[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
it. Tell me what it is."
Sal looked at him for what seemed a long time. He could al-most see how the fever was addling her
brains. To his despair, at the last moment she seemed to change her mind again. "No. I'd better not try to
explain it all just yet. Maybe tomorrow."
Page 25
It made him sick to realize the fact that Sal's mind was once more drifting, that she was getting worse.
For the first time he had to confront head-on the sickening possibility that she might die, before he could
take her where she wished to go. The thought made him angry at her what could he possibly do, how
could he go on with his own life now, if Sal were dead?
That night, supper in the shabby little house was fish and oat-meal once again. For some reason there
were no raisins he could begin to hope that Aunt Lynn had grown sick of them herself. Jeremy took an
extra piece of fish and when no one was looking hid it in his shirt, to take to Sal tomorrow.
Sitting at the table across from the two aging, gap-toothed strangers who happened to be his childless
aunt and uncle, the boy found himself looking at them as if this were his first night at this table. Again he
wondered how he had ever come to be there in their village, in their house, eating their oatmeal. The
arrangement could only have come about as the result of some vast mistake. A cosmic blunder on the
part of the gods, or who-ever was in charge of arranging human lives.
On impulse, while the three of them were still sitting at supper, Jeremy brought up the subject of the
Academy, saying that some passing boatman had talked about it.
Aunt Lynn and Uncle Humbert heard their nephew's words clearly enough. But in response they only
looked at him in si-lence, displaying mild interest, as if he'd belched or farted in some peculiar way. Then
they turned away again and sipped their water and their wine. Evidently neither of them felt any curios-ity
on the subject at all.
Presently Uncle Humbert began to talk of other things, on subjects he doubtless considered truly
practical. Among the other jobs Jeremy would be expected to do in the fall, or in the spring, was
somehow conveying water uphill to irrigate the vines on their sunny slopes.
"Mutant vines, you got to remember, Jer, and they need spe-cial treatment."
"I'll remember."
Jeremy found himself wishing that he could steal his uncle's boat, since it seemed that he would have to
take someone's. But as a vinedresser, only occasionally a winemaker, not really a fish-erman, Humbert
had no boat.
It was next day at sundown when Jeremy's life, his whole world, changed even more suddenly and
violently than on the day of his parents' death.
He was walking with studied casualness toward the place of ren-dezvous, bringing Sal a few more
scraps of smuggled food, when his first sight of a fury, throbbing bat-like through the air, com-ing at
treetop height in his general direction, threatened for a moment to paralyze him.Sal's enemies have come,
to kill her and to steal her treasure.
In the distance, just beyond the last house of the village, he saw and heard a strange man, mounted on a
cameloid, shouting or-ders, telling creatures and people to find "her."
Page 26
Suddenly the darkening sky seemed full of furies, as black and numerous as crows.
FOUR
Boundingforward, he reached Sal's side only to crouch beside her helplessly, not knowing if they should
try to hide or take to the river and escape. Her soft voice seemed unsurprised at the sound and
movement beginning to fill the air around them. "Remember. The first name is Alexander, the second
Chalandon." Then suddenly her expression altered. "Listen !"
There was a rustling and a gliding in the sunset air, and from directly above them drifted down a series of
soft, strange, wild cries.
Jeremy leaped to his feet, in time to see the second wave of the attack swept in, in the form of
sword-wielding men on pacing cameloids, less than a minute behind the flying creatures. Jeremy
recognized the blue and white uniforms of Lord Kalakh's army the people who half a year ago had
overrun Jeremy's home village.
Tumult had broken out among the Raisinmakers, with people pouring out of houses, running to and fro.
Jeremy grabbed Sal by one arm and dragged her up and out of hiding. She was now in full sight of
several villagers, but none of them paid any atten-tion.
Jeremy was ready to try once more to carry her, but Sal, driven to panic, tried desperately to stand and
run to the river. She hob-bled beside him for a moment, but then her wounded leg gave way. She was [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl wyciskamy.pev.pl
it. Tell me what it is."
Sal looked at him for what seemed a long time. He could al-most see how the fever was addling her
brains. To his despair, at the last moment she seemed to change her mind again. "No. I'd better not try to
explain it all just yet. Maybe tomorrow."
Page 25
It made him sick to realize the fact that Sal's mind was once more drifting, that she was getting worse.
For the first time he had to confront head-on the sickening possibility that she might die, before he could
take her where she wished to go. The thought made him angry at her what could he possibly do, how
could he go on with his own life now, if Sal were dead?
That night, supper in the shabby little house was fish and oat-meal once again. For some reason there
were no raisins he could begin to hope that Aunt Lynn had grown sick of them herself. Jeremy took an
extra piece of fish and when no one was looking hid it in his shirt, to take to Sal tomorrow.
Sitting at the table across from the two aging, gap-toothed strangers who happened to be his childless
aunt and uncle, the boy found himself looking at them as if this were his first night at this table. Again he
wondered how he had ever come to be there in their village, in their house, eating their oatmeal. The
arrangement could only have come about as the result of some vast mistake. A cosmic blunder on the
part of the gods, or who-ever was in charge of arranging human lives.
On impulse, while the three of them were still sitting at supper, Jeremy brought up the subject of the
Academy, saying that some passing boatman had talked about it.
Aunt Lynn and Uncle Humbert heard their nephew's words clearly enough. But in response they only
looked at him in si-lence, displaying mild interest, as if he'd belched or farted in some peculiar way. Then
they turned away again and sipped their water and their wine. Evidently neither of them felt any curios-ity
on the subject at all.
Presently Uncle Humbert began to talk of other things, on subjects he doubtless considered truly
practical. Among the other jobs Jeremy would be expected to do in the fall, or in the spring, was
somehow conveying water uphill to irrigate the vines on their sunny slopes.
"Mutant vines, you got to remember, Jer, and they need spe-cial treatment."
"I'll remember."
Jeremy found himself wishing that he could steal his uncle's boat, since it seemed that he would have to
take someone's. But as a vinedresser, only occasionally a winemaker, not really a fish-erman, Humbert
had no boat.
It was next day at sundown when Jeremy's life, his whole world, changed even more suddenly and
violently than on the day of his parents' death.
He was walking with studied casualness toward the place of ren-dezvous, bringing Sal a few more
scraps of smuggled food, when his first sight of a fury, throbbing bat-like through the air, com-ing at
treetop height in his general direction, threatened for a moment to paralyze him.Sal's enemies have come,
to kill her and to steal her treasure.
In the distance, just beyond the last house of the village, he saw and heard a strange man, mounted on a
cameloid, shouting or-ders, telling creatures and people to find "her."
Page 26
Suddenly the darkening sky seemed full of furies, as black and numerous as crows.
FOUR
Boundingforward, he reached Sal's side only to crouch beside her helplessly, not knowing if they should
try to hide or take to the river and escape. Her soft voice seemed unsurprised at the sound and
movement beginning to fill the air around them. "Remember. The first name is Alexander, the second
Chalandon." Then suddenly her expression altered. "Listen !"
There was a rustling and a gliding in the sunset air, and from directly above them drifted down a series of
soft, strange, wild cries.
Jeremy leaped to his feet, in time to see the second wave of the attack swept in, in the form of
sword-wielding men on pacing cameloids, less than a minute behind the flying creatures. Jeremy
recognized the blue and white uniforms of Lord Kalakh's army the people who half a year ago had
overrun Jeremy's home village.
Tumult had broken out among the Raisinmakers, with people pouring out of houses, running to and fro.
Jeremy grabbed Sal by one arm and dragged her up and out of hiding. She was now in full sight of
several villagers, but none of them paid any atten-tion.
Jeremy was ready to try once more to carry her, but Sal, driven to panic, tried desperately to stand and
run to the river. She hob-bled beside him for a moment, but then her wounded leg gave way. She was [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]