"Shirley Meier & S. M. Stirling - Fifth Millenium 05 - Shadow's Son" - читать интересную книгу автора (Meier Shirley)

Press in Arko, the huge black rattling machine that spat out the Pages and other reading material: it
worked when a lever was pulled one way, didnтАЩt work when it was pulled another way, always worked
exactly the same way and produced the same product, over and over and over. You got the impression
that if any part were jolted slightly out of line, the whole thing would come to a smoking halt.
 ItтАЩs the training, of course, Matthas thought, their having to think no thoughts but the fifty
Maxims and strangle dogs when theyтАЩre kids and so forth. One could feel sorry for them.
He wasnтАЩt sure which he disliked more, though: the young ones, with their boundless energy and their
limitless hate, some still having the misfortune of being handsome; or the old ones with their faces of
carven stone, who over the years had brought Mahidness to a fine art. Eforas, it turned out, had come
out of the mold a middle age ago. It remained to be seen whether heтАЩd combine the virtues of youth and
age, or the vices.
Matthas vaguely wondered, as he seated himself in the back office of the Arkan embassy, what
Mahid women were like. All in onyxine aprons, he thought. With those same dead fish eyes, saying
тАЬChild, the will of the Imperator requires you to eat your turnips ...тАЭ
Eforas had the usual Mahid bearing, straight and stiff as a rod, and a face incapable of expression.
The two nodded to each other. тАЬYour report of activities since EdremmasтАЩs demise, fessas,тАЭ the Mahid
intoned. Typical of Mahid, to emphasize the inferior caste.
Matthas drew out his notes, and began. I have to pretend IтАЩm talking to a machine, he thought, as
even his most amusing and bizarre anecdotes passed one by one without bringing even a flicker of a smile
to EforasтАЩs deathly blue eyes. His deductions about Yeoli financing, which heтАЩd thought were quite
astute, actually, didnтАЩt bring even a nod of approval. Machines donтАЩt laugh, or praise, he reminded
himself, whether itтАЩs deserved or not. He forged bravely ahead to his request: funding to secure the
owner of the Slaf Hikarme for truth-drugging.
тАЬFessas,тАЭ the Mahid interrupted. тАЬDid you say тАШsheтАЩ?тАЭ
тАЬI did, sir,тАЭ Matthas answered firmly. Mahid understood that syntax better than just yes, heтАЩd
learned.
тАЬThen I am given to understand this Megan Whitlock is a woman?тАЭ
тАЬShe is, sir.тАЭ
тАЬNow how can you reconcile the ownership of said merchant house by said person, and the fact that
she is a woman?тАЭ
Celestialis, this one doesnтАЩt know anything. By Arkan law, women could not hold property, being
considered property themselves. But the first thing he d learned in the Irefas academy was that laws and
customs in other lands could take any form, no matter how unnatural.
тАЬZak and Brahvnikian law allows a woman to be a well-to-do merchant, as Whitlock is, sir.тАЭ Else
IтАЩd hardly be after her, would I, you bonehead.
Somehow this seemed to get through into the cogs of the MahidтАЩs mind; or else was brushed off and
forgotten, Matthas couldnтАЩt tell. тАЬTell me more about this ShhтАФskira Farshot, sheтАЩs married to.тАЭ
Matthas began. Two words in, Eforas interrupted. тАЬDid you say she again?тАЭ
тАЬI did, sir.тАЭ
For a moment the Mahid sat stock-still. Oh-oh. Has some part been jolted slightly out of line?
тАЬThese barbarian cultures have some very perverse customs, honored Mahid,тАЭ he continued smoothly.
тАЬExplain entirely this MeganтАЩs marital status,тАЭ Eforas commanded.
Oh, my little professional God, Matthas groaned inwardly. Why did you have to ask that? HeтАЩd
been hoping just to have to tell about ShkaiтАЩra.
тАЬI hope you will forgive the bizarre complexity of the situation, honored Mahid, but in FтАЩtalezon,
multiple marriages are quite accepted. The two are part of a foursome, with Rilla called ShadowтАЩs
Shade, who is also MeganтАЩs cousin, and Shyll called Doglord, the one man. They were wed almost a
year ago in FтАЩtalezon.тАЭ
тАЬAh. A harem arrangement, with one woman owning the mercantile house in the masterтАЩs name, or
because she inherited it, since her father had no sons. That isnтАЩt so complicated, fessas, IтАЩve heard of