"2565-82" - читать интересную книгу автора (Warlady 1 - 2565 Ad Book 2)2565 A.D.! A TALE OF ADVENTURE IN THE SECOND DARK AGE OF MAN By Jerome B. Bigge Book Two Chapter Thirty Nine "Well, how do you feel today?" Darlanis asked as we ate breakfast, Sanda giving me a warm smile. I had asked Darlanis to tell her warrioresses what they had seen the day before was never to be repeated. Not that they had actually "seen" that much, but such things have a way of repeating themselves and growing more and more fantastic with time. Darlanis' own rape by her brother being a good example of that. The current tale in Dularn being utterly fantastic and unbelievable to anyone who knows Darlanis! Especially the story about her being a fifteen year old prosti- tute who was selling her body to all the young studs of Arsana! "Not quite up to taking you on yet, although I think I could probably `best' anyone else around here," I smiled back. Most of my strength having returned. The recovery had been slower than when I had been stung by Sisa there on Mars, but on the other hand I didn't have the advantages of the Lorr's own medical tech- nology either. Recovery had thus been slower this time. I had "dressed" for breakfast this morning, and had plans to start tak- ing over some of the duties of being the new Queen of Trelandar. "You know I plan to `campaign' against you if you keep your word to hold `free elections'," Darlanis smiled back. Sanda giv- ing me a smile as she sat there, although I didn't think it was all that impossible that we might "lose" an "election" to Darla- nis. I did have Sanda, but Darlanis had Sharon, and Sharon was turning out to be an even more "crafty wench" than Sanda herself! "You have a lot to learn," Sanda smiled, regarding Darlanis. "I learn swiftly, as perhaps you have noticed," Darlanis an- swered, sipping at her coffee. We now had "tasters" for our food, although I did not think there was much danger here in Trella. Only those personally known to me were allowed to serve. "And you have an excellent `advisor' in Sharon," I smiled. "But the handicap of a winless war that has already turned the people against you," Sanda then now pointed out with a smile. "I plan to offer the Dularnians a `cease-fire'," she smiled. "At least until the elections are all over," I smiled back. "I see that you will be a worthy opponent," Darlanis smiled. "Looks like the Janis," Darlanis smiled, shading her eyes there from the rooftop of my new palace that overlooked Trella. It had once been Darlanis' winter palace, Trelandar being warmer than Sarn, which gets quite chilly at times in the winter months. "It also carries your Princess and ours," Sanda commented to Darlanis, speaking to a leather clad warrior who had received the information from our harbor defenses with which the ship had ex- changed the information earlier. Jon having obviously decided that we had been separated long enough, although I thought it was much more likely that he had found out from a passing ship the tale of how I had been poisoned and nearly killed three days ago! "What in the name of God happened to you two!" I gasped in shock as I saw Gayle and Sharon. My step-daughter had a beauti- ful black eye and Gayle a swollen cut lip along with assorted various bruises and scratches. Jon giving me a smile that left no doubt where our two Princesses had gotten all their injuries! "I defended your `honor', Darlanis," Sharon told Darlanis. "And I `yours', Lorraine!" Gayle said to me in hot retort! "Seems our two lovely young Princesses went into Thistle and got into some sort of a `cat-fight' over `politics'," Jon said to me, giving me a "smile" as if to say that "girls will be girls"! "And what about their guards? What did they do?" I snapped back, both girls being of course heavily guarded thanks to Prin- cess Tara's still being on the loose somewhere here in Trelandar if she hadn't already made her way back to her own country. Sharon now edging towards Darlanis while Gayle edged toward me in turn. Darlanis smiling delightedly to herself as she took Sharon and I took my beloved Gayle in my arms. I wondered who had won? "They are Princesses," Jon smiled back. "The sheriff final- ly poured a bucket of cold water from a watering trough over them both to stop the fight." His smile did leave a lot left unsaid! Obviously it had been a delightful "cat-fight" there in Thistle! "I defended your `honor'," Gayle said, looking up into my eyes. Sharon had done a good job of marking her face. It was also obvious that Sharon had gotten the better of Gayle, although that is only my opinion and those who witnessed the fight say that both girls were pretty well matched and put on a good show! "How are we going to ever have peace between our countries when we have a pair of `spit-fires' like these two ready to make `war' on each other at the slightest provocation?" Darlanis asked. The smile on her face that she tried to conceal from me no doubt further proof of the delight that she felt that Sharon had "defended" her against Gayle and against "me" in a way too! "I think perhaps it is time that our royal palms made ac- quaintance with their royal behinds," I suggested back in reply. Darlanis agreeing too that it would be a suitable action on our part to insure a future "peace" between our respective countries. "I guess we did act like a pair of fools," Sharon admitted, obviously not all that comfortable as she stood there before us. Gayle nodding, her eyes still a bit red from the tears that had flowed. The palm of my right hand still stung as no doubt did Queen Darlanis'. I have "harder" hands than Darlanis, but she is stronger than I am, so no doubt both Princesses had learned much as they laid across our respective royal laps and took their pun- ishments where they deserved to get it for embarrassing us both. "Although you did make your mothers `proud' of you," Queen Darlanis smiled in reply. There could be no doubt now who be- longed to who. Perhaps, I mused to myself, it was for the best. "I'm just glad you didn't go at each other with your dag- gers," I smiled, both girls having been so armed as Princesses. "Our argument just got a bit `out of hand'," Gayle admitted. "We would have never used weapons on each other!" she protested! "I guess there's no doubt now who Sharon `belongs to'," Dar- lanis said to me as we stood that evening overlooking the harbor, the sun setting there in the west. We were crowned Queens, rul- ers of our respective countries. I had come a long way since I had flown through the "Gateway" little over some three months ago with Sharon. Yet "losing" Sharon still hurt although I had Gayle to take her place. And little Mara and Ta-she-ra, whose mother's bravery would never be forgotten. I had a good marriage, a hus- band who loved me for what I was as a person, not as the Queen of Trelandar. I had wealth, power, everything anyone could want in this barbaric era. Yet why did everything blur before me then? "Tell me your thoughts, Lorraine," Darlanis said to me, touching my hand where it rested there on the edge of the marble. "I fear what will happen if we do what we plan to do," I told her. I knew what such a political campaign would be like. It would not be like the "Republicans" or "Democrats" back in the 20th Century. There was too much at stake here. Too many people had died already in the Revolution. Civil war was now a danger. There was also the risk of an "economic revolution" of the sort that had given Lenin power in Russia so many centuries ago now... Syndicalism is superior to Capitalism, although Janet Rogers nev- er believed so, I might mention here for those curious about it. "I have given my word as Empress to those who support me," Darlanis answered in level tones. I knew she couldn't violate the trust that her people had put in her. She was of the Warrio- resses. Our word is our "bond". Her azure eyes glowed into my own as I nodded, understanding. Could our friendship survive it? "Sanda is thinking of extending our Revolution to Sarn, Or- gon, and then Talon," I answered back. No doubt Queen Dala Dai would have something to say about that! Talon's "air force" was greatly feared although the great birds weren't really all that dangerous to well trained and equipped ground forces. I also had Black Lady, which gave me "air power" of my own up against Talon. "Which means I might `win' a country divided against itself and torn by civil war," Darlanis smiled back. She is not a "dumb blonde" despite what you might think of her. "And have to deal with you and Sanda and all her radical ideas behind my back too," Darlanis added, understanding much. Blood could flow for years! "I think there should be an `Empire of California'," I said. "Ruled by an Empress who is tall and golden and very beautiful." "Sanda will never `go along' with that," Darlanis warned me, her eyes glistening as they glowed into mine. The sun now gone, leaving only behind the twilight before the night to come. The Moon was high in the sky, glowing down upon us, as it perhaps one time had glowed down upon the dinosaurs millions of years before. "Trelandar will be semi-independent," I explained, seeing Darlanis nodding in agreement. "We will run our own internal af- fairs. I will be Queen, `Leaderess', whatever is decided, but you will be our new `Janet Rogers' able to say, `Lorraine, I won't allow that'." I respected Darlanis. Loved her as a sister of the sword. We had stood together, side by side, together. We were both of the Warrioresses. We lived by much the same Codes. "We have a lot to work out," Darlanis warned me. There were various formal requirements that would have to be set down in writing. No doubt the negotiations would take some time to work out. "Understandings" would have be made. A "Constitution" per- haps written. Agreed to. I wondered if it wouldn't be a good idea to eventually get Queen Dala Dai of Talon involved too in these matters. I had no doubt that we have to eventually deal with Tara again too. I had already spoken to Sanda earlier about our chances of extending our "Revolution" down into Baja itself. "But the first thing we have to do is to somehow get things `patched up' enough between you and Queen Tulis to stop this war- fare between the Empire and Dularn," I added, giving her a smile. Orgon had once belonged to Dularn before Darlanis reconquered it. Queen Tulis had once been another almost like Darlanis in a way. She had been "Warlady" of Dularn before the former Queen had been forcibly deposed for going against the "wishes of the people".* * This is covered in more detail in a later book. (author) "Why?" Darlanis asked with a smile. "With Black Lady and your NAPALM bombs we could bomb Arsana and force Queen Tulis to submit to us. Bring Dularn into the Empire and settle things for good." I shuddered at the look I saw there on Darlanis' face in the growing darkness. It was like for an instant that Princess Tara stood there beside me! Did she hate her mother that much! I recalled some of the things that Sanda had told me about Darla- nis. What she had done in the conquest of Trelandar and after. "Do you hate her that much?" I asked, horrified by the thought of bombing the innocent people of Arsana from Black Lady! Granted by 20th Century standards such bombing wouldn't be very "effective" as Black Lady isn't big enough to carry that many fire bombs, but still there would no doubt be a considerable loss of life among the innocent people of Arsana every time we flew over the city and dropped a dozen or so more fire bombs on it! I had treated innocent children in Vietnam with NAPALM burns when I had been a doctor there in the last couple years of the war. If Darlanis ever bombed Arsana, it would be over my dead body first! "She slapped me when I told her what my own brother had done to me, called me a `lying slut' right there in front of ev- eryone," the tall golden Empress said in level tones. "Then she later officially disowned me and sent me away to another country when the tale leaked out and the newspapers got hold of it." No doubt it had been a "juicy scandal" even by their own standards! "Can you imagine, Lorraine, what it is like to grow up with every finger pointed at you, at everyone whispering behind your back?" "And you learned the sword in retaliation," I answered, sus- pecting that was where she had learned her fantastic abilities with a blade. Driven to practice day after day by the hatred now burning there in her heart. Our childhoods had not been similar, but we had both suffered insults, "hurts" from other children. "Between the ages of eighteen and twenty when I became the `Queen of Swords' of Sarn I fought in several duels, all fatal," she answered in level tones there in the rapidly growing dark- ness. I thought of the gunfighters of the "Old West" of legend. Darlanis had been a "26th Century" version of them. A woman driven by hate, by her own internal torments, to kill any who in any way "crossed" her. Finally her reputation became such that no one but an utter fool would dare utter a challenge to her! "You need to resolve that hatred before it destroys you," I said to her, hoping that she would be willing to let me help her. "I do not wish to have my mind, my memories tampered with," Darlanis snapped back, the hostility showing there in her voice. It was obvious that she had already sought the aid of the Priest- esses of Lys at one time, and had refused to allow them to help. "I don't work that way," I smiled back, touching her arm. 2565 A.D.! A TALE OF ADVENTURE IN THE SECOND DARK AGE OF MAN By Jerome B. Bigge Book Two Chapter Thirty Nine "Well, how do you feel today?" Darlanis asked as we ate breakfast, Sanda giving me a warm smile. I had asked Darlanis to tell her warrioresses what they had seen the day before was never to be repeated. Not that they had actually "seen" that much, but such things have a way of repeating themselves and growing more and more fantastic with time. Darlanis' own rape by her brother being a good example of that. The current tale in Dularn being utterly fantastic and unbelievable to anyone who knows Darlanis! Especially the story about her being a fifteen year old prosti- tute who was selling her body to all the young studs of Arsana! "Not quite up to taking you on yet, although I think I could probably `best' anyone else around here," I smiled back. Most of my strength having returned. The recovery had been slower than when I had been stung by Sisa there on Mars, but on the other hand I didn't have the advantages of the Lorr's own medical tech- nology either. Recovery had thus been slower this time. I had "dressed" for breakfast this morning, and had plans to start tak- ing over some of the duties of being the new Queen of Trelandar. "You know I plan to `campaign' against you if you keep your word to hold `free elections'," Darlanis smiled back. Sanda giv- ing me a smile as she sat there, although I didn't think it was all that impossible that we might "lose" an "election" to Darla- nis. I did have Sanda, but Darlanis had Sharon, and Sharon was turning out to be an even more "crafty wench" than Sanda herself! "You have a lot to learn," Sanda smiled, regarding Darlanis. "I learn swiftly, as perhaps you have noticed," Darlanis an- swered, sipping at her coffee. We now had "tasters" for our food, although I did not think there was much danger here in Trella. Only those personally known to me were allowed to serve. "And you have an excellent `advisor' in Sharon," I smiled. "But the handicap of a winless war that has already turned the people against you," Sanda then now pointed out with a smile. "I plan to offer the Dularnians a `cease-fire'," she smiled. "At least until the elections are all over," I smiled back. "I see that you will be a worthy opponent," Darlanis smiled. "Looks like the Janis," Darlanis smiled, shading her eyes there from the rooftop of my new palace that overlooked Trella. It had once been Darlanis' winter palace, Trelandar being warmer than Sarn, which gets quite chilly at times in the winter months. "It also carries your Princess and ours," Sanda commented to Darlanis, speaking to a leather clad warrior who had received the information from our harbor defenses with which the ship had ex- changed the information earlier. Jon having obviously decided that we had been separated long enough, although I thought it was much more likely that he had found out from a passing ship the tale of how I had been poisoned and nearly killed three days ago! "What in the name of God happened to you two!" I gasped in shock as I saw Gayle and Sharon. My step-daughter had a beauti- ful black eye and Gayle a swollen cut lip along with assorted various bruises and scratches. Jon giving me a smile that left no doubt where our two Princesses had gotten all their injuries! "I defended your `honor', Darlanis," Sharon told Darlanis. "And I `yours', Lorraine!" Gayle said to me in hot retort! "Seems our two lovely young Princesses went into Thistle and got into some sort of a `cat-fight' over `politics'," Jon said to me, giving me a "smile" as if to say that "girls will be girls"! "And what about their guards? What did they do?" I snapped back, both girls being of course heavily guarded thanks to Prin- cess Tara's still being on the loose somewhere here in Trelandar if she hadn't already made her way back to her own country. Sharon now edging towards Darlanis while Gayle edged toward me in turn. Darlanis smiling delightedly to herself as she took Sharon and I took my beloved Gayle in my arms. I wondered who had won? "They are Princesses," Jon smiled back. "The sheriff final- ly poured a bucket of cold water from a watering trough over them both to stop the fight." His smile did leave a lot left unsaid! Obviously it had been a delightful "cat-fight" there in Thistle! "I defended your `honor'," Gayle said, looking up into my eyes. Sharon had done a good job of marking her face. It was also obvious that Sharon had gotten the better of Gayle, although that is only my opinion and those who witnessed the fight say that both girls were pretty well matched and put on a good show! "How are we going to ever have peace between our countries when we have a pair of `spit-fires' like these two ready to make `war' on each other at the slightest provocation?" Darlanis asked. The smile on her face that she tried to conceal from me no doubt further proof of the delight that she felt that Sharon had "defended" her against Gayle and against "me" in a way too! "I think perhaps it is time that our royal palms made ac- quaintance with their royal behinds," I suggested back in reply. Darlanis agreeing too that it would be a suitable action on our part to insure a future "peace" between our respective countries. "I guess we did act like a pair of fools," Sharon admitted, obviously not all that comfortable as she stood there before us. Gayle nodding, her eyes still a bit red from the tears that had flowed. The palm of my right hand still stung as no doubt did Queen Darlanis'. I have "harder" hands than Darlanis, but she is stronger than I am, so no doubt both Princesses had learned much as they laid across our respective royal laps and took their pun- ishments where they deserved to get it for embarrassing us both. "Although you did make your mothers `proud' of you," Queen Darlanis smiled in reply. There could be no doubt now who be- longed to who. Perhaps, I mused to myself, it was for the best. "I'm just glad you didn't go at each other with your dag- gers," I smiled, both girls having been so armed as Princesses. "Our argument just got a bit `out of hand'," Gayle admitted. "We would have never used weapons on each other!" she protested! "I guess there's no doubt now who Sharon `belongs to'," Dar- lanis said to me as we stood that evening overlooking the harbor, the sun setting there in the west. We were crowned Queens, rul- ers of our respective countries. I had come a long way since I had flown through the "Gateway" little over some three months ago with Sharon. Yet "losing" Sharon still hurt although I had Gayle to take her place. And little Mara and Ta-she-ra, whose mother's bravery would never be forgotten. I had a good marriage, a hus- band who loved me for what I was as a person, not as the Queen of Trelandar. I had wealth, power, everything anyone could want in this barbaric era. Yet why did everything blur before me then? "Tell me your thoughts, Lorraine," Darlanis said to me, touching my hand where it rested there on the edge of the marble. "I fear what will happen if we do what we plan to do," I told her. I knew what such a political campaign would be like. It would not be like the "Republicans" or "Democrats" back in the 20th Century. There was too much at stake here. Too many people had died already in the Revolution. Civil war was now a danger. There was also the risk of an "economic revolution" of the sort that had given Lenin power in Russia so many centuries ago now... Syndicalism is superior to Capitalism, although Janet Rogers nev- er believed so, I might mention here for those curious about it. "I have given my word as Empress to those who support me," Darlanis answered in level tones. I knew she couldn't violate the trust that her people had put in her. She was of the Warrio- resses. Our word is our "bond". Her azure eyes glowed into my own as I nodded, understanding. Could our friendship survive it? "Sanda is thinking of extending our Revolution to Sarn, Or- gon, and then Talon," I answered back. No doubt Queen Dala Dai would have something to say about that! Talon's "air force" was greatly feared although the great birds weren't really all that dangerous to well trained and equipped ground forces. I also had Black Lady, which gave me "air power" of my own up against Talon. "Which means I might `win' a country divided against itself and torn by civil war," Darlanis smiled back. She is not a "dumb blonde" despite what you might think of her. "And have to deal with you and Sanda and all her radical ideas behind my back too," Darlanis added, understanding much. Blood could flow for years! "I think there should be an `Empire of California'," I said. "Ruled by an Empress who is tall and golden and very beautiful." "Sanda will never `go along' with that," Darlanis warned me, her eyes glistening as they glowed into mine. The sun now gone, leaving only behind the twilight before the night to come. The Moon was high in the sky, glowing down upon us, as it perhaps one time had glowed down upon the dinosaurs millions of years before. "Trelandar will be semi-independent," I explained, seeing Darlanis nodding in agreement. "We will run our own internal af- fairs. I will be Queen, `Leaderess', whatever is decided, but you will be our new `Janet Rogers' able to say, `Lorraine, I won't allow that'." I respected Darlanis. Loved her as a sister of the sword. We had stood together, side by side, together. We were both of the Warrioresses. We lived by much the same Codes. "We have a lot to work out," Darlanis warned me. There were various formal requirements that would have to be set down in writing. No doubt the negotiations would take some time to work out. "Understandings" would have be made. A "Constitution" per- haps written. Agreed to. I wondered if it wouldn't be a good idea to eventually get Queen Dala Dai of Talon involved too in these matters. I had no doubt that we have to eventually deal with Tara again too. I had already spoken to Sanda earlier about our chances of extending our "Revolution" down into Baja itself. "But the first thing we have to do is to somehow get things `patched up' enough between you and Queen Tulis to stop this war- fare between the Empire and Dularn," I added, giving her a smile. Orgon had once belonged to Dularn before Darlanis reconquered it. Queen Tulis had once been another almost like Darlanis in a way. She had been "Warlady" of Dularn before the former Queen had been forcibly deposed for going against the "wishes of the people".* * This is covered in more detail in a later book. (author) "Why?" Darlanis asked with a smile. "With Black Lady and your NAPALM bombs we could bomb Arsana and force Queen Tulis to submit to us. Bring Dularn into the Empire and settle things for good." I shuddered at the look I saw there on Darlanis' face in the growing darkness. It was like for an instant that Princess Tara stood there beside me! Did she hate her mother that much! I recalled some of the things that Sanda had told me about Darla- nis. What she had done in the conquest of Trelandar and after. "Do you hate her that much?" I asked, horrified by the thought of bombing the innocent people of Arsana from Black Lady! Granted by 20th Century standards such bombing wouldn't be very "effective" as Black Lady isn't big enough to carry that many fire bombs, but still there would no doubt be a considerable loss of life among the innocent people of Arsana every time we flew over the city and dropped a dozen or so more fire bombs on it! I had treated innocent children in Vietnam with NAPALM burns when I had been a doctor there in the last couple years of the war. If Darlanis ever bombed Arsana, it would be over my dead body first! "She slapped me when I told her what my own brother had done to me, called me a `lying slut' right there in front of ev- eryone," the tall golden Empress said in level tones. "Then she later officially disowned me and sent me away to another country when the tale leaked out and the newspapers got hold of it." No doubt it had been a "juicy scandal" even by their own standards! "Can you imagine, Lorraine, what it is like to grow up with every finger pointed at you, at everyone whispering behind your back?" "And you learned the sword in retaliation," I answered, sus- pecting that was where she had learned her fantastic abilities with a blade. Driven to practice day after day by the hatred now burning there in her heart. Our childhoods had not been similar, but we had both suffered insults, "hurts" from other children. "Between the ages of eighteen and twenty when I became the `Queen of Swords' of Sarn I fought in several duels, all fatal," she answered in level tones there in the rapidly growing dark- ness. I thought of the gunfighters of the "Old West" of legend. Darlanis had been a "26th Century" version of them. A woman driven by hate, by her own internal torments, to kill any who in any way "crossed" her. Finally her reputation became such that no one but an utter fool would dare utter a challenge to her! "You need to resolve that hatred before it destroys you," I said to her, hoping that she would be willing to let me help her. "I do not wish to have my mind, my memories tampered with," Darlanis snapped back, the hostility showing there in her voice. It was obvious that she had already sought the aid of the Priest- esses of Lys at one time, and had refused to allow them to help. "I don't work that way," I smiled back, touching her arm. |
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