"Mercedes Lackey - Heralds of Valdemar 3 - Arrow's Fall" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

"I thought you'd come to terms with that."

"In a situation of threat, yes. In a situation where there was no appropriate
and just punishment under normal procedures."

"ThatтАФchild-raper."

"Exactly." She shivered a little. "I thought I'd never feel clean again after
touching his mind. ButтАФwhat could I have done with him? Ordered his execution?
That . . .wouldn't be enough of a punishment for what he did. Imprison him?
Not appropriate at all. And much as I would have liked to pull him to bits
slowly, Heralds don't go in for torture."

"What did you do to him? In detail, I mean. You didn't want to talk about it
before."

"It was aтАФkind of twist on a mind-Healing technique; it depended on the fact
that I'm a projective Empath. I can't remember what Devan called it, but you
tie a specific thought to another thought or set of feelings that you
construct. Then, every time the person thinks that thought, they also get what
you want them to know. Like with VostelтАФ-every time he would decide that he
was to blame, he'd get what / put in there."

"Which was?"

She grinned. " 'So next time I won't be so stupid!' And when he'd be ready to
give up from pain, he'd get, 'But ft isn't as bad as yesterday, and it'll be
better tomorrow.' Not words, actually; it was all feelings."

18

Mercedes Lackey

"Better, in that case, than words would have been," Kris mused, shooing a fly
away absently.

"So Devan said. Well, I did something like that withтАФ that thing. I took one
of the worst sets of his stepdaughter's memories, and tied that in to all of
his own feelings about women. And I kept point-of-view, so that it would
appear to him as if he were the victim. You saw what happened."

Kris shuddered. "He went mad; he just collapsed, foaming at the mouth."

"No, he didn't go mad. He locked himself into an endless repetition of what
I'd fed him. It's an appropriate punishment; he's getting exactly what he put
his stepdaughters through. It's just, at least I think so, because if he ever
changes his attitudes he can break free of it. Of course if he doesтАФ" she
grimaced "тАФhe might find himself dancing on the end of a rope for the murder
of his older stepdaughter. The law prevents the execution of a madman; it