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)
Concubinage L.E. Bryce

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.Everything was made with an eye toward fitting in with its surroundings, and the wildlife seemed to appreciate it.She saw at least a half-dozen deer picking their way along the trees, stepping in delicately to nibble at a shrub here and there that seemed to have been planted especially for them.A pair of fat rabbits looked up at her as she passed by, deemed her inoffensive, and went back to their munching."What do you think?" Elora asked up at her."It's beautiful.Perfect."A nod."A lot of people wonder why Tiomi Rowan doesn't come to live here with us.""I can see why," Sara replied."Compared to this the city must seem terrible to you.""We don't like cities much.But he wouldn't be happy here.The mortals need him, and he needs Tiomi Jason.My father says that everyone has a journey to make, and that they start and end in the same places but the way inbetween can go anywhere.""Your father is very wise.""Yes," Elora agreed."So was my mother.That's why I'm smart too."Sara didn't know if she should say anything to that, but she couldn't help it--Elora had the ability to coax honesty out of people."You must miss her.""I do.She was a Priestess, and had the Sight.I'm going to be a Priestess one day, like Deisa or Talia.Except Talia doesn't talk.I like to talk.""Do you?" Sara asked."I hadn't noticed."Elora, in a rather human gesture, stuck her tongue out at Sara."Here we are--through here!"The main path had branched out in all directions as they walked, and here it wove to the right into a bank of houses, but a narrow unpaved track split to the left, toward a few smaller structures.Out in front of one, a female Elf was fitting a pine board into an unfinished table; the smells of wood shavings, fire, and something a bit like turpentine told Sara this was probably a neighborhood of artisans, like Ardeth, whose work was messy or at least needed extra space.They reached the building on the end of the row, and Sara realized it was both a workhouse and a home for Ardeth and Elora, with two stories and a fenced rear yard.She could see the enormous chimney in the back that must be the forge, and half expected to hear the clang of a hammer on an anvil, but there was no sound at the moment.They took the side door, Sara feeling suddenly awkward and nervous and rather intrusive walking into someone's home and work without any sort of warning."Father!" Elora caroled."I brought Sara!"Sara stepped into the small room, which had long workbenches lining either side, jars and boxes of materials she had no idea how to identify labeled neatly on shelves, and an array of metalworking tools laid out with care in easy reach of what looked like three separate projects in various stages of completion.One was a sculpture of some kind, halfway carved out of a block of clay that Sara guessed would be turned into a mold.She had seen Ardeth's work, of course--there was Beck's knife, and the bracelets the two immortals wore, as well as the symbolic piece he'd created for their handfasting that sat prominently on the household altar Rowan had set up in their quarters.All were exquisitely crafted in amazing detail, and each with different methods and alloys; Sara knew absolutely nothing about the craft, but she could only imagine how much time and patience went into it.The walls of the workroom bore more examples: a pair of twin blades with leaves and vines figured along their length, a silver chalice that would have been at home on the finest Pagan altar, and several pieces of jewelry, each labeled and waiting to be claimed by their owners.The door in the far wall opened, and Ardeth emerged.dirty.Sara could never remember having seen a dirty Elf before.She was going to have to take Rowan out and roll him in the mud as soon as possible.Ardeth, dressed in plain clothes covered in a heavy apron, had his sleeves rolled up, exposing muscular arms and a curving black tattoo that wrapped from elbow to wrist on the left.His hair was pulled back, and he was smudged with soot and sweat, and Sara was sure she was drooling."A bright welcome to you, lady," he said, bowing slightly."Pardon me just a moment.""Um.of course."That was when she noticed the crucible in his gloved hand, a cupful of molten silver, which he took quickly over to the bench and poured with sure, deft hands into a small square mold.He set the cup aside and held one hand over the mold, and Sara watched, fascinated, as cool energy gathered around his fingers and surrounded the cube of treated wood, doing.something arcane.He was barely even concentrating.The magic was effortless.A moment later he snapped the mold open and a perfectly-formed ring fell out onto the workbench.He picked it up and fitted it onto a conical rod, tapping it down gently with a small hammer until it had stretched out to the right size.Then, he set it aside and turned his attention back to his guests."My apologies," he said with one of those warm, toe-curling smiles."There are some aspects of my work that depend on timing.Again, welcome to our home.""Do you use magic like that for all of them?" she asked."I do the initial forging and forming with fire, but after that there is magic in every step.It takes practice to know how to cool the metal without weakening it.""It's amazing," she said."What is that you're working on?""It is a gift from one amora to another, in honor of their anniversary at Beltaine," he explained."The two became lovers at a festival twenty years ago, and survived the loss of their Clan together to come and live in peace here.""I thought the point of the Beltaine rites was that if you walked with someone, it was only for that one night?"Ardeth shrugged fluidly."Most of the time.After the rites, two may choose to see one another again, or they may consider it a night out of time, and go on their separate ways.Pairing afterward is rare but it does happen, usually among those who were already enamored of each other before.Sometimes the rites are an excuse to act upon an attraction that already existed."He wasn't looking at her, and she glanced down at Elora to see the Elfling roll her eyes."Shall I fetch wine, Father?" Elora asked pointedly.He laughed."Rebuked by my own child.I have been remiss in my hospitality.Yes, daughter, if you will bring it out to the garden we will join you there.Bring some juice for yourself."Elora nodded and disappeared.Sara felt a clench of nerves at suddenly being alone with the Elf, but there were plenty of topics of conversation all around her.She moved over to where the long knives were hanging, examining them, and asked, "Do you make a lot of weapons?""More than I would like.Most are meant to be purely ornamental, though I design them all to be functional as well [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]