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be irreparably sundered. The rituals of the temple, whose origins are one
with
the God Himself, are the balance between mortal and immortal. Anyone
who
circumvents the rituals, for any reason however well-intentioned ... anyone
who
does not hearken to the call of the hierarchy in its needs subverts the proper
relationship of god and worshipper to the damning harm of both!'
Again the experienced Imperial Hierarch stared down on the young,
awestruck
Prince. Molin was only half-conscious of overstating the case for stringent
observation of the rituals. Vashanka's displeasure when He was not
properly
appeased was extensively documented. The rituals were all intended to bind
a
capricious and hungry deity.
The crowd outside Molin's window raised its voice and shut down their
conversation; the day's verdicts were being proclaimed. There would be two
more
hangings on the morrow. Kadakithis started when his name was used to
justify the
awful punishments the Empire meted out to its criminals. He shrank back
from the
window as a huge black crow landed on the sill, swivelling its head in a
lopsided start of dark-curiosity. The Prince shooed it back to the gallows.
'I will do what I can, Molin. I will speak with my advisers.'
'My Dear Prince, in matters regarding the spiritual well-being of the
Imperial Presence in Sanctuary, I am your only trusted adviser.'
Molin regretted his burst of temper at once; though the Prince gave him
smooth
verbal assurances, the Vashankan priest was now certain that the Hound
Tempus
would know by sundown.
Tempus: a plague, a thorn, a malignancy to the proper order of things. A son
of
Vashanka, a true-son no doubt, and utterly unfettered by the constraints of
ritual and hierarchy. If even a fraction of the rumours about him were to be
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believed; if he had survived dissection on Kurd's tables ... It could not be
believed. Tempus could not be so far beyond the hierarchy's reach.
Well, Molin thought after a moment, I'm a true-son too. Let the Prince run
to
him in sweating anxiety. Let him consult with Tempus; let them conspire
against
me - I'll still succeed.
Generations of priests had bred generations of true-sons to Vashanka. The
god
was not quite the blood-drinker he once was.
Vashanka could be constrained and, after all, Molin's side of the family was
far
bigger than Tempus's.
He watched the Prince leave without feeling panic. The crow returned to
the
window-ledge as was its daily custom. The bird cawed impatiently while
Molin and
the mute prepared its feast: live mouse dipped in wine. The priest watched
the
bird disappear back to the Maze rooftops, staring after its flight long after
his wife had begun to shout his name.
4
Seylalha stood perfectly still while the dourfaced women draped the sea-
green
froth around her. The women would not hesitate to prick her sharply with
their
bodkins and needles, though they took the greatest of care with the silk. They
stepped back and signalled that she should spin on her toes for them.
Deep folds of material billowed out into delicate clouds at her slightest
movement. The texture of the cloth against her skin was so unlike the heavy
tatters of her usual attire that for once she forgot to watch the intricate
dance-language other instructors a; they discussed their creation.
The time must be drawing near; they would not dress her like this unless it
was
almost time for her marriage to the god. The moon above her cell was a
thin
crescent fading to blackness.
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They got their instruments and began to play. Without waiting for the
sharp
report of the clatter-sticks, Seylalha began to dance, letting the unhemmed
ends
of the silk swirl out to accompany her as she moved through the hundreds
of
poses - each painfully inured in her muscles. She flowed with the atonal
music,
throwing her soul into each leap and turn, keenly aware that this
meaningless
collection of movements would become her only, exquisite plea for freedom.
When she settled into the final frantic moments of the dance the sea-green
silk
was caught in her flying hair and lifted away from her body until it was [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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