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 />
"Atitai , yes," he said, the grin widening. "Ilike tsaht."<br />
Shkai'ra walked down to the section of stream marked off for bathing; upstream of the horse watering<br />
point but down from the place where drinking water was drawn. It was a fair-sized little river, ten meters<br />
across with a bank of good s<strong>and</strong> as much again across on this bank, marking where it flowed at<br />
high-water. She dropped her clothes <strong>and</strong> swordbelt on a rock that thrust conveniently through the s<strong>and</strong>,<br />
<strong>and</strong> then walked in a careful straight line toward the water.I feel good , she thought. About<br />
three-quarters drunk, which was just right when you didn't want oblivion, <strong>and</strong> tingly all over.<br />
But I whiff a little, she reflected, doing a front-h<strong>and</strong>st<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> flopping over on her back with a thud<br />
<strong>and</strong> a giggle. Not remarkable after a day in armor under the not sun, <strong>and</strong> then fucking several hours<br />
away.Megan's finicky. But soooopretty; we'll tumble till dawn <strong>and</strong> sleep in . The army was due a<br />
day of rest after the last three. There were a few other late bathers, but not many or close; it was about<br />
halfway between midnight <strong>and</strong> dawn, <strong>by</strong> the moon, which hung low in the east, casting a glittering trail on<br />
wavelets like rippled silver.<br />
She took the water in a flat running dive <strong>and</strong> swam for a few minutes in a thrashing overarm stroke,<br />
before squatting in water that was waist-deep <strong>and</strong> scrubbing her body with h<strong>and</strong>fuls of s<strong>and</strong>. The cool<br />
wet felt good on her flesh, stripping away the grease <strong>and</strong> oil. Unbinding her hair, she ducked her head<br />
into the flowing water <strong>and</strong> began to scrub at the roots. When she opened her eyes beneath the surface<br />
the str<strong>and</strong>s floated in a dense mass; she gathered it in her h<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> threw it back, raising her head above<br />
the surface…<br />
… <strong>and</strong> made the beginnings of a turn, feeling the whistle of parting air behind her…<br />
Black—<br />
"Barefoot in the dark," Matthas sang to himself, his own version of the romantic song. "All goes well if<br />
you sneak barefoot in the dark…" Now, to take the great huge barbarian woman, now a draped load in<br />
his arms with wet hair trailing, fikken heavy for a woman, to a private place.<br />
The usual private place, where a man <strong>and</strong> a woman would go. "Heh hen heh," some drunken sot of an<br />
Enchian cavalryman greeted him hoarsely, with a significant look at the limp, shapely form. No suspicion;<br />
it helped that Matthas was wearing this looted Arkan knight's helmet, plume <strong>and</strong> all, the first thing<br />
show-off savages would wear at victory celebrations, the last thing an Arkan spy sneaking around would.<br />
"Heh heh heh," he agreed hoarsely, <strong>and</strong> passed on to Lovers' Bushes. In a nest well away from others, he<br />
bound her wrists <strong>and</strong> ankles <strong>and</strong> gagged her Irefas-style, prepared the needle to be inserted in the<br />
st<strong>and</strong>ard part of the anatomy for those Irefas didn't want to know they'd been truth-drugged, <strong>and</strong> waited<br />
for her to wake up.<br />
"Ohhhhh,shit ," Shkai'ra mumbled; it was nearly dawn, <strong>and</strong> she wasnot beside Megan.<br />
She levered herself up on one elbow. There was someone beside her on the trampled grass, still<br />
unconscious; with a three-day's beard, smelling bad enough to affect her queasy stomach, snoring lips<br />
fluttering over a mouth with only a few snags of tooth.