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.TheRoyal Raven may hide from me, for the nonce, but no mortal could do it save thee.And twice thouhast done so!"Ashalind shook her head."I know not why, unless due to luck, or ill-luck, or fate.Alas, would that thouhadst been able to save Tamhania from destruction!""I knew nought of the isle's danger until too late.No one at Tana heeded the warning signs, thereforethey sent no early plea for help.When at last the ill tidings came to my ears I sped there forthwith, but bythe time my Skyhorse reached the latitude of the Royal Isle, all was in ruins.""After the island was drowned didst thou not presume I had perished during its fall?""The denizens of the sea reported thou wert not numbered among the dead.Yet then, for a time, I didthink thy life had ended, for my servants had scoured Erith and thy absence appeared to indicate thy totaldestruction.Shouldst thou have been slain, and thy body rendered unrecognizable, then they would neverhave discovered thee.""Unrecognizable? In what manner?""Crushed, dissolved, incinerated, eaten.But let us speak no more of hateful matters.I have found thee,Gold-Hair.That compensates for all."Page 258 "Now at last we may enjoy the company of one another," she whispered, somewhat shyly."Even so!" he replied."And share our full histories as previously we could not and did not!"In a corner of the Royal Pavilion, Errantry roosted on a tall stand.At the center stood a table carved ofwalnut and oak, inlaid with hawthorn-wood.Ashalind found Thomas of Ercildoune and Tamlain ofRoxburgh seated at this table with Richard of Esgair Garthen and Istoren Giltornyr, battle-weary yetunwounded or if they had been wounded there was now no sign of it."It is a joy to meet again with the Royal Attriod," said she.They bowed, murmuring their greetings.True Thomas kissed her hand."Valiantly you fought," she said to them.Roxburgh's face was grim."Aye, lady, but our success was not timely enough."He fell silent."Drumdunach and Ogier are sorely missed," said Ashalind, seating herself at the table."Those who slew them have paid the price," answered Roxburgh heavily."Now at last peace hasreturned to Erith " He glanced at Ashalind and she saw in his look that same hunger she knew so well,"and there is a Way Back."She nodded."Yes.There is a way.I shall find it again."A page poured wine, but the goblets stood untouched."They say you have discovered our secret, my lady," softly said Ercildoune, "as we have discoveredyours.For if you are a thousand years old, we are older.Our exploits of yore are the stuff of legend.""Indeed," Ashalind replied."I recall, when I was a child in Avlantia my nurse used to tell me tales of thebard who dwelled half in the Fair Realm and half in Erith.Even then it was thought to be moonshine, afabrication of the Storytellers to while away long Winter nights.But what of you, sir?" she said to TamlainConmor."I surmise that you also were once in that place, but I cannot fathom how it came to pass.""A distraction from our present grief would be welcome," said the Bard, before Roxburgh could reply."Allow me to regale you with that story." She nodded, and he proceeded."There is on Roxburgh land a green vale called Carterhaugh," he began."In that vale lies a secret bower,filled with wild roses in Springtime.Long ago before the Closing, strange things began happening atCarterhaugh.It came to pass that roses bloomed there all year round, even through the snows of Winter,and they were double roses, gorgeous blooms with richly colored petals like flounced silk underskirts, thelike of which had never before been seen in Erith.The fragrance alone, it was said, was enough tointoxicate anyone who went near.""Few dared go near, for this unseasonable burgeoning was a sure sign of supernatural activity in the area.Indeed, parents forbade their children to venture there, lest some harm overtake them.But the attractionproved too strong for some, especially for young maidens who wished to pluck these extraordinary rosesfor their sweetness, in order to strew the petals amongst their linen or wear the flowers twined in theirPage 259 hair.""After a time a rumor began to fly about.It was whispered that any mortal maiden who strayed inCarterhaugh would be captured by a young knight who appeared as the guardian of the roses.He wouldnot let her go free until she gave him a token, and that token was either her cloak or her maidenhead.Knowing that if they returned home without their mantles they would incur their parents' wrath andinquisition, and perceiving this strange knight so well-made and bonny, many a maiden came home withher mantle still upon her shoulders and nobody the wiser.""Yet truth has a way of revealing itself.""Soon the infamy of the unknown knight of Carterhaugh became widely known.It was said that he wasone of the Faran, and now with even greater urgency and direr threats, fathers forbade their daughtersto go anywhere near Carterhaugh.But one headstrong and some would say foolish maid, thedaughter of a nobleman, decided to venture there despite the warnings, or because of them, for shewanted to see this comely knight for herself.This was somewhat of a contrary wench.She was wont towear green and flaunt it, just to show her indomitable spirit.Without breathing a word to anyone shewent to Carterhaugh alone.""When she arrived at the bower of roses, the scent of them filled her with a joyous languor.She lookedabout amongst the nodding stems, which bowed almost to the ground beneath the weight of those headyblooms, but no sign could she see of any living thing.""Greatly daring, she began to gather the roses.She had not plucked more than two, when the youngknight stood before her.""'Lady, gather no more,' said he.'Why come you to Carterhaugh without permission from me?'""Boldly this saucy maiden planted her hands on her hips and looked him in the eye.'I'll come and go,'she replied, 'and ask no leave of you!'""She returned to her father's hall that night with her mantle still wrapped about her, but her gown wascrumpled and there were some small rents in it as though it had caught on some briars.Nobody thoughtanything of it, for this maiden was not one to care overmuch for the daintiness of her garments.But shewent often to Carterhaugh after that, and no one suspected.""Then one day her father came to her.He was a kindly gentleman and he loved his daughterwell perhaps too well, for that was why she had been able to get her own way for so long.""'Alas, daughter,' said he, not angry but mild and meek, 'I fear you are with child.Name the father and ifhe be one of my knights you shall have him to wed
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Tematy
IndexLumley.Brian. .[Psychomech.03]. .Psychoamok
Jeffries Sabrina Lord 03 Niebezpieczny lord
Coulter Catherine Gwiazda 03 Gwiazda z nefrytu
Łajkowska Anna Wrzosowisko 03 Cienie na wrzosowisku
Coulter Catherine Baron 03 Szalony baron
Fiora 03 Fiora i papież Benzoni Juliette
Marlowe Mia Dotyk 03 Dotyk oszustaS303
Finanse i rozliczenia mićÂdzynarodowe (26 stron)
Baldacci Dav
Eo Uzino 2