"Sheri S. Tepper - Awakeners 2 - Southshore" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tepper Sherri)

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 SOUTHSHORE-Awakeners 2


The Council of Seven was gathered in the audience hall of the Chancery, the
round council table set just outside the curtained niche where Lees Obol lay. By
an exercise of willful delusion, one could imagine the Protector of Man as part of
the gathering. The chair nearest the niche was empty. Perhaps the Protector
occupied it spiritually. Or so, at least, Shavian Bossit amused himself by thinking.
As for the other six, they were present in reality. Tharius Don, fidgeting in his
chair as though bitten by fleas. Gendra Mitiar, driving invisible creatures from the
crevasses of her face with raking fingers. General Jondrigar, his pitted gray skin
twitching in the jellied light. Koma Nepor, Ezasper Jom. And, of course, Shavian
himself. A second ring of chairs enclosed the first, occupied by functionaries and
supporting members of the Chancery staff. So, Tharius had invited Bormas Tyle
to attend, though Bormas was a supporter of Bossit's and Tharius knew it. Gendra
had her majordomo, three district supervisors, and her Noor slave to lend her
importance, though Jhilt squatted on the floor behind the second ring of chairs,
conscious of her inferiority in this exalted gathering.
Koma Nepor and Ezasper Jorn supported one another. And Chiles Medman, the
governor general of the Jarb Mendicants, was thereтАФsupporting whom? Shavian
wondered. The Jarb Mendicants were tolerated by the Chancery, even used by the
Chancery from time to time, but they could not be considered a part of the
hierarchy. So what was Medman here for? Supporting some faction? There were
three factions, at least. Tharius, the enigma, who would do the gods knew what if
he were in power.
Gendra, advocate of increasing the elixir supply and the power of the Chancery
with it, and of increased repression. She enjoyed that. And Bossit himself,
practical politician, who plotted enslavement of the Thraish and no more of their
bloody presumption. And old Obol, of course, behind the curtains, lying in his
bed like a bolster, barely breathing.
The general had no faction. His Jondarites stood around the hall as though carved
of black stone. The scales of their fishskin jerkins gleamed in the torchlight; their
high plumes nodded ebon and scarlet. Their axes were of fragwood, toothed with
obsidian. Only their spear points were of metal. From time to time the general
pivoted, surveying each of them as though to find some evidence of slackness. He
found none. The soldiers in the audience hall were a picked troop. If any among
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 SOUTHSHORE-Awakeners 2


them had been capable of slackness, that tendency was long since conquered.
"Let's get to it," Shavian muttered at last, tapping his gavel on the hollow block
provided for it. It made a clucking, minatory sound, and they all looked up,
startled. "We are met today to consider the matter of this 'crusade'тАФpreached and
led by one Pamra Don. I might say, this person is the same Pamra Don who
caused us some difficulty a year or so ago." He stared at Gendra, letting his
silence accuse her.