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said on a silver thread of sound. I do not want to be the last I do not want all I am to pass into the void. His eyes seared her; it was like looking at Kaveh's basket, a delicately woven thing full of bones. Eternity has an awful knell. She shivered, wondering what this quest would require of her. Taken to its most basic level, he wanted a child; it was an odd quest for immortality, which he apparently already possessed or near enough that she could not fathom the difference. Instinct moved her to sink down beside him, fanning the blue fabric about her knees. Arms folded beneath him, Rodhlann lay on his back as if gazing at stars instead of the seams of the black goat-hair tent. She tentatively smoothed the silky strands away from his marble-pale brow, 130 Stone Maiden by Ann Aquirre as she'd done that first night. He bore the gesture with impassivity, watching her with his iridescent eyes. You are more than weary, she said with certainty. What can I do? I am dying. And you can do nothing, save find Maksoor Balad for me. Dying no. She would not believe it. There must be something He sighed, letting his blue-veined eyelids drift shut. Explanation will take a long while, but I am sure you will grant me no peace until you are satisfied. Am I so stubborn? You are becoming so. Muir chuckled reluctantly, running her gaze over his gaunt face. He had the look of an alabaster icon, and when she traced his brow, she expected to feel chill stone, not the feverish heat of living flesh. I will listen, she said. And learn, gladly. With two fingers, he lifted his pendant the diamond with a dark heart. This should be indigo, like your dress. It is ... attuned to another charm in Eristorne, where the last enclave of the Daiesthai means to pass quietly into eternity. Including my sister. I have enemies, Muir, and thus, I told no one but Indrina of my enterprise. But He paused, the weight of his grief seeming to make it hard to speak. Someone must have ... forced my intent from her, as I have been deprived of the ... vitality that sustains me. We are not naturally so long- lived it was a gift we stole, among so many others. What 131 Stone Maiden by Ann Aquirre you witness now, little maid, is the weight of time bearing me down. It will not be a pretty death or an easy one. Muir realized that the loss of vitality he mentioned was probably why he could not work his conjurations, but she found she could not wound him with the question. Is there no way to stave it off? Nothing you can do to reverse the I have a choice, he said quietly. It always comes to choices, does it not? I may try to survive long enough to return to Eristorne and to dodge whatever enemy lies in wait in order to try to find my focus and replace it on the Weeping Wall. Or I may try to locate the lost lore to create a new life that will carry something of me. And you choose ... ? I am weary. His words broke her heart because she knew what he would say; his despair filled her soul with stones. I have had enough of life, but I am a vain enough monster" he gave a half smile in using her word to describe himself "to want to leave a bit of myself behind. And perhaps, to be remembered when all the rest are gone, if they will not see the value of what I do. You cannot just She felt a fool; if it were so basic, he would not need to quest after forgotten secrets. Shortsighted, treacherous, and vain, he murmured. No, I cannot just. We have lost that simplicity in taking up other gifts. The blood? He opened his eyes, looking perplexed, until he remembered. I was born with the hunger my mother was among the first to embrace the change. Daiesthai alchemists 132 Stone Maiden by Ann Aquirre found that processing it with smaller quantities of food facilitated longevity and made for more efficient Pausing, he reached for a fur. Though the sun was fully risen, she saw that he trembled. But I cannot explain properly. The terms would be strange to you, and I have forgotten most of what I knew. And in the end, it does not matter. But... Absently, she rubbed his hair between her fingers, so silken that it seemed spun of moonlight. He was a creature of stars and dawn, etiolated but beautiful in a way that hurt her when she saw her brown hand against his pallor. I want ... to understand. In a smooth motion, he rolled onto his side, propping his head on his hand. The movement disturbed the cured fur, so she covered him, as he mused, Perhaps ... perhaps even if I fail, little maid, you shall be my monument. Will you remember and speak of me to your young? I could not forget. Muir forced the words through a clotted throat. She found it hard to imagine a future where she was settled, brooding babes as Immelia had once railed against. As her mind expanded, she recoiled against the overwhelming possibilities. Do not speak so, she added quickly. You may have given your life up, but I have not. Perhaps there is a way both to save you and bring forth the child you desire. And who will grant the wishes of the afreet? His mouth twisted with the irony. I will, she said and the ground itself seemed to shiver in response. [Back to Table of Contents] 133 Stone Maiden by Ann Aquirre GHOSTS WHO WALK Midnight had a texture like the rasp of loose sand beneath his nails. As Tah scraped his fingers against the clay floor, he listened to a lone sign clattering outside. The wind moaned at the walls of the high house, and he wished once more that Ksathra Z'ev had listened to his half-hearted protest against staying the night. The first time he had been alone, but he had not touched anything he had not disturbed the treasures of dead Ballendin. His companions had feasted richly on rice and stewed meat, finished with fruit from the izzat's kitchen: white marula, juicy cactus pear, and crimson pitaya. While they sat licking their fingers in the dining hall, Tah had retreated to the kitchen. He did not want to watch them argue silently about their course. When the wind began to moan, the boy wrapped his arms about his knees, cold despite the heat from the earthen oven where he had cooked their meal. His stomach rumbled, and doubtless Ksathra Z'ev would say he deserved to be hungry for being so stubborn. Tah had chosen to eat the dried meat and stale naan from their packs, although it scarcely filled a corner of his growling belly. The rooms between him and the older, presumably wiser, members of their group felt eerily empty. Now that the flames were dying, he thought he smelled the heavy olibanum of the dead princess, a scent that clung to throat and nostrils like a suffocating hand. The chill increased, and his limbs went 134 Stone Maiden by Ann Aquirre numb. Lethargy stole over him, and as his hands struck the floor, leaden, the perfume intensified. Through dazed eyes, Tah saw the sickly haze roll forth. He knew it was wrong terror made his heart throb in his throat. The boy wanted to run, but somehow he could only watch the tendrils, delicate as death, winding about his limbs: clammy fingers on his face [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |