"Terry Goodkind - Sword of Truth 3 - Blood of the Fold" - читать интересную книгу автора (Goodkind Terry)

A motherly smile wrinkled Cecilia's face. "We know that, Sister. I think what
Sister Tovi means is that now that we're away from the spell of the Palace of
the prophets, we will age like everyone else. You won't have the years to enjoy
your looks that we've had."
Merissa straightened. "When we earn back our place of honor with the Master, I
will be able to keep what I have."
Tovi stared off with a rare, dangerous look. "And I want back what I once had."
Armina slumped down on a bunk. "This is Liliana's fault. If not for her, we
wouldn't have had to leave the palace and its spell. If not for her, the Keeper
wouldn't have given Jagang dominion over us. We wouldn't have lost the Master's
favor."
They were all silent for a moment. Squeezing around and past one another, they
all went about pulling on their undergarments, while trying to avoid elbows.
Merissa drew her shift over her head. "I intend to do whatever is necessary to
serve, and regain the Master's favor. I intend to have my reward for my oath."
She glanced to Tovi. "I intend to remain young."
"We all want the same thing, Sister," Cecilia said as she stuffed her arms
through the sleeves of her simple, brown kittle. "But the Keeper wishes us to
serve this man, Jagang, for now." "Does he?" Ulicia asked.
Merissa squatted as she sorted through the clothes in the chest, and pulled out
her crimson dress. "Why else would we have been given to this man?"
Ulicia lifted an eyebrow. "Given? You think so? I think it's more than that; I
think Emperor Jagang is acting of his own volition."
The others halted at their dressing and looked up. "You think he could defy the
Keeper?" Nicci asked. "For his own ambitions?"
With a finger, Ulicia tapped the side of Nicci's head. "Think. The Keeper failed
to come to us in the dream that is not a dream; that has never happened before.
Ever. Instead comes Jagang. Even if the Keeper were displeased with us, and
wanted us to serve penance under Jagang, don't you suppose he would have come to
us himself and ordered it, to show us his displeasure? I don't think this is the
Keeper's
doing. I think it is Jagang's."
Armina snatched up her blue dress. It was a shade lighter that Ulicia's, but no
l*ss elaborate. "It is still Liliana who has brought this upon us!"
A small smile touched Ulicia's lips. "Has she? Liliana was greedy, I think the
Keeper thought to use that greed, but she failed him." The smile vanished. "It
is not Sister Liliana who brought this upon us."
Nicci's hand paused as she drew the cord tight at the bodice of her black dress.
"Of course. The boy."
" Boy?" Ulicia slowly shook her head. "No 'boy' could have brought down the
barrier. No mere boy could have brought to ruin the plans we have worked so hard
for all these years. We all know what he is, about the prophecies." Ulicia
looked at each Sister in turn. "We are in a very dangerous position. We must
work to gain back the Keeper's power in this world, or else when Jagang is
finished with us he will kill us, and we will find ourselves in the underworld,
and no longer of use to the Master. If that happens, then the Keeper surely will
be displeased, and he will make what Jagang showed us seem a lover's embrace."
The ship creaked and groaned as they all considered her words. They were racing
back to serve a man who would use them, and then discard them without a thought,
much less a reward, yet none of them were prepared to even consider defying him.