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.2morrow.bc.caEye of the Ocean – Book 1: Ji’Jin Stationher, as though the rocks were teeth.The smell of powdered stone made her wantto sneeze.Copying this? The dance, was that included? “Tell me from thebeginning,” she said.What did he remember, Mullaki wondered as Clanny served the tea, using theextended Filtal ritual.She accepted the bowl from him.“I've always found suchthings to be more useful as a barrier than for drinking tea.Do we need a barrier between us?”An older man, his eyes were silver and black in a delicate tracing that wasmost attractive.He would have grown old by her side.Had the youngerassociated Cohort a member by that name?“Lady, I don't know what we need.” Reserve and amusement.Some kind ofmemories, she felt the pain behind the polish of his actions.And the ability to block her prying that most her of tass'alts learned very early.She had the broad picture from Angsalit, Anga.that name would do, shethought.Thick and solid, with a weak ending, like the man.“Have you looked atthe books?” she asked her tass'alt.Clanny shook his head.“Do you wish to?”The sunlight on the green silk covered wall hadn't moved in the time they hadbeen here.A lazy pull, she thought, the whole thing had a flat texture as though a sudden movement would tear it.But to show what?She laughed.“Which book?” The room was filled with books.“I'm not sure theywould be more in the hand than the sunlight.This Poss a'ltic is taking us step by step, settling us in like she would two dogs needing training.”“Imaginary dogs at that.” He put his tea bowl on the tray and stood.To thetable first, the books real enough there to be picked up.A blue leather book with rings on the cover.He felt it with his hand, a caressing motion that was almost familiar.She walked over to be next to him.“You were with Poss a'ltic when she died.And, I understand you were aliveafter the Ladybug had gone.What do you remember?”His eyes looked like frost in the moonlight.“More than I thought I should beable to.Up until the Ladybug went into the portal on Alisim, all of that, then.fragments where nothing should be.Memories by a person who doesn't existabout time in a place that doesn't exist.” His soft hands put the book back on the table.“The Empress' link, I suppose.If she's dreams as Anga says.Although, Iremember.”“After her death?”He nodded.Her white braid ends gathered dust from the table.The other books were solidenough.“More than just her, this is feeding off the other Select.”“Ulanda.”Laurel Hickeywww.2morrow.bc.caEye of the Ocean – Book 1: Ji’Jin Station“Of course, you knew her as well.”“Yes.”For all that the pull still seemed flat, the nearest bookcase was solid.“I can't call them fools,” she said, “but what they are doing is foolish.” Trying to pick up a box of crystals, her fingers slipped against the shiny wood sides, leaving her with the lid in her hand and the box on the floor.As Clanny picked the rods up, theclicking said they were solid too.“Let me do that,” he said when she would have fit the lid back on.“What areyou looking for?”“Other options.”“Do we have any?” He carried the box to the table and when he turned, hisface was composed, overly composed.“Any more than they do?”Her tass'alt and he knew her expressions and when to be worried.“Normallynot.We would be less than players on a stage, acting out a memory or afragment out of pattern.We wouldn't be conscious of it being a pull.”He had stayed by the table.Was he trying to lure her back there? “And whatAnga has planned?” he asked, running a finger along the inlaid design as thoughstudying it.Licking a finger, he moistened the surface.Green in the joins.She found another memory where there shouldn't be one.He looked up when she didn't answer.“Don't you agree with the end result?”She laughed again.He obviously didn't.Did the Empress know how reluctantat least two of her associates were to be involved? Would this be fine-tuned,replayed with minor adjustments, until they fit what she wanted? “I'm bored with this room, with waiting.Would I have been?”He looked at her.“We would have played word games, we had a runningaccount of who won, but you would have been bored.You would have gone intopattern to wait.You.”“Retreated?”“Yes.”Could she now? Her world-pattern surrounded her like an aura but was it realor part of the memory? “I asked for you, did you know that?”“And got me,” he said dryly.“You were my existence once and obviously, areagain.” Then he shook his head and dropped the formal tone for the first time.“Mulli, this thing leaks.I don't agree with you about them not being fools, or it's that they're.”“Desperate?”“Or both.” He smiled tightly with the rising count.“You had met Poss a'lticbefore we left Palace on the Zimmer ship.And Ulanda, you had known her sinceshe was a child [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]