Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...
Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...
Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...
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to sow discord, she was sure. For one thing, she was too honest; for another, those things had Shkai'ra's<br />
stamp. "Damn her! When she gets back, I'm going to… Sova, why didn't you tell me?"<br />
"She vass yourakribhan ! Besides… ven we came into the Kchnotet Vurm, ve were naked und had<br />
welts all over us. You saw dat! She only shows you her nice side, but you sawdat !"<br />
Megan flinched, swallowed bile. "Shkai'ra's very careful with me. She never… she didn't… she loves me<br />
very much, <strong>and</strong> she's never seen me as weak. She eased up on you when she started seeing you as<br />
people, didn't she?"<br />
"Ven ve could do fifty push-ups, more like. She doesn't really think anyone's a person unless they're a<br />
warrior."<br />
"Sova. Did she ever carry through on that threat?"<br />
"No. But I always figured it was because I was still too young. I kept wishing I wouldn't grow, or get<br />
breasts…"<br />
The words fell dully into Megan's head, echoing.I wouldn't grow. Get breasts . Forher it had been the<br />
other way round, hoping shewould grow,would get breasts, so Sarngeld would be less interested. "No."<br />
Her voice was hoarse, almost a growl. "Never. You're her daughter, <strong>and</strong>my daughter. If she ever raised<br />
so much as a finger that way, I would divorce her so fast she wouldn't have time to grab her bowcase."<br />
"Youvould ? I didn't think you'd leave her foranything ."<br />
Megan's voice was dead calm, deadly even. "There are some things I will not forgive, <strong>and</strong>that is one of<br />
them. Adopted or blood-kin, it doesn't matter."<br />
"You don't mind herbeating me ."<br />
"I'venever seen her raise more than bruises on your butt, <strong>and</strong> for good reason."<br />
"There's things you don't see. The day she took us, we didn't do anything bad except not run faster than<br />
we could to where we didn't vant to go!"<br />
"Well, there she was wrong."<br />
"Vat about all dose times when I reallyvass trying as hard as I could in war-training <strong>and</strong> she'd hit me<br />
anyway? Zhymata, that all made me into a different person <strong>and</strong> I didn't want it <strong>and</strong> I'm not sure Ilike who<br />
it made me into!"<br />
"Made you into a differentperson ? Hardly." Megan faced Sova in the dark, fists on her knees. "In<br />
war-training, you found the steel in you. It was already there."<br />
"I'm not talking about the steel. I'm talking about thehate ."<br />
"You mean her trying to teach you to hate everyone <strong>and</strong> everything, or just her?"<br />
"Myself!"<br />
"Do you? Hate yourself?"