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her mouth opening and fastening in place.
 You little piglet, murmured Ryba.
 Like her mother, affirmed Nylan.  She s concentrating on what s
important.
His senses extended over his daughter, taking in the hair that would be
silver and the narrower face that was also from his Svennish heritage. In some
ways, almost, she felt like Kyalynn, Siret s silver-haired daughter.
Nylan swallowed, then looked away toward the window, back out to the
spring, and the melting snow, back out to the few green shoots that hurried
through the patches of white.
Not now, he thought, not now, and he forced a smile, which turned into a
real one as he watched Dyliess, even though his chest was tight, and a sense
of chaos swirled through his thoughts.
 They re both fine, Ayrlyn affirmed.
Jaseen nodded.
Ryba s eyes closed, a half-smile on her face.
LXXIV
 DON T WE KNOW where we re heading? Or when? Hissl walks to the barracks
door. By looking out and down the street, he can see the haze of light
green-the grasslands that stretch all the way from Clynya to the South Branch
of the River Jeryna.
Koric shrugs.  Lord Sillek is not telling anyone. We know we will be moving
against either Lord Ildyrom or against those angels on the Roof of the World.
One way or the other& we have to be ready.
 He hasn t said? asks the white wizard.
 No. Rimmur said he almost took off his head for asking. Koric laughs.  I
can t say as I blame Lord Sillek. If people knew where or when, they d be
ready, and our armsmen would be killed. As it is, everyone s waiting for him
to make a mistake, any mistake. Everyone talks. You know how hard it is to
keep things quiet. Ildyrom probably has spies in every tavern in Clynya, and a
few other places as well, if you know as to what I mean.
 Yes, I know. Hissl smiles faintly.
 You seen any sign of the Jeranyi, yet, in your glass? Koric asks.
 Not anywhere close to the grasslands, but the grass is short, and the
way s still muddy.
 Could they come up the river? Don t you wizards have trouble with running
water? Koric fingers the hilt of the big blade on the bench before him.
  I can see what s on the water, not what s in it or under it. But they
wouldn t swim all the way upstream from Berlitos. Hissl forces a chuckle.
 No, Wizard, I guess they wouldn t. But you be looking for them. I wouldn t
want any surprises. Neither would Lord Sillek.
 I ll be looking, Hissl replies.  I ll certainly be looking
LXXV
FROM THE CAUSEWAY, Ayrlyn and Nylan looked at the fields and the stretches of
mud that had been crude roads the previous fall and snow-covered trails
through the winter. The fields and meadows were white and brown, still
primarily white, although long green shoots poked through the white in places.
 Snow lilies. Ayrlyn pointed to a green stem rising from the snow.
 Some things will grow in the strangest conditions, mused Nylan.  They
grow through the snow, and we can t even walk up the hill without sinking
knee-deep in mud. We re not moving much anywhere for a while.
 The stables are even more of a mess because all that packed snow turned
into ice and then melted all at once. Fierral s in a terrible mood. Then, I m
surprised she s not that way more often.
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
 Why? asked the engineer.
 How would you like to be the chief armsmaster under Ryba? Fierral knows
that nothing she does will ever match Ryba. That means she ll always be the
chief flunky.
 Hadn t thought about that, but it makes sense.
 Of course it does. Ayrlyn snorted.
 We won t be seeing any bandits or invaders for a while, I d bet.
 No traders, either, pointed out Ayrlyn.
 You could ride out, and it would be dry when you returned.
 If it didn t rain, but I couldn t bring much back without the cart, and
how would I get it out of here?
 Hadn t thought about mud. Nylan turned his eyes downhill and to the east.
Below the lower outfalls, the cold rushing water, both from the runoff
diverted from around the bathhouse and tower and from the drainage system, had
cut an even deeper gouge through the low point of the muddy swathe that had
been a road, a depression that was fast becoming a small gorge.
 I knew I should have built a culvert there, muttered Nylan.
 Exactly when did you have time? asked Ayrlyn.
 The road to the ridge needs to be paved. Nylan ignored her question,
since the only free time he d had, had been after the snow had fallen.  It s [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]