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.Were all Erinnish so?When the wine came, Galen poured it and pro-posed a toast to the Princess Royal of Homana, wish-ing her perfect health.Again, in bad Homanan,making an effort to please me.I answered again inErinnish and saw them, one by one, drink the wineleft in their cups even as I drank my own.And then I was poured a second, this time drink-ing to Sean.I thought it only polite to do so, since Ihad already been honored.They were pleasant men,and courteous, lacking the slyness I had seen in themessenger's eyes, knowing what he carried.It seemedthey all knew, but none was amused by it at myexpense.Plainly, they had thought Sean's words lessthan tactful, even in Homanan, which was why mosthad wagered on me.As bad as Hart, all of them—"Lady." It was the tapster at my side."Lady, willyou come up? The prince has sent to ask it."Oh, gods.- I swallowed down more wine, trying notto gulp.Over the tankard I looked at Taliesin, be-seeching him with my eyes.He gave me nothing back save grave courtesy.Hewould not come, I knew; it was for me to do.He hadcome this far with me, but Sean was my tahlmorra.Taliesin had his own.I set down the tankard with careful precision.Theothers melted away, leaving only Galen with his greenErinnish eyes, waiting silently to escort me to hislord.A litany ran in my head.Tell Sean the truth.Tell himhow you feel.You told Rory the whole of it— well, nearlythe whole of it— now you must tell Sean.He is Aileen'sbrother— he cannot be so bad.Galen escorted me to a room, opened the door,stepped aside to let me through.I swung back insurprise."No one is here."He shook his head."No, lady.'tis Sheehan'sroom, not the prince's.He'll be with him now, help-ing him to dress.shall I send Sheehan to you, orwould you prefer I stay?"A third voice intruded."No need," it said."I amhere now.You may go, Galen."Galen melted away at once, going back down thestairs as the other came into the room.For a mo-ment only I thought it might be Sean, but I knew atonce it was not.Sheehan, then.Whose room I wasin.He smiled, closed the door, spread his hands as heleaned against it.His expression was rueful."Lady, Imust apologize.We've not been completely truthfulwith you concerning my lord's condition.""Condition?" I echoed."I thought he was taking abath.""So he is," Sheehan agreed, "but only because weput him in it to settle his wine-soaked head.And, Ifear, his wits.He drank too much last night.""Did he?""Aye." He attempted to mask his amusement, butthe rueful smile crept out."I'm afraid 'twas yourfault.""My fault!""Aye.It was in your honor, lady.he was drink-ing to good fortune, good health, strong sons anddaughters." He spread his hands again."He wassinging your praises, lady—and making up whateverhe could of those he doesn't know."I slanted Sheehan a glance of wry disgust."Oh,aye.did he drink to a wine-girl, too? Did he drinkto his banished brother?"Sheehan pushed himself off the door and pacedslowly away from it, showing me his back.He wastall, inherently graceful, lacking Rory's bulk but noneof Rory's presence.He turned."My lord says nothing of his brother.""Perhaps it is time he did." Sheehan, I thought,would be worth cultivating.He had the look of aman accustomed to learning the truth, even thoughhe divulged none of it until it suited his—or hislord's—purposes."Is he often in his cups?"Sheehan's mouth was taut."Since his brother left."So, it meant something.That I could respect."Hecould ask him back."He frowned minutely."You know his brother?""Rory?" I grinned."Aye, I know the Redbeard.He came here in his exile.I had occasion to meethim."Sheehan gestured to the tiny table by the window."Wine? Sean should not be long.we've set fourmen to making him presentable.'Tis why so fewwere downstairs to pay you honor.You'll forgivethem, I hope?"I smiled, thinking of my own experience with toomuch liquor."Better you should ask if I will forgivehim."He turned from pouring wine."But why? Sean isa man, lady.he does as he pleases.If it includesdrinking overmuch, 'tis his choice.And it was in yourhonor.""Aye, of course, that excuses it." I took the cup heoffered, sipped out of courtesy, found the wine tomy taste."I will wed no drunkard, Sheehan.Nomatter who he is.""You might reform him, lady." He smiled, drank,gestured toward a stool."Will you sit? 'Tis but a poorroom, but my lord was in no mood to go farther.Wetook what we could find in the way of accommoda-tions."I sat down, sipped wine, contemplated Sean's manacross the rim of the pewter mug."What are you tothe prince? Not a soldier, I think.you have notthe manner for it." I studied him more closely."Normuch of an accent, either, for a man born in Erinn."Sheehan smiled."What accent I have is due to mycircumstances.Erinnish-born I may be, but I grewup in Falia.""Falia!" It astonished me."How did you come tobe there? We have trade with Falia, but little morethan that.I have met no one who lives there."He did not sit, being disposed to pace the roomidly, indolent as a cat.He sipped wine, thought pri-vate thoughts, turned at last to me."My father isFalian.A merchant.He came to Erinn for trade, andthere he met and lay with my mother.He went backto Falia before I was born." He shrugged a little, as ifdismissing the pain he must have felt once."When Iwas eight my mother sent me to him, to Bortall,the High King's city, where he had his business.Heknew I was his by looking at me.He accepted me,acknowledged me; I grew up there, and came backto Erinn twelve years later.I have been here— there—ever since." He smiled."A poor tale, I fear—my lifehas been uneventful.""But you serve a prince now.""Sean is a good master.I could ask for no better."He stood at the table again, and again he did not sit.His voice was very soft."You say nothing of my eye."I smiled."My father lacks an eye.I am accustomedto seeing a patch."He raised dark brows, one mostly obscured by thestrap that held the patch in place over the left eye."That would explain, of course.You have tact, lady.a wondrous sense of discretion."I laughed at him."I? Oh, no, Sheehan, that I donot have.Anyone can tell you.Anyone will."He smiled warmly.A handsome man, Sheehan,even lacking an eye.He was black-haired, bearded,showing good white teeth.Thick hair was cropped tohis shoulders, where it curled against the drape of asoft leather doublet dyed blue.The color matchedhis eye."What else are you?" he asked."If lacking in tact,in discretion, what do you have?"He was due the truth, asking such of me."Power,"I told him succinctly."Magic in my blood.""Aye, of course: the shapechange." His beard wastrimmed short and neat, unlike Rory's bush.I couldsee his mouth clearly as it moved into a smile.Apolite, skeptical smile, telling me what he thought."Ihave heard the tales [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Were all Erinnish so?When the wine came, Galen poured it and pro-posed a toast to the Princess Royal of Homana, wish-ing her perfect health.Again, in bad Homanan,making an effort to please me.I answered again inErinnish and saw them, one by one, drink the wineleft in their cups even as I drank my own.And then I was poured a second, this time drink-ing to Sean.I thought it only polite to do so, since Ihad already been honored.They were pleasant men,and courteous, lacking the slyness I had seen in themessenger's eyes, knowing what he carried.It seemedthey all knew, but none was amused by it at myexpense.Plainly, they had thought Sean's words lessthan tactful, even in Homanan, which was why mosthad wagered on me.As bad as Hart, all of them—"Lady." It was the tapster at my side."Lady, willyou come up? The prince has sent to ask it."Oh, gods.- I swallowed down more wine, trying notto gulp.Over the tankard I looked at Taliesin, be-seeching him with my eyes.He gave me nothing back save grave courtesy.Hewould not come, I knew; it was for me to do.He hadcome this far with me, but Sean was my tahlmorra.Taliesin had his own.I set down the tankard with careful precision.Theothers melted away, leaving only Galen with his greenErinnish eyes, waiting silently to escort me to hislord.A litany ran in my head.Tell Sean the truth.Tell himhow you feel.You told Rory the whole of it— well, nearlythe whole of it— now you must tell Sean.He is Aileen'sbrother— he cannot be so bad.Galen escorted me to a room, opened the door,stepped aside to let me through.I swung back insurprise."No one is here."He shook his head."No, lady.'tis Sheehan'sroom, not the prince's.He'll be with him now, help-ing him to dress.shall I send Sheehan to you, orwould you prefer I stay?"A third voice intruded."No need," it said."I amhere now.You may go, Galen."Galen melted away at once, going back down thestairs as the other came into the room.For a mo-ment only I thought it might be Sean, but I knew atonce it was not.Sheehan, then.Whose room I wasin.He smiled, closed the door, spread his hands as heleaned against it.His expression was rueful."Lady, Imust apologize.We've not been completely truthfulwith you concerning my lord's condition.""Condition?" I echoed."I thought he was taking abath.""So he is," Sheehan agreed, "but only because weput him in it to settle his wine-soaked head.And, Ifear, his wits.He drank too much last night.""Did he?""Aye." He attempted to mask his amusement, butthe rueful smile crept out."I'm afraid 'twas yourfault.""My fault!""Aye.It was in your honor, lady.he was drink-ing to good fortune, good health, strong sons anddaughters." He spread his hands again."He wassinging your praises, lady—and making up whateverhe could of those he doesn't know."I slanted Sheehan a glance of wry disgust."Oh,aye.did he drink to a wine-girl, too? Did he drinkto his banished brother?"Sheehan pushed himself off the door and pacedslowly away from it, showing me his back.He wastall, inherently graceful, lacking Rory's bulk but noneof Rory's presence.He turned."My lord says nothing of his brother.""Perhaps it is time he did." Sheehan, I thought,would be worth cultivating.He had the look of aman accustomed to learning the truth, even thoughhe divulged none of it until it suited his—or hislord's—purposes."Is he often in his cups?"Sheehan's mouth was taut."Since his brother left."So, it meant something.That I could respect."Hecould ask him back."He frowned minutely."You know his brother?""Rory?" I grinned."Aye, I know the Redbeard.He came here in his exile.I had occasion to meethim."Sheehan gestured to the tiny table by the window."Wine? Sean should not be long.we've set fourmen to making him presentable.'Tis why so fewwere downstairs to pay you honor.You'll forgivethem, I hope?"I smiled, thinking of my own experience with toomuch liquor."Better you should ask if I will forgivehim."He turned from pouring wine."But why? Sean isa man, lady.he does as he pleases.If it includesdrinking overmuch, 'tis his choice.And it was in yourhonor.""Aye, of course, that excuses it." I took the cup heoffered, sipped out of courtesy, found the wine tomy taste."I will wed no drunkard, Sheehan.Nomatter who he is.""You might reform him, lady." He smiled, drank,gestured toward a stool."Will you sit? 'Tis but a poorroom, but my lord was in no mood to go farther.Wetook what we could find in the way of accommoda-tions."I sat down, sipped wine, contemplated Sean's manacross the rim of the pewter mug."What are you tothe prince? Not a soldier, I think.you have notthe manner for it." I studied him more closely."Normuch of an accent, either, for a man born in Erinn."Sheehan smiled."What accent I have is due to mycircumstances.Erinnish-born I may be, but I grewup in Falia.""Falia!" It astonished me."How did you come tobe there? We have trade with Falia, but little morethan that.I have met no one who lives there."He did not sit, being disposed to pace the roomidly, indolent as a cat.He sipped wine, thought pri-vate thoughts, turned at last to me."My father isFalian.A merchant.He came to Erinn for trade, andthere he met and lay with my mother.He went backto Falia before I was born." He shrugged a little, as ifdismissing the pain he must have felt once."When Iwas eight my mother sent me to him, to Bortall,the High King's city, where he had his business.Heknew I was his by looking at me.He accepted me,acknowledged me; I grew up there, and came backto Erinn twelve years later.I have been here— there—ever since." He smiled."A poor tale, I fear—my lifehas been uneventful.""But you serve a prince now.""Sean is a good master.I could ask for no better."He stood at the table again, and again he did not sit.His voice was very soft."You say nothing of my eye."I smiled."My father lacks an eye.I am accustomedto seeing a patch."He raised dark brows, one mostly obscured by thestrap that held the patch in place over the left eye."That would explain, of course.You have tact, lady.a wondrous sense of discretion."I laughed at him."I? Oh, no, Sheehan, that I donot have.Anyone can tell you.Anyone will."He smiled warmly.A handsome man, Sheehan,even lacking an eye.He was black-haired, bearded,showing good white teeth.Thick hair was cropped tohis shoulders, where it curled against the drape of asoft leather doublet dyed blue.The color matchedhis eye."What else are you?" he asked."If lacking in tact,in discretion, what do you have?"He was due the truth, asking such of me."Power,"I told him succinctly."Magic in my blood.""Aye, of course: the shapechange." His beard wastrimmed short and neat, unlike Rory's bush.I couldsee his mouth clearly as it moved into a smile.Apolite, skeptical smile, telling me what he thought."Ihave heard the tales [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]