"Chalker, Jack L - Soul 1 - Spirits Of Flux And Anchor" - читать интересную книгу автора (Chalker Jack L)

well, but somehow, today, they seemed more dis-
tant and remote than anything ever had.

It was a bright, cloudless day, and the Holy
Mother was in all Her divine glory in the sky,
filling Anchor Logh with her brightness and slightly
coloring the landscape with subtle and different
shadmgs. It was a glorious sight, yet She was al-

SOUL RIDER: SPIRITS OF FLUX AND ANCHOR 9

ways there when the clouds parted, and Her visage
was so omnipresent, so taken for granted, not just
by Cassie but by all those on World, that the Holy
Mother was rarely paid attention to except when
one was praying -- or sinning.

Today, though, the Holy Mother seemed particu-
larly close and needed, and Cassie stopped and
looked up at Her reverently, seeking some comfort
and inspiration. The sparkling bands of gold,
orange, deep red and emerald green that gave the
slight color shifts to the land showed the beauty
and glory of Heaven and reminded ail humankind
of the Paradise it had lost and could regain, in the
same way as night showed the emptiness of Hell,
the distant, tiny stars representing the lost souls
that might be consumed by darkness if not re-
deemed.

After a time she moved on, a lonely little figure
walking back to the only home she'd ever known.
Although the day was pretty, there was a chill in
the air, and she wore a heavy checked flannel shirt
and wool workpants.

Cassie had the kind of face that could be either
male or female, and this, along with her tendency
to keep her black, slightly curly hair clipped ex-
tremely short -- as well as her slight build -- often
got her mistaken for a boy, an error her low, husky
soprano did nothing to correct. She'd been the last
of four children, all girls, and her parents had
really wanted a boy. Particularly her father, a smith
who wanted very much to pass on the family trade
as his father had to him, and his father's father
before that. She had not been spared that knowl-
edge, and was often reminded of that fact.

Perhaps because of this, or at least in trying to