"Vance, Jack - Alastor Cluster 02 - Alastor 2262-Trullion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vance Jack)

"I would indeed, and a bite of whatever is handy. I'm ravenous." Marucha served wine, bread, a cold mince of meat, fruit, and sea-jelly. She sat watching him eat. "It's so very nice to see you. What are your plans?" Glinnes thought her voice almost imperceptibly cool. Still, Marucha had never been demonstrative. He answered, "I don't have any plans whatever, I've only just heard about Shira from Young Harrad. He never took a wife then?" Marucha's mouth pursed into a disapproving line. "He could never quite make up his mind ... He had friends here and there, naturally."

Again Glinnes sensed unspoken words, knowledge which his mother did not care to communicate. He began to feel a few small inklings of resentment, and carefully put them aside. It would not do to start out his new life on such a footing. Marucha asked in a bright, rather brittle voice, "But where is your uniform? I so wanted to see you as a captain in the Whelm."

"I resigned my commission. I decided to come home." "Oh." Marucha's voice was flat. "Of course we're glad to have you home, but are you sure it's wise giving up your career?" "I've already given it up." In spite of his resolve, Glinnes voice had taken on an edge. "I'm needed here more than hi the Whelm. The old place is falling apart Doesn't Glay do anything whatever?"

"He's been most busy with-well, his activities. In his own way, he's quite an important person now.""That shouldn't prevent him from fixing the steps. They're literally rotting away. I saw smoke from Ambal Isle. Is Glay living over there?" "No. We've sold Ambal Isle, to one of Glay's friends."

Glinnes started, thunderstruck. "You've sold Ambal Isle? What possible reason . . He gathered his thoughts. "Shira sold Ambal Isle?" "No," said Marucha to a cool voice. "Glay and I decided to let it go." "But. . ." Glinnes halted and chose his words deliberately. "I certainly don't want to part with Ambal Isle, nor any other part of our land."

"I'm afraid that the sale has been effected. We assumed

rtiat vrni WPTW matin a a rareer in the Whelm and wouldn't be

home. Naturally we would have considered your feelings had we known."

Glinnes spoke politely. "I most definitely feel that we should void the contract.* We certainly don't want to give up AMbal." "But my dear Glinnes, it's already given up." "Not after we return the money. Where is it?" "You'll have to ask Glay." Glinnes reflected upon the sardonic Glay of ten years before, who always had stayed aloof from the affairs of Raben-dary. That Glay should make large decisions seemed altogether inappropriate and more, insulting to the memory of his father Jut, who loved each square inch of his land. Glinnes asked, "How much did you take for Ambal?" 'Twelve thousand ozols." Glinnes' voice cracked with angry astonishment. "That's giving it away! For a beauty spot like Ambal Isle, with a manor house in good condition? Someone's insane!" Marucha's black eyes sparkled. "Surely it's not your place to protest. You weren't there when we needed you, and it isn't proper for you to cavil now."

"I'm doing more than cavil; I'm going to void the contract. If Shira is dead, I'm Squire of Rabendary, and no one else has authority to sell." "But we don't know that Shira is dead," Marucha pointed out, sweetly reasonable. "He may only have gone off to visit friends."

Glinnes asked politely, "Do you know of any such 'friends'?" Marucha gave her shoulder a disdainful jerk. "Not really. But you remember Shira. He has never changed." "After two months he'd surely be home from his visit." "Naturally we hope that he is alive. In fact we can't presume him dead for four years, which is the law*."

"But by then the contract will be firm! Why should we part with any of our wonderful land?"
"We needed the money. Isn't that reason enough?"
"You needed money for what?"
"You'll have to ask that question of Glay."
"I'll do so. Where is he?"
* By Trill law, a contract for land sale is considered provisional for a period of a year, for the protection of both parties.

"I really don't know. He'll probably be home before too long."

"Another matter: are those Trevanyi tents down by the forest Marucha nodded. By now, neither was making any pretense of amiability. "Please don't criticize either me or Glay. Shira allowed them upon the property, and they have done no harm."

"Possibly not, but the year is young. You know our last experience with Trevanyi. They stole the kitchen cutlery." "The Drossets are not that sort," said Marucha. "For Trevanyi, they seem quite responsible. No doubt they're as honest as they find necessary." Glinnes threw up his hands. "It's pointless to wrangle. But one last word about Ambal. Certainly Shira would never have wanted the Isle sold. If he's alive, you acted without his authorization. If he's dead, you acted without mine, and I insist that the contract be voided." Marucha gave a cold shrug of her slender white shoulders. "This is a matter you must take up with Glay. I am really quite bored with the subject." "Who bought Ambal Isler? "A person named Lute Casagave, very quiet and distinguished. I believe that he's an off-worlder; he's much too genteel to be a Trill."

Glinnes finished his meal, then went to his baggage. "I've brought a few oddments back with me." He gave his mother a parcel, which she took without comment. "Open it," said Glinnes. "It's for you." She pulled the tab and drew forth a length of purple fabric embroidered with fantastic birds in thread of green, silver and gold. "How utterly wonderful!" She gasped. "Why Glinnes-what a delightful gift!" "That's not all," said Glinnes. He brought forth other parcels, which Marucha opened in a rapture. Unlike the ordinary Trill, she delighted in precious possessions. "These are star-crystals," said Glinnes. 'They haven't any other name, but they're found just like this, facets and all, in the dust of dead stars. Nothing can scratch them, not even diamond, and they have very peculiar optical properties." "My, how heavy they are!" "This is an antique vase, no one knows how old. The writing on the bottom is said to be Erdish." "It's charmine!"

"Now this isn't very distinguished, just something that caught my fancy-a nut-cracker in the shape of an Urtland crotchet. I picked it up in a junkshop, if the truth be known." "But how cunning. It's for cracking nuts, you say?" "Yes. You put the nuts between these mandibles and press down the tail . . . These were for Glay and Shira-knives forged from proteum. The cutting edges are single chains of interlocked molecules-absolutely indestructible. You can strike them into steel and they never dull." "Glay will be delighted," said Marucha in a voice somewhat stiffer than before. "And Shira will also be pleased."

Glinnes gave a skeptical snort, which Marucha took pains to ignore. "Thank you very much for the gifts. I think they're all wonderful." She looked out the door down across the verandah to the dock. "Here is Glay now." Glinnes went out to stand on the verandah. Glay, coming up the path from the dock, halted, though he showed no surprise. Then he came forward slowly. Glinnes descended the steps and the brothers clapped each other's shoulders Glay was wearing, Glinnes noted, not the usual Trill paray, but gray trousers and dark jacket.

"Welcome home," said Glay. "I met Young Harrad; he told me you were here." "I'm glad to be home," said Glinnes. "With just you and Marucha, it must have been gloomy. But now that I'm here I hope we can make the house the place it used to be." Glay gave a noncommittal nod. "Yes. Life has been somewhat quiet And things change, certainly, I hope for the better." Glinnes was not sure he knew what Glay was talking about. "There's a great deal to discuss. But first, I'm glad to see you. You're looking remarkably wise and mature, and-what would be the word?- self-possessed."

Glay laughed. "When I look back, I see that I always pondered too much and tried to resolve too many paradoxes. I've given all that up. I've cut the Gordian knot, so to speak." "How so?" Glay made a deprecatory gesture. "It's too complicated to go into right now . . . You look well too. The Whelm has been good for you. When must you go back?" "Into the Whelm? Never. I'm through, since I now seem to be Squire of Rabendary." "Yes," said Glay in a colorless voice. "You've got an- "Come inside," said Glinnes. 'Ive brought you a gift. Also something for Shira. Do you think he's dead?" Glay nodded gloomily. "There's no other explanation." "That's my feeling. Mother feels he's visiting friends." "For two months? Not a chance."

The two entered the house, and Glinnes brought out the knife he had bought at the Technical Laboratories in Boreal City on Marian. "Be careful of the edge. You can't touch it without slicing yourself. But you can hack through a steel rod without damage." Glay picked up the knife gingerly and squinted along the invisible edge. "It frightens me." "Yes, it's almost weird. Now that Shira's dead, I'll keep the other one for myself." Marucha spoke from across the room. "We're not sure that Shira is dead."

Neither Glay nor Glinnes made response. Glay put his knife on the mantelpiece of smoke-darkened old kaban. Glinnes took a seat. "We'd better clear the air about Ambal Isle." Glay leaned back against the wall and inspected Glinnes with somber eyes. "There's nothing to say. For better or worse, I sold it to Lute Casagave."