The Lightstone: The Silver Sword: Part Two. David Zindell

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      But Liljana didn’t answer him; she just sat staring at him as if her eyes could drink up all the challenge in his and still hold more.

      Count Ulanu bent his head to whisper something to one of the Blues, whose large, round head was shaved and stained darkly with the juice of the kirque berries, even as Kane had said. One of his ears was missing, and the skin about the hole there all scabbed over. Along his side, he showed an open wound, probably from a sword cut; in the dark red suck of it squirmed many white maggots eating away the decaying flesh there. As he pointed at Alphanderry and whispered back to Count Ulanu, I understood that this was the man who had sighted us earlier. Most likely, he had then gone to fetch the Count and his other men upon us.

      ‘You picked an evil time for your pilgrimage,’ the Count said, looking up at us. His raspy voice had now softened as if he were trying to lure a reluctant serving girl into his chambers. ‘There has been unrest in Sikar and in Virad. Both Duke Amadam and Duke Vikram were forced to ask our help in putting down rebellions. This we did. We’ve recently fought a battle not far from here, at Tarmanam. Victory was ours, but sadly, Duke Vikram was killed. A few of the rebellious lords and their knights escaped us. They’ll likely turn to outlawry now and fall upon pilgrims such as you. This country isn’t safe. That is why we must ask you to lay down your arms and come with us for your own protection.’

      I sat on top of Altaru sweating in the burning sun as I listened to him. I smelled the acridness of his own sweat and that of the knights about him. I knew that he was lying, even if I couldn’t quite tell what the truth really was. I noticed Liljana suddenly close her eyes; it was strange how she seemed to be staring straight at him even so.

      ‘You might ask us to lay down,’ Kane told him, with surprising politeness, ‘but we must respectfully decline your request.’

      ‘I’m afraid we must do more than ask,’ Count Ulanu said, his voice rising with anger. ‘Please lay down now and come with us.’

      ‘No,’ Kane told him. ‘No, we can’t do that.’

      ‘When peace has been restored,’ the Count went on, ‘we’ll provide you an escort to Khaisham so that you may complete your pilgrimage.’

      ‘No, thank you,’ Kane said icily.

      ‘You have my word that you’ll be treated honorably and well,’ Count Ulanu said, smiling sincerely. ‘There’s a tower for guests at Duke Vikram’s castle – it overlooks the Ashbrum River. We’ll be happy to set you up there.’

      Now Liljana’s nose pointed straight toward him as if she were sniffing out poison in a cup. She suddenly opened her eyes to stare at him as she said, ‘He speaks the truth: there are many towers of wood now at the Duke’s castle. He intends to set us on these crosses with the Duke’s knights and his family.’

      The sudden rage that enpurpled Count Ulanu’s face just then was terrible to behold. He whipped out his saber and pointed it at Liljana as he shouted, ‘Damn you, witch! Give me what’s in your hand before I cut it off and take it from you!’

      Liljana opened her hand to show him her blue gelstei. Then she smiled defiantly as she closed her hand about the stone and stuck her fist out toward him.

      ‘Damn witch,’ the Count muttered.

      ‘There was a battle at Tarmanam,’ she said to all who could hear. ‘But there were no rebellious lords – only those faithful to Duke Vikram, who has been cruelly tortured to death.’

      In her frightfully calm and measured way, she went on to tell us something of what she had seen in the Count’s mind. She said that he and his army had marched into Sikar even as Rinald had told us. But there had been no siege of the mighty fortifications there. As soon as the Count’s engineers had set up their catapults and battering rams, his army had been joined by a host of Blues. And then Kallimun priests within the city had assassinated the Duke of Sikar and his family; the Duke’s cousin, Baron Mukal, bowing before the terror of these priests, had thrown open the city gates. Hostages had been taken and threatened with crucifixion. The Sikar army had then gone over to the Count, taking oaths of loyalty to him and his distant master. Thus Sikar had fallen in scarcely a day.

      Count Ulanu had then gathered up both armies – and the companies of Blues. In a lightning strike, he had swept south, into Virad. Duke Vikram and his lords had had no time to watch events unfold in Sikar and to sue for peace on favorable terms; their only choice was to surrender unconditionally or to ride out to battle. With the Khaisham Librarians still preparing to send a force to Sikar, much too late, Duke Vikram chose to fight alone over bowing to Count Ulanu and the Red Dragon. But his forces had been slaughtered and many of the survivors crucified. And now his captured family awaited the same fate, imprisoned in his own castle.

      ‘It was treachery that took Sikar,’ Liljana said to us. ‘And, listen, do you hear the lies in the Count’s words? He promises us more treachery with every breath.’

      As Count Ulanu stared at her, I was given to understand that he had been out riding with his personal guard in search of the best route to march his army through to Khaisham when one of his Blues had alerted him as to our presence.

      On either side of the Count, two of his knights, clad in mail and armed with wicked-looking, curved swords, nudged their horses closer to him as if to steady him and show their support in the face of Liljana’s barbs. It was to her that the Count now said, ‘You know many things but not the one that really matters.’

      ‘And what is that, dear Count?’ Liljana asked.

      ‘In the end, you’ll beg to be allowed to bow before me and kiss my feet. How long has it been, old witch, since you’ve kissed a man?’

      In answer, Liljana again held out her fist to him, this time with her middle finger extended.

      The Count’s face filled with hate, but he had the force of will to channel it into his derisive words: ‘Why don’t you try looking into my mind now?’

      Then he, this priest of the Kallimun, turned upon her a gaze so venomous and full of malice that she gave a cry of pain. As something dark yet clear as a black crystal flared inside him, I felt the still-sheathed Alkaladur flare as well even through its jade hilt.

      ‘What a gracious lord you are!’ she said. She continued to stare at him despite her obvious anguish. ‘I should imagine that all Yarkona has remarked your exemplary manners.’

      I knew, of course, what she intended, and I approved her strategy: she was trying to use her blue gelstei and all the sharpness of her tongue to provoke the Count into an action against us. For surely there must be a battle between us; it would be best for us if we forced the Count and his men to fight it, here, upon this high ground, charging up this hill. This was our fate, perhaps written in the moon and stars, and I could see it approaching as clearly as could Atara. And yet it was also my fate that I must first speak for peace.

      ‘Count Ulanu,’ I said, ‘you are now Lord of Sikar and Virad by conquest. But your domains were gained through treachery. No doubt the lords of Khaisham are preparing to take them back. Why don’t you withdraw your men so that we may continue our journey? When we reach Khaisham, we’ll speak to the Librarians concerning these matters. Perhaps a way can be found to restore peace to Yarkona without more war.’

      It was a poor speech, I thought, and Count Ulanu had as much regard for it as I. His contemptuous eyes fell upon me as he said, ‘If you are Valari, it seems you’ve lost your courage that СКАЧАТЬ