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overlords of Magdag, and he had been on his way there because his sister, Velia, had been missing,
reported captured by a swifter from Magdag.
Velia had, indeed, been captured. But she had been captured by Gafard, the King s Striker, the Sea
Zhantil, and they had fallen deeply in love. I believed that to be true. I believed it then, and I am sure of it
now. Gafard owed complete allegiance to King Genod, and even when the king sought to abduct the
Lady of the Stars, the name by which Velia was known, for the same reasons that Jaidur called himself
Vax, Gafard had been unable to blame him; for the king possessed the yrium, the mystic power of
authority over ordinary people.
King Genod had, in the end, taken Velia. And because Gafard s second in command, Grogor, had
shafted the saddlebird the king flew, and because the king was abruptly in fear for his life, the genius king
had thrown Velia off, to fall to her death. Yrium or no damned yrium, when I caught the cramph I d
probably have trouble stopping myself from breaking his neck before I dragged him off to justice. I know
about men who possess the yrium. As I have said, I am cursed with more than one man s fair share of
the yrium.
All this I, alone of our family, knew.
I could not tell Jaidur or Vax.
I could not tell him.
I had not told him I was his father.
How could I?
There had to be a kinder, better, way of breaking that horrendous news to him.
He was in very truth a violent young man. How could I lift a hand against my son in self-defense? And
yet how could I stand and let him slay me? For I thought he very well might try. That would be a sin not
only for him but for me, also.
His hatred was a real and living force.
Mind you, if I told him and then invited him to try to carry out his avowed intent, and so foined with him
and disarmed him no, no, no. . . That would shatter his self-esteem, would turn hatred for me into
contempt for himself. And, anyway, he was a remarkably fine swordsman. He might finish me. I share
nothing of this silly desire to call oneself the greatest swordsman of the world or, in my case, of two
worlds. That way lies not only paranoia, but a mere killing machine without interest or suspense. Each
fight is a new roll of the dice with death, a gamble of life and death.
I had decided to go to join the Renders with Rukker because had I gone to Magdag, Vax would have
gone with me, and in evil Magdag he might all too easily be slain or enslaved. I did not want that and
would stop it. So I had turned aside from my purpose.
A scheme occurred to me whereby I might turn Vax from his path, also. It would give him pain; but
nothing like the pain he would be spared.
We sailed out on a few raids and caught Magdaggian shipping and so fought them and took them and
built up our stock of oar-slaves. Our base lay up a narrow and winding creek in the lush green island of
Wabinosk. When I saygreen I refer to the vegetation. The island boasted a large population of vosks;
but they were kept down by an infestation of lairgodonts. I had no further wish to meet any more
lairgodonts, for the risslacas had caused problems before and, anyway, the things were the symbol of
King Genod s new Order of Green Brothers. The islands in this chain were, in their turn, infested by
pirates, and we had one or two set-tos with Renders who fancied our prizes. But with Rukker booming
and bellowing away we kept what we took.
One day Duhrra started talking about Magdag to Vax, who was most anxious to learn all he could. I
listened.
The people we had released from oar-slavery had settled down into a pattern, taking up tasks for which
they were suited. Those Zairians who wished to return home had gone in a captured broad ship. Now
we had smallish crews, but we were building, and our motive power was almost up to strength. I planned
to leave at the earliest moment I could; I had to be sure of Vax first.
Zigging Grodnims, Duhrra was saying, sharpening up his sword on a block, taking care over the work.
All they do is build monstrous great buildings. Rasts.
Vax egged him on to talk about Magdag. And as I listened so I caught an echo of the way Duhrra saw
the rousing times we had spent as pretended renegades. The king in Sanurkazz has our names down on
his roll of infamy and we innocent.
When King Zo hears what you did, Duhrra, I am sure he will pardon you. Was the Lady of the Stars,
then, so beautiful?
Duhrra spit and polished meticulously. Indeed she was! Duhrra rolled his eyes. No maiden more fair
graced the earth, they said.
I felt a pang. Roughly, I said, Did you ever see her face, oh Duhrra of the waggling tongue?
No, master. But I know she was. Duh everyone said so.
Here was a chance. I felt a pain in my chest.
Yes, she was beautiful. Gafard loved her truly, and she loved him truly. I did not look at Vax. I think
that does mean something important. I leaned closer. And here is something Gafard told me that must
go no farther than the three of us. I turned and glared directly into my son s eyes. Do I have your
word?
Yes, Dak. I will not speak of it.
Good. Then know that this Lady of the Stars was the true daughter of Pur Dray, the Lord of
Strombor.
Before I had finished the great wordStrombor, my son Jaidur, whom I must think of as Vax, leaped up.
He let a terrible cry escape him. Then he turned I saw his face and he ran to the ladder at the stern
and fell down it and so raced like a maniac into the bushes of the shore, vanishing out of sight.
Duhrra stared after him, a powerful frown crumpling up that smooth, seemingly idiot face. Duh, master!
What did I do?
You did nothing, Duhrra. And I am not your master.
Yes, master.
I walked away, feeling the desolation in me. This was not my idea of family life. But, then what did I
know of family life? I had been privileged to know my eldest twins, Drak and Lela, for periods off and on
until they were fourteen. My second twins, Segnik and Velia, had been three when I d been so
mercilessly hurled back to Earth. And now Segnik was Zeg and a famous Krozair of Zy, and Velia was
dead. Of Dayra I knew nothing, and of her twin, Jaidur, I must see him every day and speak with him,
and call him Vax, and bear the agony; for he hated the memory of his father, a father he knew nothing of
or, at least, knew nothing good of.
I did know one thing of Dayra. Delia had told me she had been giving trouble at school, with the Sisters
of the Rose, of course. And I remembered old Panshi talking of the young prince and of my assumption
he meant Segnik, when he meant Jaidur. Old Panshi had had a little frown of puzzlement. Why couldn t I
be just an ordinary simple man? But then, if I were that, I would never have won Delia, the Princess
Majestrix of Vallia, at all.
We sailed out on a raiding cruise the next day, hopping from island to island, and I was exceedingly
beastly to the Magdaggian shipping we caught. The three swifters acted together, for it seemed the
natural thing to do, and Rukker was getting the hang of sea fighting. On this cruise we took a small swifter [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl wyciskamy.pev.pl
overlords of Magdag, and he had been on his way there because his sister, Velia, had been missing,
reported captured by a swifter from Magdag.
Velia had, indeed, been captured. But she had been captured by Gafard, the King s Striker, the Sea
Zhantil, and they had fallen deeply in love. I believed that to be true. I believed it then, and I am sure of it
now. Gafard owed complete allegiance to King Genod, and even when the king sought to abduct the
Lady of the Stars, the name by which Velia was known, for the same reasons that Jaidur called himself
Vax, Gafard had been unable to blame him; for the king possessed the yrium, the mystic power of
authority over ordinary people.
King Genod had, in the end, taken Velia. And because Gafard s second in command, Grogor, had
shafted the saddlebird the king flew, and because the king was abruptly in fear for his life, the genius king
had thrown Velia off, to fall to her death. Yrium or no damned yrium, when I caught the cramph I d
probably have trouble stopping myself from breaking his neck before I dragged him off to justice. I know
about men who possess the yrium. As I have said, I am cursed with more than one man s fair share of
the yrium.
All this I, alone of our family, knew.
I could not tell Jaidur or Vax.
I could not tell him.
I had not told him I was his father.
How could I?
There had to be a kinder, better, way of breaking that horrendous news to him.
He was in very truth a violent young man. How could I lift a hand against my son in self-defense? And
yet how could I stand and let him slay me? For I thought he very well might try. That would be a sin not
only for him but for me, also.
His hatred was a real and living force.
Mind you, if I told him and then invited him to try to carry out his avowed intent, and so foined with him
and disarmed him no, no, no. . . That would shatter his self-esteem, would turn hatred for me into
contempt for himself. And, anyway, he was a remarkably fine swordsman. He might finish me. I share
nothing of this silly desire to call oneself the greatest swordsman of the world or, in my case, of two
worlds. That way lies not only paranoia, but a mere killing machine without interest or suspense. Each
fight is a new roll of the dice with death, a gamble of life and death.
I had decided to go to join the Renders with Rukker because had I gone to Magdag, Vax would have
gone with me, and in evil Magdag he might all too easily be slain or enslaved. I did not want that and
would stop it. So I had turned aside from my purpose.
A scheme occurred to me whereby I might turn Vax from his path, also. It would give him pain; but
nothing like the pain he would be spared.
We sailed out on a few raids and caught Magdaggian shipping and so fought them and took them and
built up our stock of oar-slaves. Our base lay up a narrow and winding creek in the lush green island of
Wabinosk. When I saygreen I refer to the vegetation. The island boasted a large population of vosks;
but they were kept down by an infestation of lairgodonts. I had no further wish to meet any more
lairgodonts, for the risslacas had caused problems before and, anyway, the things were the symbol of
King Genod s new Order of Green Brothers. The islands in this chain were, in their turn, infested by
pirates, and we had one or two set-tos with Renders who fancied our prizes. But with Rukker booming
and bellowing away we kept what we took.
One day Duhrra started talking about Magdag to Vax, who was most anxious to learn all he could. I
listened.
The people we had released from oar-slavery had settled down into a pattern, taking up tasks for which
they were suited. Those Zairians who wished to return home had gone in a captured broad ship. Now
we had smallish crews, but we were building, and our motive power was almost up to strength. I planned
to leave at the earliest moment I could; I had to be sure of Vax first.
Zigging Grodnims, Duhrra was saying, sharpening up his sword on a block, taking care over the work.
All they do is build monstrous great buildings. Rasts.
Vax egged him on to talk about Magdag. And as I listened so I caught an echo of the way Duhrra saw
the rousing times we had spent as pretended renegades. The king in Sanurkazz has our names down on
his roll of infamy and we innocent.
When King Zo hears what you did, Duhrra, I am sure he will pardon you. Was the Lady of the Stars,
then, so beautiful?
Duhrra spit and polished meticulously. Indeed she was! Duhrra rolled his eyes. No maiden more fair
graced the earth, they said.
I felt a pang. Roughly, I said, Did you ever see her face, oh Duhrra of the waggling tongue?
No, master. But I know she was. Duh everyone said so.
Here was a chance. I felt a pain in my chest.
Yes, she was beautiful. Gafard loved her truly, and she loved him truly. I did not look at Vax. I think
that does mean something important. I leaned closer. And here is something Gafard told me that must
go no farther than the three of us. I turned and glared directly into my son s eyes. Do I have your
word?
Yes, Dak. I will not speak of it.
Good. Then know that this Lady of the Stars was the true daughter of Pur Dray, the Lord of
Strombor.
Before I had finished the great wordStrombor, my son Jaidur, whom I must think of as Vax, leaped up.
He let a terrible cry escape him. Then he turned I saw his face and he ran to the ladder at the stern
and fell down it and so raced like a maniac into the bushes of the shore, vanishing out of sight.
Duhrra stared after him, a powerful frown crumpling up that smooth, seemingly idiot face. Duh, master!
What did I do?
You did nothing, Duhrra. And I am not your master.
Yes, master.
I walked away, feeling the desolation in me. This was not my idea of family life. But, then what did I
know of family life? I had been privileged to know my eldest twins, Drak and Lela, for periods off and on
until they were fourteen. My second twins, Segnik and Velia, had been three when I d been so
mercilessly hurled back to Earth. And now Segnik was Zeg and a famous Krozair of Zy, and Velia was
dead. Of Dayra I knew nothing, and of her twin, Jaidur, I must see him every day and speak with him,
and call him Vax, and bear the agony; for he hated the memory of his father, a father he knew nothing of
or, at least, knew nothing good of.
I did know one thing of Dayra. Delia had told me she had been giving trouble at school, with the Sisters
of the Rose, of course. And I remembered old Panshi talking of the young prince and of my assumption
he meant Segnik, when he meant Jaidur. Old Panshi had had a little frown of puzzlement. Why couldn t I
be just an ordinary simple man? But then, if I were that, I would never have won Delia, the Princess
Majestrix of Vallia, at all.
We sailed out on a raiding cruise the next day, hopping from island to island, and I was exceedingly
beastly to the Magdaggian shipping we caught. The three swifters acted together, for it seemed the
natural thing to do, and Rukker was getting the hang of sea fighting. On this cruise we took a small swifter [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]