Pokrewne

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Chelsea Handler Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang (epub
Brit Brinson [Dia of the Dead Dia of the Dead (epub)
Cody Goodfellow [Radiant Dawn Radiant Dawn (epub)
Cate Tiernan [Immortal Belove Immortal Beloved (epub)
C J Busby [Deep Amber 01] Deep Amber (retail) (epub)
Carl Ashmore [Time Hunters 01 The Time Hunters (epub)
Drew Hayes [Super Powereds 02 Super Powereds Year 2 (epub) i
Beth Harbison [Shoe Addict 02 Secrets of a Shoe Addict (epub)
Cara Lynn Shultz [Dark World The Dark World (retail) (epub)
Duel.Joost.Zwagerman

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.You progged? Want to get something to eat?”She smiled—he still knew his eastern words, even if he only used them with her.In fact she was hungry, but festival food was more expensive than what she could find in the city.Her money wouldn’t last if she spent it imprudently.“Well,” she hedged, “I wasn’t planning on eating at the festival.”“Come on now, I’ll buy,” said Justien.“We’ve already got the whiskey.”The whole situation was awkward.This man wasn’t her friend; he was her competitor.He might feel generous toward her now, since he didn’t think she had a chance of winning.But when evening rolled around and he saw how well she could shoot, she had a feeling he might regret his earlier kindness.“I insist,” said Justien.“All right.” He was the only man from eastern Kjall she’d met since leaving home.It made sense that she should at least pick his brain about how to get by as an easterner in the south.He smiled and took her hand to lead her away from the rail.She walked beside him through the festival grounds, aware of his big hand holding hers, of his body heat and his sheer size beside her.She’d been away from home a year now, and even compared to her family members she was tall.She was not accustomed to being towered over.He stopped at two tents in succession, buying first two bags of roasted chestnuts and then some grilled meat and vegetables on sticks.They found seats in a deserted corner of the racetrack viewing area.“I know you’re eastern,” said Justien, settling his huge body onto the too-small seat.“Am I right in guessing you’re from the Vereth highlands?”“Exactly right.And you?”“Born and raised, but haven’t been back in years,” said Justien.“What clan are you from? Please don’t say Kelden.”Nalica almost choked on the grilled pepper she was eating.She was from Clan Kelden.“You must be from Clan Polini.”“I am.So you are Kelden, then.” He shook his head.“I should have known.”“I suppose we’re enemies,” said Nalica.Justien’s chewing slowed.“If it doesn’t bother you, it doesn’t bother me.Hardly seems to matter anymore.”He was right; the old feuds seemed so far away.When she’d been a girl, the battles between neighboring clans had meant something.Her family had land and herds to protect.Now that land—well, it wasn’t worthless, but you couldn’t do much more than herd goats and cattle on it, and the farmers in the lowlands were producing better animals.These days hardly anyone in the mountains could turn a profit from herding.Most of her people had sold off their stock.“It doesn’t bother me.”“You have the tattoo?”She nodded, opening her right fist to show him.The Kelden half-moon was on the palm of her hand.It was why she kept her hands closed most of the time, or at her sides with palms turned toward her thighs.Southern Kjallans didn’t wear clan marks.He set down his food and took her hand to examine it.“That’s the Kelden mark, all right.” He traced the tattoo with his fingers.It tickled, but she held her hand still, not wanting him to let go.“You’ll be Yvar’s get,” he said.She nodded.“Yvar is my father.”“Thought so.” He grimaced.She swallowed.“Let’s see yours.” She took his right hand and flipped it over.There it was, the Polini double hash mark.As he had done, she ran her fingers along the black markings.She knew what Justien was probably thinking, if he could put the clan differences behind him.He hoped to seduce her, to find himself a bedmate for the duration of the festival.And she, in her foolishness, was encouraging him.She’d sleep with him in a heartbeat except that after this evening they’d be enemies, and not because of any clan marks.“Have you guessed my father’s name?” asked Justien.“Lerran,” said Nalica.“Right you are.”It was a funny thing.A decade ago, if Justien and Nalica, the son and daughter of rival clan lords, had been caught together, it would have been scandalous.But nobody cared anymore.The clans had scattered to the winds.Yvar was an old man, crippled by joint pain, and Lerran was dead.“Tell me your history,” said Justien.“How did you become a war mage?”“My father had no sons,” said Nalica.“We had the riftstone, which had been my grandfather’s.When Yvar came to understand that there would be no male issue, he talked of selling it.We’d sold off most of our stock years ago, and money was tight.”Justien nodded.“My clan sold its stock too.”“My mother convinced him to give the topaz to me instead,” said Nalica.“She said it was my right to have it, since I was his heir.We barely had the money to pay for my training—in fact I’m pretty sure my mother borrowed most of it.I hope to pay her back someday.”“So you became a war mage.”“The idea was that if I had war magic, I’d always be able to find work, even if the clan fell apart.Which it did.” How ironic, that her family had once believed a war mage would always be employable.“What have you done since then?” Justien asked.“After we sold off the herds, my father organized what was left of the clan into a mercenary troop.We hired on to guard unpopular lords, escort caravans, sometimes fight on one side or the other of a skirmish.”His brows rose.“You became a mercenary.”She nodded.“For the last several years, since Yvar was too infirm, I’ve been the leader of the troop.But there’s not enough work for mercenaries anymore.The emperor has thrown out the unpopular lords, and he sends his battalions in to quiet the skirmishes.We’re simply not needed the way we used to be.And there’s not enough money in guarding caravans.”“You’re right about that,” said Justien, rolling his eyes.“What about you? You left earlier than I.”Justien nodded.“Around the time we sold off the stock.My father died in a duel.It wasn’t with anyone of your clan.”“I heard about it.” Her family had celebrated when they’d heard the news, but now she felt a little embarrassed about that.“All our best people were leaving to look for work.My mother had no money, and she had my younger brother and sister to support.So I trained at the palaestra and joined the imperial army as a prefect.The pay was steady, and I sent my salary home.When the emperor disbanded Red Eagle battalion, I found myself out of work.I looked for another spot, but nothing was available.Since then I’ve scraped by the way you have: odd jobs, escorting caravans.”“You still send money home?”“When I can.”Now she felt guilty.He needed the job as much as she did, arguably more so since he was supporting his extended family.She only needed to pay her own way and repay the debt to her mother.No, she could not afford to think like this.She was more qualified; at least, she hoped the tournament would demonstrate that.She could not feel sympathy for Justien.He might have a family to support, but he was a man.He probably got ten times as many job offers as she did.And clearly he had more money, if he could afford to eat at the festival and she couldn’t.Why had she let him pay her way? To lead him on was absolute foolishness [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]