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[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] life, before the dreadful conscription of the Tribute had taken her away from home, and I got the impression that as a girl she had been happy. She'd been destined from childhood to serve some god or goddess, and eventually had somehow become attached to the service of Apollo. At one point in our talk I asked her, "Have you ever seen him, girl?" Page 235 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html "Who?" It took her a moment to understand. "The god? Apollo himself?" Just the thought was enough to make her wide-eyed. "Never. Have you . . . ?" "No. Not I." The bull with its divine rider had disappeared into the sky above the distant sea-horizon, in the direction of Corycus. Around Ariadne and Theseus, on the deck of the pirate ship, most of the crew were daring to raise their eyes again. "What happened?" Ariadne breathlessly demanded of her companion. "What did he say to you? What did he want?" For the time of several breaths after Ariadne had asked her question there was no sound but the whine of wind and the whisper of water past the hull. The princess was not in a mood to cultivate patience. "What happened?" she demanded again. "What did Shiva have to say to you?" From the edges of her vision she could see that all the faces of the crew were turned toward her. Theseus, still wearing only the loincloth in which he had won the fight, was standing braced on the deck, his bare feet planted wide apart. For a long moment he said nothing, only shaking his head slightly, staring after the departing form. Then, turning aside, he barked orders at his crew, commanding them to man the oars, establish a change of course. "We are going to Dia!" As the helmsman bent over the compass-pyx, Theseus turned his face back to Ariadne, looking at her with a strange, unreadable expression. But still he had not replied to her questions. The princess was not accustomed to such rudeness. "Are you going to tell me or not? It seemed a long time that he held you in the air. What in the Underworld did he want?" When her companion's answer came at last, his voice was so low that she could barely hear it. "He told me that I am to become a god." Page 236 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Again a silence fell aboard the ship. Almost within arm's reach it seemed to Ariadne that everything on the small ship was almost within arm's reach some of the crew were pulling at their oars, aiming the ship into what little wind there was. Meanwhile others tugged at lines to get the lowered sail properly out of the way. They had gone back to work at the captain's orders, and were obeying his instructions, being too much afraid of him to do anything else. Meanwhile there was no doubt that they were also listening avidly to the conversation, knowing that their own lives and fortunes were surely at stake in any dealings that their master had with gods. "Are you joking?" was the next question that burst from Ariadne's lips. She was painfully aware that sun and salt were cracking her lips and spoiling her skin. Her fine linen dress was gone, dissolved into threads and rags, her present clothing a haphazard collection of rags extorted by her companion from several members of the crew. At the moment she was fully conscious of how little she resembled the beautiful princess who had awakened in her palace bedroom only a few mornings ago. If she were to appear at the gate of the palace in her present condition, no one would recognize her. "Not at all," said Theseus. Now she could see just how elated he was, and how grimly serious in his delight. For the first time the princess realized that, though her lover could smile and laugh as readily as any man, she could not remember him ever making a joke. She was still angry at him, and felt a growing disgust with her whole situation. "And how and when is this great transformation supposed to take place?" "As to how, simply enough. I have been told where the Face of a god can almost Page 237 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |