"E. C. Tubb - Dumarest 01 - The Winds of Gath" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tubb E. C)

be an obstruction. I would like to have those responsible in my
power." Her voice deepened, reflecting something of the cruelty
of which she was capable. "Do you know why you are a possible
choice?"

Seena nodded, her face pale.

"Do you know what it means to be chosen?"

"Yes, My Lady, I do."

"I wonder." Gloria looked at her ward with probing eyes. She
was a beautiful female animal. Perhaps too beautifulтАФbut she
would not have had her otherwise. "Listen, girl," she snapped.
"And understand. A Matriarch cannot be a slave to the
emotional stress stemming from her reproductive organs. There
is a cureтАФbut it means the end of natural succession. A
Matriarch can never be a mother. You see the problem?"

"Yes, My Lady. Without a natural heir you have to choose
your successor. In this you have advice." Seena gestured towards
Dyne. "It is a matter of selecting the one best to rule."

How simple the girl made it seem! The scent from the spice
filled the room as the old woman lifted the pomander to her
nostrils. This was no time for impatient anger.
 "BestтАФfor whom? For the great houses that wait like hungry
dogs ready to snap up a bone? For the masses who have nothing
but faith? For the cabals who seek power?" She shook her head.
"The one who takes my place must not be the tool of any such
group. She must be without affiliation and misplaced loyalty.
Above all she must be strong enough to hold the throne."

"And," reminded Dyne softly, "she must be able to live long
enough to collect it."

"Right!" Gloria leaned forward in her chair, her eyes burning
at her ward. "Ten times in the past seven years I have seemed to
favor a successor. Ten times an assassin has struck." Her lips
writhed in sardonic amusement. "I found it a convenient way of
disposing of the over-ambitious." She read the girl's expression.
"You don't like it? You think that any woman can rule with
lily-white hands? Girl, I've held the throne for eighty years and it
didn't come as a gift. I've fought for it every minute, pitting one
house against another, letting them weaken themselves when to
allow them to unite would have meant the end of my rule. I've
killed and maneuvered and done things no woman should ever
have to do. But Kund is more important than any woman.
Remember that!"