"Benjamin Rosenbaum - Embracing The New" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rosenbaum Benjamin)

embrace of the god faded, and weariness crept through his
limbs. He could barely keep his claws up.
As he passed through the empty spring pavilion, a shadow
moved ahead of him. He stopped. From the darkness, he
heard ragged breathing.
"Who's there?" he said.
Turmca the journeyman stepped out into the daylight.
Vru relaxed. "You frightened me, Turmca!" he said. Even
as he spoke, he noticed that Turmca was not wearing
Delighting-In-Beauty around his neck, but Fearless-In-Justice,
the soldier god. "Why are youтАФ?"
The journeyman took a shuddering step towards him. His
eyes were strange, vacant. Was he drunk? "How are you,
Vru?" he asked. "How is your work?" Turmca's claws snapped
together, and he jerked as if surprised at his own movement.
"Are you well, Turmca?" Vru asked, taking a step
backwards.
"How kind of you to ask," said Turmca, taking uneven
steps forward. Vru moved backwards into the pavilion's yard.
Turmca was smaller than Vru, but well fed, with muscles from
years of godcarving.
"I wanted to ask you," Vru said, "Turmca, when the
master, ah, passes away, would you, have you considered
taking me on? I would be grateful ifтАФ"


10
 Embracing-The-New
by Benjamin Rosenbaum


Turmca barked out loud, shuddering laughter. He bent
over, put his claws against his eyes, and his body shook.
Then he looked up at Vru.
"They all go to you," Turmca said.
Vru blinked.
"Khancriterquee said so to the Master Singer. I overheard.
You will bear all his Ghennungs. He does not want his
memories weakened and dispersed among the journeymen,
or rather, he says, that is not what Delighting-In-Beauty
wants."
"Turmca, that's insane. I don't have the talent..."
Turmca's claws snapped open. They gleamed, newly
cleaned and sharpened. "Talent! You fool! He doesn't choose
you for your talent! He chooses you because of your five
feeble Ghennungs and your weak, malleable nature. He wants
to live on as himself, that's all! Your memories will be no
trouble to him!"
Turmca's right foot slid back, and his holding-hands came
in to cover the Ghennungs on his chest. Vru had seen that