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[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] Tell her, grunted Justen as he helped Altara ease the plate against the heavy beams on the side wall of the smithy, that she could have if you hadn t tied her up first. Lusting after another s man s woman& why, Justen, I do believe you actually show a human side. Cirlin laughed. So did Altara and, finally, Warin. I presume, added Horas s voice from the smithy door as the laughter died, that we will be having company for dinner. We certainly will, and for the evening as well, added Cirlin. We wouldn t- Page 231 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Where would you stay? At the Broken Wheel, where you d freeze? Nonsense! snapped Horas. Altara and Warin exchanged glances. We re not that hard to persuade, said the chief engineer. Besides, added Warin, I might be able to find out more about this mysterious druid. Good luck, said Cirlin. I m his mother, and beside the fact that she s wonderful, beautiful, green-eyed, silver-haired, and saved him from many fates worse than death, I know almost nothing. Oh, and yes, she somehow coaxes trees into producing beautiful boxes and other wooden items. The smith looked at Altara, who returned the smile. It s going to be an interesting evening, ventured Jus-ten. Stop jabbering, suggested Altara, and we ll get this junk in sooner. Also, Where s this supposed de-ordered iron? You did mention it, you know. In that bin in the corner. There. Justen pointed. Warin walked over and looked down. Darkness& he really did it, Altara. Those are turbine rings, but they re only soft iron now. Altara followed Warm s eyes, and her fingers caressed the iron. You could make a business out of this. Justen shrugged. Call it return for value& in a way. It would take three eight-days to undo that with a forge, and I ll bet it didn t take you that long. No. Justen did not volunteer that the bin contained only an afternoon s worth of effort or that the shed had turned into an ice house, with heavy sheets of ice across everything. Good. Then I can report honestly that we re saving time and labor by sending you junk. Now let s get this stuff out to the wagon. Even before they had Finished stacking the incoming parts and scrap and reloading the wagon, Elisabet was waving from the kitchen door. We still need to stable the horses. Altara, go talk to Elisabet. We ll do the horses. The chief engineer shrugged and walked through the late afternoon light toward the house while Justen and Warin unharnessed the two draft horses and led them into the stable. The brushes are on the shelf there. Altara said you never learned to ride, really, until you went to Sarronnyn. So how did thai happen, since you grew up with horses and a stable?- Warin wiped horse hair off his face with his free hand as he finished one of the chestnuts. We had horse teams, not riding horses. I could care for a horse. I just couldn t ride well. Are you about done? More than done. It s cold here. It s not that bad. I grew up in Nylan. It s lower and warmer than in mid-Recluce. Warin watched as Justen poured several scoops of grain into the manger. You took long enough, said Elisabet when the two engineers walked into the kitchen and took the two last places at the big table. Hot cider, ale, or redberry? asked Horas. Hot cider. Ale. Ale? Warin shivered. How he can be so ordered and drink ale and dark beer? asked Altara. It s just superficial order. Justen laughed. How can order be superficial? Don t get him started, warned Cirlin. What about the druid, then? asked Warin. Dayala? Elisabet smiled broadly. She s a druid who doesn t have a tree-not one that, she lives in anyway, except that her house is sort of grown out of trees, and she always goes barefoot, even in the desert, but she wears clothes. Page 232 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Is that all? asked Warin plaintively. A real druid who doesn t live in a tree? Why does she go barefoot? She is a druid, answered Justen dryly. And she did manage to outwalk me and my boots across the Stone Hills and the grasslands. I never did manage walking barefoot through the great forest or the grasslands, let alone the Stone Hills. Do they use iron? asked Altara. Of course, answered Justen. Some of them do have problems with edged things like blades, and even with knives. But some of us do, too. I understand that Dorrin couldn t deal with blades. I want to hear about the silver-haired druids, protested Warin, grinning sideways at Elisabet. Well& began Justen s sister. Elisabet& You re no fun, Justen. You tell them, or I will. I know I m no fun. Wait a moment. Justen took a sip of the dark ale. Here s some fresh-baked bread and cheese! announced Horas, setting a long platter on the table. Ought to hold you until dinner s ready. Don t get this in the engineering hall, do you? asked Warin, looking at Altara. Don t get that at home, do you? countered the chief engineer. No, but he gets a few other things& suggested Justen. You should talk, from what I ve heard about your druid. And from that cow-eyed look you get when you think about her and you think no one s looking. Altara coughed, trying not to choke on her hot cider, shaking her head at the same time. What can I say? Justen laughed. What can I say? Probably nothing, suggested Cirlin. Try the bread before it gets cold. And try not to look too cow-eyed. What s cow-eyed? asked Elisabet. Altara choked again, then managed to swallow her cider. CXIX I m still concerned about that engineer-the order-mad one. Ryltar leaned forward across the black-oak table. Order-mad? That s an odd choice of words. Claris coughed, then sipped from her mug before setting it back on the ceramic coaster bearing a replica of the seal of Recluce. What do you mean? Yes, Ryltar, please enlighten us. Jenna s fingers cupped her mug lightly, almost as if caressing the smooth black finish. Well& Turmin said that this engineer, this Justen, is clearly the most highly ordered man he has observed. Perhaps too highly ordered. I understand that he is convinced that he must build some sort of land engine that travels the roads the way our ships travel the seas. That might seem impractical, but scarcely mad. Claris pursed her lips before continuing. Everyone thought Dorrin was mad, but we d scarcely be here if he hadn t built the Black Hammer. You don t think that running chaos along our roads, particularly the High Road, is not mad? He isn t doing that, is he? He will be. Ryltar& don t you notice a little inconsistency in your arguments? Jenna s mild tones barely rose above the rain that pelted against the windows. You tell us not to worry about Fairhaven, because they re not yet invading someplace, but we re supposed to worry about an excessively ordered engineer who has done far less than Fairhaven has. I m frankly a great deal more concerned about the increased levies that were marched across the Westhorns Page 233 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html and into Sarronnyn before the snows. Now it seems that each eight-day we receive reports of yet another town or hamlet falling to the Whites-and this has been during the winter. The ice has cut off Suthya from sea trade, and the Whites surround the Suthyans. By the spring thaw, only Armat, Devalonia, and a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |