurts too much. He never came back. He won fifty fights, and went away to Yeoli-land. I'm going to cry . Tikas… No. I can't call him. He's got important things to do. The matron was asleep. He tried to push Mannas's smile away out of his head with the governor's smothering hand.Mannas had dark eyes too, and I thought… but I was never his son like I liked to pretend, or else he would've taken me away with him, to live with his wife and my brothers and sisters —Ardas, he would have taken Ardas too—in his big house in Yeoli-land. He saw the governor open his mouth instead, his glass eyes creasing, at the highest instant of his Noble Passion. VI Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html Megan felt all blood drain out of her face as she gripped his hands. No gold, no simpering attendants, no priceless furnishings… that lamp was an expensive item, actually; she'd thought it was plunder. "On, shit," Shkai'ra muttered under her breath, in Fehinnan. Fishhook just purred louder, and rubbed her head into his cheek. Chevenga, Megan thought.We've been talking to fucking Chevenga. The Invincible. The Immortal. Just sitting with us like a bar-friend. And I'm holding his hands . Semanakraseye na…that other word must be his military title, First General First. He Whose Bottom Is… oh my Goddess, no. It's not funny . Now, she saw the seal-ring on his finger, even that not particularly fancy, carved out of white stone, nephrite.Everyone thought someone else told us … His hands, naZak big, buried hers, hard,
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html weapon-callused, but the grip much gentler than she would have expected. They let go to take Shkai'ra's next, then scratched Fishhook behind the ears. At least stop doing your best imitation of a brook trout, Megan, she told herself, and cleared her throat. "Um, my profoundest apologies, for impertinence, Woyvode— ah, I should say,Se-ma-na-k —" Shit! I fucking blew it. After all that practice… No, dammit, try again. "Se-ma-na-kra-se-ye . We meant no lack of respect." She offered him her best bow, from kneeling. If it wasn't enough, they'd find out damn soon.Stop acting like a first on board , she told herself tartly.The man has to take his pants down to shit like everyone else . "No, no, not at all," the semanakraseye said, smiling. "I didn't think you did. No offense taken. I'm not one for ceremony, more than the bare necessities of it." He answered Megan's bow with a finger-touch to his temple, as if they were two sentries changing places. Shkai'ra sat back on her heels. "Well, that's a relief. Places I've been, you had to wiggle forward like a lizard to the throne, beating your head on the ground, or else die horribly." "Like where I come from," Megan added. "Ah. I understand." He was soft-spoken, so much so that sometimes she had to concentrate to catch all his words; very strange, in a politician. "You're Zak. And… Kommanzr. You came by way of Brahvniki." "Chevenga…" A man stuck his head in the door, and rattled off a question in rapid-fire Yeoli, with rapid-fire gestures.Does everyone call him by his name to his face, too ? Thesemanakraseye answered in the same fast Yeoli, words and hands, and the man saluted and was gone, the first of a stream of people. "By way of Brahvniki, yes," said Megan, using the hand-sign to be polite; that earned a smile. "We stopped there to get news out of the Benai, and horses for your army." "Why do you want to join?" He didn't ask particularly sternly; at the same time his eyes, deep-set and large and dark brown, looked at her in a way she wouldn't have wanted to lie to. "Because as far as I could see, you have a good chance of reaching the City Itself. Good enough for the Benaiat Ivahn to lend you money. I trust his judgment." "Benaiat Ivahn? Lend memoney ?" Chevenga's eyes creased, confused. "He never did that. Where did you hear it?" What? Megan ran back over the memory; yes, Ivahn had told her, plain.Wait one fish-gutted minute. Someone's trying to spread cow-manure here, and I don't think it's Ivahn . It's for Ivahn's sake. She remembered how it had been in strictest confidence.He's figuring I might be a loose-lipped type who's heard a rumor, and doesn't want to give anything away . She'd never seen confusion faked so well. She raised one eyebrow, lowered her voice to a whisper. "I have considerable financial dealings with the Benaiat, and we are also dear friends. We spoke of other things too, for instance acertain fifteen-year-old visitor to the city who had to be administered the remedy to acertain affliction contracted the night before in acertain establishment whose name is suggestive of acertain small
Page 1 and 2: Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M.
Page 3 and 4: Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converte
Page 25 and 26: people around for camouflage, and t
Page 39: Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converte
Page 47 and 48: Und now I vind dose two—Celestial
Page 77 and 78: X Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conver
Page 91 and 92:
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converte
Page 93 and 94:
Page 95 and 96:
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
Page 101 and 102:
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
wounded only in the carts on march,
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143 and 144:
Page 145 and 146:
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161 and 162:
Page 163 and 164:
Page 165 and 166:
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
Page 171 and 172:
Page 173 and 174:
Page 175 and 176:
Page 177 and 178:
Page 179 and 180:
Page 181 and 182:
Page 183 and 184:
Page 185 and 186:
Page 187 and 188:
Page 189 and 190:
Page 191 and 192:
— Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv
Page 193 and 194:
Page 195 and 196:
Page 197 and 198:
Page 199 and 200:
Page 201 and 202:
Page 203 and 204:
Page 205 and 206:
Page 207 and 208:
Page 209 and 210:
Page 211 and 212:
Page 213 and 214:
Page 215 and 216:
Page 217 and 218:
Page 219 and 220:
Page 221 and 222:
Page 223 and 224:
Page 225 and 226:
Page 227 and 228:
Page 229 and 230:
Page 231 and 232:
Page 233 and 234:
Page 235 and 236:
Page 237 and 238:
show all

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

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?