[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
I began to slide away from there. This was sure to sting the Protector into
some impulsive and self-defeating response.
Or maybe not. She did nothing obvious, though a sudden breeze came along. It
blew the smoke away. But it fanned the flames consuming the Bhodi disciple.
The smell of burning flesh spread out downwind.
Chapter 22
When Master Santaraksita wanted to know why I was late, I told the truth.
"Another Bhodi disciple set himself on fire in front of the Palace. I went to
watch. I couldn't help myself. There was sorcery involved." I described what I
had seen. As so many of the actual eyewitnesses also had, Santaraksita seemed
both repelled and intrigued.
"Why do you suppose those disciples are doing that, Dorabee?"
I knew why they were doing it. It took no genius to fathom their motives. Only
their determination remained a puzzle. "They're trying to tell the Radisha
that she's not fulfilling her obligations to the Taglian people. They consider
the situation so desperate that they've chosen to send their message by a
means that can't be ignored."
"I, too, believe that to be the case. The question remains: What can the
Radisha do ? The Protector won't go away just because some people believe
she's bad for Taglios."
"I have a great deal to do today, Sri, and I'm starting late."
"Go. Go. I must assemble the bhadrhalok. It's possible we can present the
Radisha with some means of shaking the Protector's grip."
"Good luck, Sri." He would need it. Only the most outrageous good luck since
the beginning of time was going to give him and his cronies the tools to undo
Soulcatcher. Chances were good the bhadrhalok had no idea how dangerous an
opponent they had chosen.
I dusted and mopped and checked the rodent traps and after a while noticed
that most everyone had gone away. I asked old Baladitya the copyist where
everyone was. He told me that the other copyists had ducked out as soon as the
senior librarians had gone off to their bhadrhalok meeting. They knew that the
bhadrhalok would do nothing but it would take them hours of grumbling and
talking and arguing to get it done, so they made themselves a holiday.
It was not an opportunity to be refused. I began examining books, even going
so far as to penetrate the restricted stacks. Baladitya knew nothing. He could
not see three feet in front of his face.
Chapter 23
Jaul Barundandi partnered Minh Subredil with a young woman named Rahini and
sent them to work in the Radisha's own quarters, under the direction of a
woman named Narita, a fat, ugly creature possessed by an inflated conception
Page 72
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
of her own importance. Narita complained to Barundandi, "I need six more
women. I'm supposed to clean the council chamber again after I complete the
royal suite."
"Then I suggest you pick up a broom yourself. I'll be back in a few hours. I
expect to see progress. I've given you the best workers available." Barundandi
went elsewhere to be unpleasant to someone else.
The fat woman took it out on Subredil and Rahini. Subredil did not know who
Narita was. The woman had not worked in the royal chambers before. As Subredil
steered a mop around, she whispered, "Who is this woman who is so bitter?" She
stroked her Ghanghesha.
Rahini glanced right and left but did not raise her eyes. "You must understand
her. She is Barundandi's wife."
"You two! You aren't being paid to gossip."
"Pardon, ma'am," Sahra said. "I didn't understand what to do and didn't want
to trouble you."
The fat woman scowled for a moment but then turned her displeasure in another
direction. Rahini smiled softly, whispered, "She's in a good mood today."
As the hours passed and her knees and hands and muscles began to ache, Sahra
realized that she and Rahini had been delivered to Barundandi's wife more for
who they were than for the work they could do. They were not bright and they
were not among the more attractive workers. Barundandi wanted Narita to
believe that these were the kind of women he always employed. Elsewhere, no
doubt, he and his chief assistants would take full advantage of their bit of
power over the unfortunate and the desperate.
It was not a good day for exploring. There was more work than three women
could possibly complete. Sahra got no chance to collect additional pages from
the hidden Annals. Then, not many hours after the day started, conditions
within the Palace became much less relaxed. The high and the mighty began to
show themselves, moving rapidly here and there. Rumor came, apparently passing
right through stone walls. Another Bhodi disciple had burned himself to death
outside and the Radisha was completely distraught. Narita herself confided,
"She's very frightened. Many things are happening over which she has no
control. She has gone to the Anger Chamber. She does so almost every day now."
"The Anger Chamber?" Sahra murmured. She had not heard of this before, but [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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I began to slide away from there. This was sure to sting the Protector into
some impulsive and self-defeating response.
Or maybe not. She did nothing obvious, though a sudden breeze came along. It
blew the smoke away. But it fanned the flames consuming the Bhodi disciple.
The smell of burning flesh spread out downwind.
Chapter 22
When Master Santaraksita wanted to know why I was late, I told the truth.
"Another Bhodi disciple set himself on fire in front of the Palace. I went to
watch. I couldn't help myself. There was sorcery involved." I described what I
had seen. As so many of the actual eyewitnesses also had, Santaraksita seemed
both repelled and intrigued.
"Why do you suppose those disciples are doing that, Dorabee?"
I knew why they were doing it. It took no genius to fathom their motives. Only
their determination remained a puzzle. "They're trying to tell the Radisha
that she's not fulfilling her obligations to the Taglian people. They consider
the situation so desperate that they've chosen to send their message by a
means that can't be ignored."
"I, too, believe that to be the case. The question remains: What can the
Radisha do ? The Protector won't go away just because some people believe
she's bad for Taglios."
"I have a great deal to do today, Sri, and I'm starting late."
"Go. Go. I must assemble the bhadrhalok. It's possible we can present the
Radisha with some means of shaking the Protector's grip."
"Good luck, Sri." He would need it. Only the most outrageous good luck since
the beginning of time was going to give him and his cronies the tools to undo
Soulcatcher. Chances were good the bhadrhalok had no idea how dangerous an
opponent they had chosen.
I dusted and mopped and checked the rodent traps and after a while noticed
that most everyone had gone away. I asked old Baladitya the copyist where
everyone was. He told me that the other copyists had ducked out as soon as the
senior librarians had gone off to their bhadrhalok meeting. They knew that the
bhadrhalok would do nothing but it would take them hours of grumbling and
talking and arguing to get it done, so they made themselves a holiday.
It was not an opportunity to be refused. I began examining books, even going
so far as to penetrate the restricted stacks. Baladitya knew nothing. He could
not see three feet in front of his face.
Chapter 23
Jaul Barundandi partnered Minh Subredil with a young woman named Rahini and
sent them to work in the Radisha's own quarters, under the direction of a
woman named Narita, a fat, ugly creature possessed by an inflated conception
Page 72
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
of her own importance. Narita complained to Barundandi, "I need six more
women. I'm supposed to clean the council chamber again after I complete the
royal suite."
"Then I suggest you pick up a broom yourself. I'll be back in a few hours. I
expect to see progress. I've given you the best workers available." Barundandi
went elsewhere to be unpleasant to someone else.
The fat woman took it out on Subredil and Rahini. Subredil did not know who
Narita was. The woman had not worked in the royal chambers before. As Subredil
steered a mop around, she whispered, "Who is this woman who is so bitter?" She
stroked her Ghanghesha.
Rahini glanced right and left but did not raise her eyes. "You must understand
her. She is Barundandi's wife."
"You two! You aren't being paid to gossip."
"Pardon, ma'am," Sahra said. "I didn't understand what to do and didn't want
to trouble you."
The fat woman scowled for a moment but then turned her displeasure in another
direction. Rahini smiled softly, whispered, "She's in a good mood today."
As the hours passed and her knees and hands and muscles began to ache, Sahra
realized that she and Rahini had been delivered to Barundandi's wife more for
who they were than for the work they could do. They were not bright and they
were not among the more attractive workers. Barundandi wanted Narita to
believe that these were the kind of women he always employed. Elsewhere, no
doubt, he and his chief assistants would take full advantage of their bit of
power over the unfortunate and the desperate.
It was not a good day for exploring. There was more work than three women
could possibly complete. Sahra got no chance to collect additional pages from
the hidden Annals. Then, not many hours after the day started, conditions
within the Palace became much less relaxed. The high and the mighty began to
show themselves, moving rapidly here and there. Rumor came, apparently passing
right through stone walls. Another Bhodi disciple had burned himself to death
outside and the Radisha was completely distraught. Narita herself confided,
"She's very frightened. Many things are happening over which she has no
control. She has gone to the Anger Chamber. She does so almost every day now."
"The Anger Chamber?" Sahra murmured. She had not heard of this before, but [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]