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."Didn't you know Misheemnekuru is off-limits to humans?"Waln ignored this banter, thinking it in rather bad taste."Tell me.Is anyone going to help us down from here? Even a line would be useful.""There was only one rope here," Derian said, "and it's in use.We've sent runners to the boats, and then we'll seewhat can be done."Waln didn't bother to ask what the other rope was being used for.He'd heard noise around the other side of thestructure and assumed that someone Rahniseeta most likely was being gotten down."Runners will take a while" was all he said."These less than most," Derian replied."They sent a couple of white-tail bucks.I wrote a note for Barnet.Hopefully, he'll figure things out."Waln nodded.He'd wondered why Derian hadn't asked the obvious questions, like how many were alive, and howbadly injured and all that.Then he'd realized that there must be those among the birds who could report to LadyBlysse.The thought made his skin crawl, even as he was grateful."You have water?" Derian asked."Some.""Then stay as still as possible.You can't see it from there, I guess, but whenever you go pacing about, things startcrumbling.They're working on shoring up things, but nobody has a lot of experience with this.Can your carpenteradvise?""He's one of the ones who created this mess," Waln replied bitterly."Ah."There wasn't a lot to say after that.Waln passed on the warning about keeping still, but Wiatt insisted on goingclose to the edge and calling down his interminable litany to Derian.Derian seemed amused rather than otherwise."If they didn't know before," he said, "they do now.However, I think they're willing to leave you to the authorities."Wiatt seemed relieved by this, and Waln didn't bother to point out that here the authorities were likely to be animals or worse, one of those monsters.He'd kept shying away from looking too closely at them, but what he'd seen&Well, he'd been to New Kelvin, and he didn't think those were costumes.Forbidden to pace in body, Waln did so in spirit, his mind swinging back and forth, trying to find the best way todeal with this once they were down.There was no question that they'd violated their host's laws.Could they claimthey'd been bewitched? It had been an acceptable defense in Bright Bay until fifty years after the Plague.Would itwork here?"Shivadtmon," he called softly."Do your people have tales of magic being used to influence how others think?"The aridisdu looked at him curiously."We call it divine inspiration.""No.I don't mean divine magic.I mean the human type like that woman Melina I told you about."Shivadtmon's eyes narrowed."All magic is divine.Humans may misuse it, but Magic is one of the divinities.""Forget it," Waln said, but Shivadtmon was looking at him very strangely."Magic invited me," the aridisdu said."The master sent me.How can this wrongness have happened? Is Magictesting me? Is she seeing if I am faithful?"Waln shrugged, trying hard to say the right thing."You're the aridisdu.Can you read the omens? Does Magic want something from you?"Shivadtmon's eyes brightened with alarming intensity."Something of me& and the master has taught us what the deities want, what has been withheld from them for toolong.""Well, then pray to Magic," Waln said, hoping he didn't sound exasperated."Promise her you'll give her whatever itis when you're down from here.""Better," Shivadtmon said, rising to his feet and pulling his knife from its sheath."I'll give it to her right now."Chapter 39FIREKEEPER FELT THE INSTABILITY IN THE STONEWORK AS SHE CLIMBED, BUT BY NOW SHE TRUSTED TRUTH OR AT LEAST THEjaguar's ability to see what was important.This time her climb was as much horizontal as vertical, going along the rounded edge of the tower before pushingupward.Here she did not have as far up to go.At this point, the fourth-story walls had almost completely collapsed,and rather than climbing to a window ledge, she simply went through a hole in what had been the outer wall.A fewsmaller stones crashed down in her wake, but she didn't have time to worry about that.Her ears had not been closed as she climbed, so she knew she was coming into trouble.What she hadn't realizedwas how much.To her left, Shivadtmon had backed Waln Endbrook against a stand of lath and plaster that was all that remained ofan interior wall.Firekeeper could easily envision what had happened.Shivadtmon had come at Waln with the knifethat still was in his hand, and Waln, unprepared, had backed away, only to discover too late that he had made hissituation worse.He had his hands out in front of him as if by that alone he could keep the aridisdu back."Shivadtmon, in the name of all the ancestors, what's gotten into you? Someone stop him! He'll be for you if youdon't do something.Do something!"The other two sailors had not ignored Waln's pleas.Firekeeper heard Wiatt shouting something about not actingcrazy, that they'd have the whole rest of the mess down about their ears if they weren't careful [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]