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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the unwritten convention of a polyglot army. They also had no way of knowing what family she'd come<br />
from <strong>and</strong> how she'd joined her present one, to laugh at that behind her back or to her face. For the most<br />
part they did what no one had done in her life on meeting her: took her as she was.<br />
Another unwritten convention was sharing the wineskin.I feel boneless , she thought, stretching her legs<br />
out in the grass <strong>by</strong> the campfire, throwing on another log <strong>and</strong> watching pin-bright stars flicker where the<br />
stream of heat rippled them. Shkai'ra's Slaughterers (she couldn't imaginekhyd-hird hadn't had at least a<br />
h<strong>and</strong> in conceiving the name—it had her stamp) sat around now with wine <strong>and</strong> pork-fat dribbling down<br />
chins bearded or naked, Provisional Second Bukangkt <strong>and</strong> some other Lakan playing a game with black<br />
<strong>and</strong> white stones, others dicing, others plain lazing. Then, bringing down her eyes to pass on the wine, she<br />
saw.<br />
That cute Yeoli. Heislooking at me. It really isn't chance, it's been too much for chance. He's<br />
looking at me .<br />
He'd stood out from the start, his the freshest male face among the Slaughterers, flawless <strong>and</strong> too young<br />
for a beard, framed <strong>by</strong> a curly halo of gold-brown hair that was just long enough at the sides to form<br />
short ringlets. A warrior, not a squire; he wore the wristlets. In the heat he'd taken off his shirt, <strong>and</strong> she'd<br />
found herself all but unable to take her eyes off the line of his youthfully lanky but hard shoulders.<br />
About a year before she'd suddenly found herself oddly fascinated with boys, although she'd found them<br />
nothing but distasteful before; in a household where such things were spoken of freely, she'd soon learned<br />
why. But in F'talezon, her origin known <strong>and</strong> herzight reckoned accordingly, she'd found precious few<br />
friends, let alone opportunities to admire boys in any way but from afar. Such a h<strong>and</strong>some creature as<br />
this would never so much as look at her, hard experience had taught, so she was resigned to casting<br />
furtive, happy glances.<br />
But now—hewas looking at her.<br />
O mine Gott, she thought.Whaddoido ?<br />
Blush. So it seemed, anyway; her face was determined to do that, burningly, she found, whether she<br />
wanted it to or not. Not only her face, but her neck, too, <strong>and</strong> lower.<br />
OmineGott what do I look like? Instantly, she was horribly aware that she hadn't brushed her hair<br />
since before she d arrived here, the painful pimple beside her nose was the size of a thumbnail <strong>and</strong><br />
blood-red, her eyes were too close together, her ears too big, her chin too weak, <strong>and</strong> her arms <strong>and</strong><br />
shoulders too thick.What man would ever look at a woman built like a greathound ? Of course, the<br />
thought crept into her head, Yeoli women could be fighters; their men must have nothing against muscular<br />
curves. Her heart pounded like before a fight; but while that was a sick fear, this was shivery, sparkly.<br />
Whaddoido? Act nonchalant, of course. Look everywhere but at him. The stars, the fire, the trees,<br />
her left foot; everywhere her eyes looked, the place where he sat seemed to etch into her mind like an<br />
ember, an ember with hawsers attached to her eyes, irresistibly pulling them towards him.I'll risk a<br />
glance. Just one glance. Just a moment . She did. He was looking straight at her. Their gaze collided.<br />
OmineGottmineGott, he saw, mineGott… Can he see me blush? Dear Gott let it be too dark in<br />
the firelight .<br />
Maybe, she thought,he's feeling all the same things I am. Could it be? Is it possible, outside a<br />
dream? Naaaahhh, don't be a fool. Thane-brat . She glanced again; this time he smiled at her. Her<br />
heart felt as if it would burst out through her ribs <strong>and</strong> fly into his lap, dripping.