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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Generated <strong>by</strong> ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html<br />
nonchalant; the plundered clothing she wore were at least as expensive as Shkai'ra's, but understated, as<br />
if in deliberate contrast.<br />
A Marble Palace flunky, an Arkan, came down the steps to meet them, excruciatingly polite but st<strong>and</strong>ing<br />
a little away as if dreading proximity to these unclean foreign females. That meant he had to hold the<br />
heavy ceremonial umbrella at arm's length, quite a strain.<br />
"After you, old son," Shkai'ra said, with a cheerful wave to the guards as they passed; several of them<br />
stamped their spears on the steps in reply, grinning. Megan <strong>and</strong> she followed the functionary, walking<br />
h<strong>and</strong> in h<strong>and</strong>, herding the boys in front while Sova limped beside.<br />
They were ushered through courtyard after courtyard, gradually rising, in splendor as well, till the very<br />
marble tiles were edged with electrum. Down a hall with chryselephantine statues of ancient Imperators;<br />
someone had stripped the golden hair <strong>and</strong> eye-jewels, leaving blind white sockets, <strong>and</strong> gone down the<br />
line with a war-hammer breaking off the noses. Then into the one where sculpted maidens upbore a<br />
ceiling half crystal skylight <strong>and</strong> half golden sunbursts; Megan hadn't noticed that, in the dark. "Zaik<br />
Mother of Death," Shkai'ra said, fingering the hilt of her saber. "I had to miss the sack ofthis ?"<br />
"Shut up," Megan saidsotto voce , as they passed a knot of deliberately unintimidated but<br />
harassed-looking Yeoli bureaucrats, their wool ponchos looking rough <strong>and</strong> primitive against this decor.<br />
Then into a smaller series of rooms, still sumptuously appointed. More guards outside the final inlaid<br />
door; Yeolis, <strong>and</strong>—astonishingly—an Arkan with the stone face of a Mahid.<br />
"Under new management," Megan muttered in Zak. A rebirth, perhaps, but still one had the sense that<br />
something gr<strong>and</strong> if wicked had died here.<br />
They were ushered into a relatively plain office. Relatively: the desk <strong>and</strong> wall-mirror were edged with<br />
gold filigree.Yes … Megan remembered.I did sneak through here the night I came to see him .<br />
Chevenga waited, face looking harried, wearing a half-poncho in the Yeoli style, amarya , they called it,<br />
but made of white Arkan sun-cotton, feather-light <strong>and</strong> translucent so the casts on his arms showed only<br />
faintly, the seals still slung around his neck. He smiled.<br />
Suddenly Lix<strong>and</strong>'s shoulders were gone from under Megan's h<strong>and</strong>s; both boys in unison were dropping<br />
to the floor.Arkans —they prostrate themselves in front of the Imperator. In a single motion, she <strong>and</strong><br />
Shkai'ra grabbed one each <strong>by</strong> the collar. "No, no. You don't have to do that. He's afriend , not the<br />
Imperator. Well, he is the Imperator," A sudden thought came:maybe he isst<strong>and</strong>ing on ceremony …<br />
then,nyata. Not him . She was right: Chevenga just chuckled, gold teeth flashing.<br />
"You're free citizens of F'talezon," Shkai'ra added. "Bow, like this." She did, one h<strong>and</strong> on her chest <strong>and</strong><br />
the other resting in its usual place on her sword-hilt; as the Imperator-<strong>by</strong>-conquest's eyes met hers, she<br />
winked. The boy's repeated the motion, but without the wink, with dance-trained elegance.<br />
"You found him," said the familiar soft voice.<br />
"Ia," Shkai'ra said. "Them, actually." She looked around. "You <strong>and</strong> your Killer Mountain Boys <strong>and</strong> Girls<br />
seem to have found new jobs, too, changed wool <strong>and</strong> water for silk <strong>and</strong> wine, hmm? Your<br />
Imperatorness."<br />
"So it seems," he said, in that impossibly ingenuous way. "Though you know that wasn't the purpose.<br />
Everyone have a seat <strong>and</strong> say what you want to drink. Lix<strong>and</strong>— I am very pleased indeed to meet you."