Part 45 (1/2)
”Lady, her as tothe le syllable resonated deep in Montet's chest, infor, for a moment, the very rhythm of her heartbeat”No,” repeated the Voice, quieter ”To follow such a course would be to grant its every desire To the despair of all things living”
”What is it?” Montet heard herself blurt
The Voice bowed her head ”It is the Shadow of Naratha For every great good throws a shadohich is, in its nature, great evil”
Raising her head, she took a breath and began, softly, to chant ”Of all who fought, it was Naratha who prevailed against the Enemy Prevailed, and drove the Enemy into the back beyond of space, froain ventured The shadows of Naratha's triulorious, roa, for that is what they do” The Voice paused The chant vibrated against the pure white walls for a uage of legend-hyperbole Yet the wo in a sent-and infinitely sorrowful
”Voices were trained,” the Voice was now calmly factual, ”to counteract the vibration of evil We were chosen to sing, to hold against and-equalize-what slighter folk cannot encorant that the equation is exact”
Montet stared She was a Liaden and accustomed to the demands of Balance But this- ”You will die? But by your own saying it wants just that!”
The Voice smiled ”I will not die, nor will it want destruction when the song is through” She tipped her ray, across her proud shoulders
”Those who travel between the stars see many wonders I aer”
Balance, clear enough Montet bowed her head ”Say on”
”You will stand withthis monster down You atch and you will reht and sound If you do, use the the news to Lietta, First Novice, she ould have been voice, say to her that you are under geas to study in our library When you have studied, I require you to return to the stars, to discover what has happened-to the rest of us” She paused
”You will bring what you find to this outpost You will also initiate your fellow star-travelers into the mysteries of Naratha's Discord” The wonderful voice faltered and Montet bent her head
”In the event,” she said, softly, ”that the equation is not-entirely-precise” She straightened ”I accept your Balance”
”So,” said the Voice ”Take , while Montet dragged the stasis box out, unsealed it and flipped open the lid At a sign fro, whatever it was, rolled out onto the grass, buzzing angrily
”I hear you, Discord,” the Voice nMontet dropped back, triggering the three recorders with a touch to her utility belt
The Voice began to sing
A phrase only, though the beauty of it pierced Montet heart and soul
The phrase ended and the space where it had hung was filled with the fa
Serene, the voice heard the answer out, then sang again, passion flowing forth like fla in the space between Montet's ears She gasped and looked to the Voice, but her face was as slass
Once more, the woman raised her voice, and it seerassland breeze fresher, than it had been adid not allow her to finish, but vibrated in earnest Montet shrieked at the agony in her joints and fell to knees, staring up at the voice, who sang on, weaving around and through the ht, just before her vision grayed and she could see no longer
She could hear, though, even after the pain had flattened her face down in the grass The song went on, never faltering, never heeding the heat that Montet felt rising fro, despite the taint in the once clean air
The Voice hit a note, high, true and sweet Montet's vision cleared The Voice stood, legs braced, face turned toward the sky, her hty throat corded with effort The note continued, i, passionate, irrefutable There was only that note, that truth-nothing alaxy
Montet took a breath and discovered that her lungs no longer burned She moved an ar on, and the day was brilliant, perfect, beyond perfect, into Godlike, and the Voice herself was beauty incarnate, singing, singing, fading, becorassland and the breeze
Abruptly, there was silence, and Montet stood alone in the grass near her shi+p, hard by an empty stasis box
Of the Voice of Naratha-of Naratha's Shadow-there was no sign at all
Heirloom
HE WOKE, PANTING, out of a snare of dreams in which he over and over ran to succor a child, hideously suspended over a precipice, the slender branch clutched in terrified sht-while he ran-ran at the top of his speed And arrived, over and over, full seconds after the branch gave way and the tiny body plummeted down
He opened his eyes-not too far-and sed as the di, he took careful stock
The dream-it had somehow become the dreah that he'd considered once or twice taking it to the HealersOn other ht with physical complaints, his considerations had always led him to reject the notion that the dream was prophetic, for hadn't he been tested by the dra as well as at the order of his ave face to child, nor location to tree or cliff
The dra tests-so exactly what it was expected of hi anything of him, but neither his mother nor anyone else seeh for pilot, nor possessed of whatever soo understood that neither the clan's shi+ps nor the clan's allies a the Healers or the dra about for what he could do to support hi in full measure all the stubborn pride of his House He would take not a dex from the clan that could not use him His quartershares could accumulate in his account until the cantra overran the bank and flowed down the streets of Solcintra
So he had cast about He could shoot, of course, but one could scarcelyas a tournaun and target practice at Tey Dor's had brought hi with soh true prophecy
Early last evening, however, he had a moment of prophecy It ca with Guayar Himself It seemed that Guayar knew a certain house which had need of one well-placed, and well-taught, and well-versed in the Code, and able to travel with a group of children, teaching as well as protecting, she'd suggested that she knew of just such a person
Travel with children?
He had been on his way out, intending to stop at the parlor only long enough to take graceful leave of his parent and exchange pleasantries with her guest Rag-o these duties and instead left immediately by a discreet exit that did not require hione, not to Tey Dor's, which had been his first, and perhaps best, inclination, but to a aes, which was not his habit
Now, his head hurt aboh not quite in revolt
Mixed fortune, there He supposed he should rise, shower and prepare himself to meet the dubious pleasures of the day After all, it wasn't as if he had never been drunk before
In truth, he was rarely drunk, being a young man of fastidious nature Certainly, he was never drunk while gaht's losses at the piket table were a, he raised his hands and scrubbed the the friction
Gods, what a perforusted with himself, and not the most for his losses at cards At least he had retained sense enough not to enter the shooting contest proposed by pin'Weltir!
At least-he thought he had His rin, rather
spotty
His stomach clenched, and he took a deeper breath than he wanted-and another-forcing himself to liecalmly, to wait for the memories to rise There