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

dung fork.

"Child of the Light, be honored among us"--for the moment. This one, he
thought, would bargain toe to toe with the Sun Herself for ambition's sake.
Anger threatened to cloud his mind, at the thought of the Servants of the
Light seen as a stepping-stone to mere power and wealth. For a moment ne
concentrated on the smells of incense and warm wood and sunflower oil from the
lanterns.

"Leave us," he said in his dry, quiet voice. The acolytes bowed and glided
from the room, the muted rustle of cloth on cloth like dead leaves. The last
paused to pull the door shut behind her. Another flicker from the storm
outside gilded them both as they gazed at each other. I have the advantage
here, he thought, looking down at Smyna. She shows little reaction for one
untrained; let us see what bait she takes.

"You mentioned that you wished to discuss the darkness and heresy that
surrounds us?"

Smyna took her courage in her hands: a Fehinnan would have said, caught her
soul in her own net.

"Here are the staff studies, Radiance," she said, setting a thick leather
folder of papers before him. "Essentially-not to be technical,! we can take
the Kaailun states to the south in two campaigning seasons. None of them are
very large, and Intelligence swears that they'll be slitting each other's
throats when our siege trains arrive beneath the walls." A brief smile showed
white against the olive skin. "Encouraged by our, ah, subsidies."

She sat and watched him stare unwinkingly at the folder. Coming here openly
had been a statement of intent, that the High Priest had demanded, and her
rivals in the command would use it, but none of them would seriously suspect
that she had given the chancellor the secret contingency plans; the penalties
for divulging them would last three days at least, before death. The factions
were delicately balanced in the Iron House; command of the Illizbuah garrison
was prestigious, but of less real importance than one of the provincial army
corps. With this in his hands, Cubilano could marshal unanswerable arguments
with the Sun-on-Earth. Unlimited preferment would come to the commander who
had been on the winning side, once the Sun-on-Earth spoke for war.

"The Kaailun are notorious unbelievers, who have rejected our missionaries
most obdurately," Cubilano said.

Not altogether surprising, since they preach unlimited submission to the
Sun-on-Earth, Smyna thought dryly, then caught herself. That was a dangerous
thought, skirting blasphemy.

"The northern powers?" the High Priest continued.

Smyna shrugged. "No great problem, Radiance. We've recovered from the Five