"Anthony, Piers - Incarnations 04 - Wielding A Red Sword" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

artistic and mostly erotic, and the percentage of men in
the throng increased. Then the python opened its mouth
and took in her left hand. The dance continued, and the
reptile swallowed her arm and then her head, and finally
the rest of her body. There was strong applause as her
two kicking feet disappeared into the maw and the snake
slithered heavily back into its curtained cage.

Now a startlingly lovely young woman took her place
on the small stage. Her skin was so pale as to be almost
white, and her hair was the color of honey. She had a little
harp and she set herself and began to play and sing. The
song was in English, a language generally but not uni-
versally understood in this region. This was a novelty,
and the audience was quiet.

The song and music spread out to captivate the lis-
teners. There was a special quality to it that caught them
up, even those who could not follow the words. It was
as if a mighty orchestra were playing and a chorus ofdeific
beings singingЧyet there was only the one woman and
her instrument. This was a phenomenon beyond what had
been presented before, and all stood entranced.

When the song was done, there was a hush. Then the
rupees began flying, landing at the woman's feet, fairly
burying them in metallic brightness. All that the audience
had came forth, begging for another song.

Piers Anthony 3

The woman smiled and sang again, and it was as before:

every person within range was transported. Even the old
ones were rapt. Now those of the ^aishya caste, the hus-
bandmen and merchants, entered the throng, heedless of
propriety, listening. When the second song was done, the
shower of money from these higher-class listeners over-
whelmed the prior contributions. Applause enough!

The Sudra man stood transfixed, even after the woman
had taken up her harp and retired to her wagon and the
next show had come on. Jostled by his neighbors, he re-
covered enough to walk away, his gaze almost vacant.
He had evidently been smitten and hardly knew how to
cope with it.

He found his way to a wall that offered some slight
seclusion and leaned against it. Then he reached into an
inner pocket and brought out a ring in the form of a coiled