"Ann Maxwell - Concord 2 - A Dead God Dancing" - читать интересную книгу автора (Maxwell Ann)

тАЬNevin, whatтАЩs your function within the khaner?тАЭ
 Nevin looked blank, then said hastily, тАЬIтАЩm a miran.тАЭ
Lhar waited.
тАЬIтАЩm mur-Lith. My life is spent pursuing the subtleties of her truth and essence.тАЭ
тАЬWhat is Her first command?тАЭ
тАЬWaste nothing,тАЭ said Nevin promptly, тАЬespecially not water, children, and fertile women.тАЭ
тАЬWhere do you come from?тАЭ
тАЬThe place youтАФthe natives we will meetтАФcall nтАЩLith, without Lith.тАЭ
тАЬA lie,тАЭ said TтАЩMero. тАЬNo one can live in nтАЩLith.тАЭ
тАЬWe live on the edge of the desert, as you do,тАЭ said Nevin easily, wholly into his role. тАЬSurely your
legends speak of the past when the river flowed longer and people settled on the far side of nтАЩLith?тАЭ
TтАЩMero grunted, but said no more.
тАЬLegend,тАЭ said Lhar. тАЬYouтАЩre real. How did you get here?тАЭ
тАЬLift was bountiful this year. The river stretched its tongue very far into the desert.тАЭ
тАЬIs that true, Syza?тАЭ said Lhar.
Syza looked up again. тАЬItтАЩs true. Ask your First Khaner if the river was not larger than in past
memory.тАЭ
тАЬWho leads your khaner?тАЭ
тАЬIf the question concerns Lith, that one,тАЭ she said, pointing to Nevin.
тАЬIf not?тАЭ said Lhar.
тАЬThe one called Lhar rides the golden taman.тАЭ
тАЬAnd you?тАЭ said Lhar, turning suddenly on Diri.
тАЬI am mur-Lith. I dance for Her.тАЭ
тАЬWhy are you hidden in all those robes? We canтАЩt even see your eyes clearly. Are you nтАЩgat?тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm not deformed! When I dance at the Festival of Union, youтАЩll see the truth.тАЭ
Lhar turned on TтАЩMero. тАЬYou?тАЭ
тАЬTтАЩMero the Hunter.тАЭ
тАЬSyza, what is the history of Tal-Lith, particularly the far side of nтАЩLith?тАЭ
Syza set aside the harness. Her eyes were iridescent in the dusky tent light.
тАЬLong ago,тАЭ she began, тАЬbefore the time of my khanerтАЩs memory, Tal-Lith rolled green and fertile
beneath the sun. But we were sinful. We turned away from Her beauty. Lith removed Herself from our
wickedness and Her river no longer laughed. The land became dry, barren, empty. At last my people
stopped crossing the rocks. We called them nтАЩLith and became isolated from others.
тАЬNevin mur-Lith believed we were being punished for straying from Her. He believed that if we could
find Her river and the people who drank from it we would once more hear Her laughter.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩve caught the melody of their ritual speech,тАЭ Lhar said. тАЬExcellent. Are the facts correct,
Nevin?тАЭ
тАЬBasically. The target population does have stories of a people beyond nтАЩLith. Apparently there was
trading before the desert became impassable. This has been a good year, though. ItтАЩs possible that
pilgrims would try a crossing.тАЭ
тАЬOur trade items?тАЭ pressed Lhar.
тАЬGifts to LithтАЩs people. The artifacts we have are different enough from the native wares to be
unusual, but not different enough to be alien.тАЭ
тАЬWhat about us?тАЭ said Diri. тАЬEven with me wrapped up weтАЩre a zarfтАЩs nightmare.тАЭ
тАЬWell within native standards,тАЭ said Lhar, wondering if her imprinting had failed. тАЬTheyтАЩve had an
extraordinary mutation rate in the last several thousand cycles.тАЭ
DiriтАЩs silver hands flashed restlessly out of her muffling robes. тАЬThis Festival of Union IтАЩm going to
dance atтАФwhat if weтАЩre late? The kerden storm is as strong as ever.тАЭ
тАЬThe storm will end tomorrow,тАЭ said Syza quietly.
Lhar accepted her comment without question. тАЬWeтАЩll use the time to perfect our roles,тАЭ he said,