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

and a wolverine, that would sooner tear your head off than take a lick of salt from your hand, Megan had
never understood. She herself had a bad enough time with ponies.
Shyll was picking at his food, too. Another Zak in the House of the Sleeping Dragon, first husband:
an open-faced man with green eyes, wheat-blond hair cut shoulder length, but a build too slight and wiry
for anyone to mistake him for a Thane. I seem to have a taste for blonds, despite my past.
Rilla stared, lost in thought, as she nursed little Ness, two iron-cycles old now; the babyтАЩs eyes were
closed as she suckled. They were still baby-blue but with hazel flecks, more and more like her father
ShyllтАЩs every day. Your mother loves you, as my parents did me before they died, Megan thought.
Soft hair in the crook of her arm, she remembered, hungry lips tugging impatiently at a swollen breast; the
milky smell of a clean baby. Love, Lixand-mi, love ... She tore her mind away from that, looked down
at the cold food on her plate, cleared her throat.
ShkaiтАЩra finished her beer and wiped the foam off her lips with the back of a hand. тАЬWell,тАЭ she said;
she spoke good Zak now, but with a rough accent she would probably never lose. тАЬWeтАЩd best settle
whoтАЩs going, shouldnтАЩt we?тАЭ She looked sideways at Rilla and smiled a little crookedly. тАЬDamn, IтАЩd been
looking forward to having one myself. Well, needs must when the demons drive; sooner started, sooner
finished.тАЭ
Dammit, Megan thought, I should be used to her saying what IтАЩm thinking by now. WeтАЩve been
together long enough. тАЬRilla isnтАЩt going anywhere for now,тАЭ Megan said. тАЬNot with Ness on her arm.тАЭ
Her cousin looked up from the baby and nodded, the thought unspoken: I could have another, or three
more, if I liked. YouтАЩll only ever have one. тАЬNor Shyll either.тАЭ
тАЬWait a momentтАФтАЭ
тАЬNo, husband. Our family has a business to maintain. Can Rilla carry that alone, as well as the baby?
Or would you have ShkaiтАЩra look after the books?тАЭ
There was a general shudder around the table at that. ShkaiтАЩra snorted and reached for another
wedge of pie. тАЬBetter IтАЩm at your back, Megan, or youтАЩd come home to find us all sold off to pay the
debts.тАЭ
тАЬWhat about me?тАЭ Sova; her pale brows, long enough almost to join in the middle, were even. SheтАЩd
had two years of ShkaiтАЩraтАЩs rigorous war-training now; at thirteen, sheтАЩd been blooded, against minions
of Habiku on the river.
тАЬNo,тАЭ said Megan. тАЬYouтАЩre well into this yearтАЩs school and youтАЩre not wasting time gallivanting about
with us.тАЭ
тАЬWasting time? I thought khyd-hird,тАЭтАФshe nodded her head towards ShkaiтАЩraтАФтАЬwould want me to
squire.тАЭ
тАЬIa,тАЭ said the Kommanza. тАЬItтАЩd be good practice for her.тАЭ
тАЬNo.тАЭ Megan cut the air with her down-turned hand. Play us off against each other, will you, girl?
тАЬSova isnтАЩt going to be away from school for the length of time it will take to find Lixand.тАЭ To the
Thane-girl: тАЬI want to give you all the opportunity you can to learn more than how to sneak and kill.
YouтАЩre staying here and thatтАЩs final.тАЭ
ShkaiтАЩra tilted her head on one side and visibly restrained herself from speaking. WeтАЩll talk later,
Megan thought. Sova dug back into her dinner, face unchanged. Showing no sign of what she wants to
do, go or stay. I love her but she makes me angry sometimes. I suppose all children would at that
age. I wasnтАЩt a child then; I never had time to be. Yet was I ever such a stranger to those who
loved me, as she is to us sometimes?
тАЬItтАЩs damn risky,тАЭ said Shyll.
тАЬItтАЩll be less so now than ever before, love. Look how the Arkans are getting cut up in Yeola-e.
TheyтАЩve spread themselves so thin that patrols will be fewer, borders more weakly guarded; itтАЩll be
easier to move, and hide.тАЭ
тАЬFrom the news,тАЭ said ShkaiтАЩra, тАЬthe Yeolis were on their last legs only five months ago. How have
they won back so far?тАЭ
Ivahn, the Benaiat of Saekrberk, had told of this in his letters to Megan. It was useful to have for a