"Shirley Meier & S. M. Stirling - Fifth Millenium 02 - Saber and Shadow" - читать интересную книгу автора (Meier Shirley)

only what I arrived with: my sword and my wits." They had been exchanging bits
of their life stories; suitably edited, Megan was sure-her own certainly had
been, by omission. It was unusual that she felt as talkative as she did.

Shkai'ra linked her fingers and rested her chin on them; her smile was oddly
charming on the long harsh face, and her eyelids drooped slightly.

"Since you're going to be in town for a while," she went on, 'perhaps we could
get to know one another better?"

Megan leaned back away from Shkai'ra and stretched. Lamplight glittered in her
eyes, sheened off hair and the bright inlays of the low table. She's
interested in me for more than just company. For an instant, she remembered
Serkai. They had initiated each other into the first mysteries of sex when
they were children. But that was before-the River Lady. Her face hardened a
little. But this one isn't being pushy. Women don't tend to be. She couldn't
bear the thought of being with a male and hadn't for the last eight years. Not
since Sarngeld bought her from her aunt. But with a woman?

She swallowed and forced herself to lean forward casually. Somehow during the
talk, she'd gotten closer to Shkai'ra than anyone else at home for years. It
was a strange, cracking sort of feeling, like scraping ash off a log and
finding it was still glowing underneath, however faintly.

"That might be-possible," she said. Pondering, she tapped one nail against the
table with an oddly metallic sound.

Their fingers touched; Megan opened her mouth to speak. A fat drop of water
fell on their hands, and with a blaze of multiforked lightning the storm broke
over their heads. They blinked away the dazzle and rushed for shelter,
reaching the arcade just as the rain became a hissing downpour.

Megan's face smoothed into a mask, pale in the blue flaring light, carefully
not showing emotion. "I hate storms," she said.

"Eh'mex mekagro nai" Shkai'ra replied, and shivered slightly. "Baiwun Avenger
rides the Plains of Sky tonight. Over kilometers of darkened cityscape the
flame of the Sun Temple twisted, lashing the sky.

She turned to Megan. "See you tomorrow?" she said.

Megan nodded. The weariness of days settled on her shoulders. "Goddess ward
your sleep," she said.

It was after midnight, and Baiwun's hammer still rumbled in the distance.
Shkai'ra sat cross-legged on the round bed that dominated her room. Hands
rested on thighs, and the grey eyes were sightless as she meditated, unable to
sleep. No Kommanza was easy in a thunderstorm; it was the most frightening of
natural things to dwellers on the empty plains. In thunder the Avenger sought
out lawbreakers.