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."What am Italking about, Thea! How the hell did they ever get past Tethys?"They waited for her to say more, but that was it.Larry returned to his book,and Trini began to straighten things for the seventeenth time.On the cot,Robin slept quietly.When Robin groaned, Cirocco was instantly at her side, and Larry was not farbehind.Trini hovered behind them and had to retreat quickly when Ciroccomoved to let Larry in to take Robin's pulse.Robin opened her eyes when Larry touched her arm, tried to pull away, andblinked slowly.Something in Larry's voice calmed her.She looked at him, then at Cirocco.Shedid not see Trini in the shadows."I dreamed I." she began, then shook her head."How do you feel, Robin?" Cirocco asked.Robin's eyes moved slowly."Where were you?" she said petulantly."That's a good question.Can you listen to the answer? That way you won't haveto talk for a while."Robin nodded."Okay.First, I sent Hornpipe back to Titantown to get a crew to clear out theentrance to the stairs.If you remember, it was completely cut off."Robin nodded again."It took awhile to get everyone there and longer than I'd thought to clear itall away.TheTitanides were willing to work, but they behaved strangely under the cable.They'd wander away, and when you found them, they didn't remember leaving.SoI had to hire some human help, too, and wasted even more time."But we got it clear and took a team of seven humans down to Tethys.Thechamber was flooded higher than I've ever seen it.She wouldn't speak to me,and there was nothing I could do about it since even Gaea carries no weightwith Tethys."So I came here.I was sure you all were dead, but I wouldn't believe it untilI found your bodies, no matter how long it took.If Tethys had killed you, I.I don't know what I would have done, but I would have done something toher she'd never forget.Anyway, there was that outside chance you had made itPage 186 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlby her and into the catacombs.""We did.And Valiha-""Don't talk yet.Save your strength.Now, as far as I know, me and Gaby arethe only humans who have ever been down there, and I knew little about thecatacombs except that they go on forever and are impossible to find your waythrough.I went to see Thea anyway and told her that if any of you showed up,she was to let you through without hindrance.Then I tried to explore the eastend of the catacombs, and I had to give it up after a few weeks.I wasn'tgetting anywhere.Idecided I'd risk leaving and organizing a group to come down there properlyequipped and explore every meter of the place, and for that I had to order alot of things from Earth.I didn't really think any of you had made it, yousee, and I-""I understand," Robin said with a sniff."But Thea.oh, damn it.I thoughtI had.Ithought I made it past her on my own.But she was just playing with me." Shelooked as if she were going to cry, but in the end she was too weak to do it.Cirocco took Robin's hand."Pardon me," she said."You misunderstood.I was a long way from satisfiedThea would take an order from me if I wasn't there to enforce it.She'sobsessive about her privacy.I was afraid that if any of you did show up,she'd kill you and destroy the bodies and let Tethys take thefile:///G|/rah/John%20Varley%20-%20Gaea%2002%20-%20Wizard.txt (143 of 164)[2/14/2004 1:06:22 AM]file:///G|/rah/John%20Varley%20-%20Gaea%2002%20-%20Wizard.txt blame since sheknew I already thought that's what happened and there wasn't a damn thing Icould do about it unless I wanted to camp out on her doorstep for a fewmonths.Maybe I should have done that anyway because-""That's all right," Robin said.She smiled weakly."I handled it.""You sure did, and someday I'd like to know how.Anyway, I did what Icould-though I sure as hell wish I'd done more now-and I was going to startdown to Thea in three or four more days whenI got a call from Trini that you'd come knocking at her door.I got here asfast as I could."Robin closed her eyes and nodded."Anyway," Cirocco went on after a pause, "there are a lot of things I'vewanted to ask you, and if you feel up to it, maybe I can ask them now.Thebiggest thing that's been on my mind is why Gaby let you go down to Tethys inthe first place.I know her, and she knows me, even if we don't always getalong, and she should have known I'd find a way to clear those rocks and comein to get you all.Then, when she didn't show up with you, I wondered why shedidn't, and now I'm wondering if she was hurt and couldn't." Her voicetrailed off.Robin had opened her eyes, and the look of horror there was soplain to Trini that she knew instantly what had happened.She turned away."I thought when you cleared away the rocks." Robin wailed.Trini turned back, and it was as if Cirocco had turned to stone.Finally herlips moved, but her voice was dead."We found nothing," she said."I don't know what to say.We left her there.We wanted to bury her, but therewas just no." She trailed off into tears, and Cirocco stood.Her eyes looked at nothingas she turned, andTrini knew she would never forget those dead eyes that swept over her as ifshe were not there as the Wizard of Gaea fumbled for the door latch andstepped outside onto the narrow porch.They heard her going down the ladder;then there was no sound at all but Robin's weeping.They worried about her, but when they looked out, she was standing with herback to them, a hundred meters away, knee-deep in snow.She did not move forPage 187 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlmore than an hour.Trini was going to go out and get her, but Larry said giveher more time.Then Robin said she had to talk to her, and he went down theladder.Trini could see him speaking to her.Cirocco did not turn her head butdid follow him when he put his hand on her shoulder
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Tematy
IndexJohn Ringo Ghost 01 Ghost
John Norman Gor 04 Nomads of Gor
John Norman Gor 01 Tarnsman of Gor
John Norman Gor 23 Renegades of Gor
John DeChancie Castle 07 Castle Spellbound
John Norman Gor 12 Beasts of Gor
John Dalmas Farside 01 The Lion of Farside
ÂŚpiewajacy żółw Zygmunt Zeydler Zborowski
§ Trigiani Adriana Pula szczęÂścia 02 Pula marzeń
Coulter Catherine Devil's Duology 01 W objęciach diabła