[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.And always, hordes of people.Lost and confused, not sure why she'd been sent to this bewildering city, Usha continued to wanderthe streets.She was weakened by the heat and weariness, and only gradually became conscious, asshe walked along, that people were staring at her.Some actually came to a halt and gazed at her ingaping wonderment.Others-generally men, who were fashionably dressed-doffed their featheredcaps and smiled at her.Usha naturally assumed they were mocking her appearance, and she thought this very cruel.Bedraggled, miserable, feeling sorry for herself, she wondered how the Protector could have senther to such a hateful place.Gradually, however, she came to realize that these stares and cap-doffings and bowings were admiring.Having some vague idea that the journey had altered her appearance, Usha halted to study herreflection in the glass window of a shop.The glass was wavy and distorted her face, but then sodid the water of the small pond she was accustomed to using for a mirror back at home.She hadn'tchanged.Her hair was still flaxen-silver, her eyes still their odd color, her features regular, but lacking the molded, crafted, exquisite beauty of those of the Irda.She was, as she had always been-in her own eyes-homely."What very strange people," Usha said to herself, after a young man had been so occupied in staring at her that he'd accidentally walked into a tree.At length, when she'd nearly worn the soles of her leather boots through, Usha noticed that the hotsun was finally setting, the shadows of the buildings were growing longer and a hint cooler.Thenumber of people on the street diminished.Mothers appeared in doorways, shouting for theirchildren to come home.Looking through the windows of several fine houses, Usha saw familiesgathering together.She was worn, weary, alone.She had no place to spend the night, and, sherealized, she was ravenously hungry.The Protector had supplied her with food for her journey, but she'd eaten all that before she hadsailed into Palanthas.Fortunately, however, she had accidentally wended her way into themerchandising section of the city.The vendors were just closing up their stalls, prior to calling it a day.Usha had been wonderingwhat people did for food in this bustling city.Now she had her answer.Apparently, people didn'tserve food on tables here in Palanthas.They handed it out in the streets.Usha thought that ratherodd, but then everything in this city was odd.She drew close to a booth that had a few odd pieces of fruit left on it.The fruit was withered anddried, having baked in the heat all day, but it looked wonderful to her.Picking up several apples,Usha bit into one, devoured it, and stuffed the rest into one of her pouches.Leaving the fruit vendors, she came to a baker and added a loaf of bread to her meal.Usha wasglancing about, searching for a booth offering wine, when an unholy commotion burst out aroundher."Catch her! Hold her! Thief! Thief!"An Assault.Arrested.Tasslehoff is surprised.sha stared in amazement at a tall, thin man in a leather apron, who danced and bobbed around her."Thief!" he cried, pointing at her."She stole my fruit!""She ran off with my bread," panted a flour-smudged woman, who had been running after the man."That's-it, sticking out of her pouch! I'll have that back, you hussy."The baker made a grab for the bread.Usha slapped the woman's hand away.The woman began to howl."Murder! She tried to murder me!"The idlers and ruffians who generally hung about the market, swilling raw wine and waiting fortrouble, were quick to sniff it.A jeering crowd gathered around Usha.A ragged and uncouth-looking man grabbed hold of her."I'll volunteer to search her!" he yelled."Looks to me like she's got those apples stuffed down her blouse!"The crowd laughed and pressed closer.Usha had never experienced such rough treatment.Pampered, coddled, brought up among a societyof people who didn't raise their voices, much less their fists, she was shocked almost senseless.She had no weapons, and it didn't occur to her, in her initial panic, to use the magical items the Irda had given her.She wouldn't have known how to use them anyway, having paid scant attention to theinstructions given her.The man's filthy hands tore her blouse; his fingers groped to touch her flesh.His fellows cheeredhim on.Panic gave way to fury.The ferocity of a cornered animal burned in Usha.She lashed out wildly,with strength borne of terror.She hit and bit and kicked and flailed, not knowing, not caring whoshe hurt, wanting to hurt them all, wanting to hurt every living being in this hateful city.It was only when strong hands took hold of her arm, clasping it and giving it a painful twist, and a clear, firm voice said, "Here now, stop this, young woman!" that the blood-tinged mist cleared from her eyes.Usha blinked, gasped for breath, and peered dizzily around.A tall, muscular man dressed in a dull, crimson-colored tunic and leggings, with an official airabout him, had hold of her.At his arrival, the crowd rapidly dispersed, with varied and colorfulcomments about guardsmen who spoiled their fun.The man who had accosted her lay on theground, groaning and clutching his private parts."Who started this?" The guardsman glared around."She stole bread from my stall, Y'Honor," cried the baker, "and then she tried to murder the lot of us.""Them's my apples," accused the fruit vendor."She walked off with 'em, just as cool as cucumbers.""I never meant to steal anything," Usha protested, snuffling a little.Tears had always worked with Prot when she was in trouble, and she was quick to fall back on old habits."I thought the fruit and the bread were set out for anyone to take." She wiped her eyes."I didn't mean to hurt anyone.I'm tired and I'm lost and I'm hungry, and then that man.he touched."The tears came for real at the horrible memory.The guardsman gazed at her helplessly, attemptedto comfort her."Now, now there.Don't cry.The heat's likely addlepated you.Give these two fair payment, andwe'll call it even.Won't we?" the guardsman added, with a glowering glance at the two vendors, who glowered back, but nodded grudging assent."I don't have any money," Usha gulped."Vagrant!" the man snapped."Worse than that." The woman sniffed."Obviously no better than she should be.Look at those outlandish clothes! I want her set in the stocks and whipped!"The guardsman appeared displeased, but he didn't have much choice.The contested bread lay onthe street, having fallen out of Usha's pouch during the scuffle, and she reeked of overripe,squashed apple."We'll let the magistrate settle all this.Come along, young woman [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.And always, hordes of people.Lost and confused, not sure why she'd been sent to this bewildering city, Usha continued to wanderthe streets.She was weakened by the heat and weariness, and only gradually became conscious, asshe walked along, that people were staring at her.Some actually came to a halt and gazed at her ingaping wonderment.Others-generally men, who were fashionably dressed-doffed their featheredcaps and smiled at her.Usha naturally assumed they were mocking her appearance, and she thought this very cruel.Bedraggled, miserable, feeling sorry for herself, she wondered how the Protector could have senther to such a hateful place.Gradually, however, she came to realize that these stares and cap-doffings and bowings were admiring.Having some vague idea that the journey had altered her appearance, Usha halted to study herreflection in the glass window of a shop.The glass was wavy and distorted her face, but then sodid the water of the small pond she was accustomed to using for a mirror back at home.She hadn'tchanged.Her hair was still flaxen-silver, her eyes still their odd color, her features regular, but lacking the molded, crafted, exquisite beauty of those of the Irda.She was, as she had always been-in her own eyes-homely."What very strange people," Usha said to herself, after a young man had been so occupied in staring at her that he'd accidentally walked into a tree.At length, when she'd nearly worn the soles of her leather boots through, Usha noticed that the hotsun was finally setting, the shadows of the buildings were growing longer and a hint cooler.Thenumber of people on the street diminished.Mothers appeared in doorways, shouting for theirchildren to come home.Looking through the windows of several fine houses, Usha saw familiesgathering together.She was worn, weary, alone.She had no place to spend the night, and, sherealized, she was ravenously hungry.The Protector had supplied her with food for her journey, but she'd eaten all that before she hadsailed into Palanthas.Fortunately, however, she had accidentally wended her way into themerchandising section of the city.The vendors were just closing up their stalls, prior to calling it a day.Usha had been wonderingwhat people did for food in this bustling city.Now she had her answer.Apparently, people didn'tserve food on tables here in Palanthas.They handed it out in the streets.Usha thought that ratherodd, but then everything in this city was odd.She drew close to a booth that had a few odd pieces of fruit left on it.The fruit was withered anddried, having baked in the heat all day, but it looked wonderful to her.Picking up several apples,Usha bit into one, devoured it, and stuffed the rest into one of her pouches.Leaving the fruit vendors, she came to a baker and added a loaf of bread to her meal.Usha wasglancing about, searching for a booth offering wine, when an unholy commotion burst out aroundher."Catch her! Hold her! Thief! Thief!"An Assault.Arrested.Tasslehoff is surprised.sha stared in amazement at a tall, thin man in a leather apron, who danced and bobbed around her."Thief!" he cried, pointing at her."She stole my fruit!""She ran off with my bread," panted a flour-smudged woman, who had been running after the man."That's-it, sticking out of her pouch! I'll have that back, you hussy."The baker made a grab for the bread.Usha slapped the woman's hand away.The woman began to howl."Murder! She tried to murder me!"The idlers and ruffians who generally hung about the market, swilling raw wine and waiting fortrouble, were quick to sniff it.A jeering crowd gathered around Usha.A ragged and uncouth-looking man grabbed hold of her."I'll volunteer to search her!" he yelled."Looks to me like she's got those apples stuffed down her blouse!"The crowd laughed and pressed closer.Usha had never experienced such rough treatment.Pampered, coddled, brought up among a societyof people who didn't raise their voices, much less their fists, she was shocked almost senseless.She had no weapons, and it didn't occur to her, in her initial panic, to use the magical items the Irda had given her.She wouldn't have known how to use them anyway, having paid scant attention to theinstructions given her.The man's filthy hands tore her blouse; his fingers groped to touch her flesh.His fellows cheeredhim on.Panic gave way to fury.The ferocity of a cornered animal burned in Usha.She lashed out wildly,with strength borne of terror.She hit and bit and kicked and flailed, not knowing, not caring whoshe hurt, wanting to hurt them all, wanting to hurt every living being in this hateful city.It was only when strong hands took hold of her arm, clasping it and giving it a painful twist, and a clear, firm voice said, "Here now, stop this, young woman!" that the blood-tinged mist cleared from her eyes.Usha blinked, gasped for breath, and peered dizzily around.A tall, muscular man dressed in a dull, crimson-colored tunic and leggings, with an official airabout him, had hold of her.At his arrival, the crowd rapidly dispersed, with varied and colorfulcomments about guardsmen who spoiled their fun.The man who had accosted her lay on theground, groaning and clutching his private parts."Who started this?" The guardsman glared around."She stole bread from my stall, Y'Honor," cried the baker, "and then she tried to murder the lot of us.""Them's my apples," accused the fruit vendor."She walked off with 'em, just as cool as cucumbers.""I never meant to steal anything," Usha protested, snuffling a little.Tears had always worked with Prot when she was in trouble, and she was quick to fall back on old habits."I thought the fruit and the bread were set out for anyone to take." She wiped her eyes."I didn't mean to hurt anyone.I'm tired and I'm lost and I'm hungry, and then that man.he touched."The tears came for real at the horrible memory.The guardsman gazed at her helplessly, attemptedto comfort her."Now, now there.Don't cry.The heat's likely addlepated you.Give these two fair payment, andwe'll call it even.Won't we?" the guardsman added, with a glowering glance at the two vendors, who glowered back, but nodded grudging assent."I don't have any money," Usha gulped."Vagrant!" the man snapped."Worse than that." The woman sniffed."Obviously no better than she should be.Look at those outlandish clothes! I want her set in the stocks and whipped!"The guardsman appeared displeased, but he didn't have much choice.The contested bread lay onthe street, having fallen out of Usha's pouch during the scuffle, and she reeked of overripe,squashed apple."We'll let the magistrate settle all this.Come along, young woman [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]