When he had finished, she said, 'My lord, we waited for you to come.'
In the gloom, he smiled. He still wore his torn cloak, his ragged, dented shirt of mail. The nameless sword was at his side. He had this mannerism: that when he was worried or nervous, his hand strayed out unknown to him and caressed its hilts.
He said with 'the grave politeness of his time, 'Lady, I would have come had I felt there was any need for me.'
'Lord Cromis,'she answered, 'you are absurd.'She laughed, and did not let him see her pity. 'Death brought you here to sulk and bite yourself like an animal. In Viriconiun, we have ceased to brood on death.'
'That is your choice, madam.'
'The Reborn Men are among us: they give us new arts, new perspectives; and from us they learn how to live in a land without despoiling it. If it brings you satisfaction, Cromis, you were correct – the Empire is dead.
'But so are the Afternoon Cultures. And something wholly new has replaced them both.'
He rose, and went to the window. His tread was silent and swift. He faced her, and the sun bled to death behind him.
'Is there room in this New Empire for an involuntary assassin?'he asked. 'Is there?'
'Cromis, you are a fool.'And she would allow him no answer to that.
Later, he made her look at the Name Stars.
'There,'he said. 'You will not deny this: no one who came after could read what is written there. All empires gutter, and leave a language their heirs cannot understand.'
She smiled up at him, and pushed her hair back from her face.
'Alstath Fulthor the Reborn Man could tell you what it means,'she said.
'It is important to my nature,'he admitted, 'that it remain a mystery to me. If you will command him to keep a close mouth, I will come back.'
Notes
FB2 document info
Document ID: fbd-27f88b-59c3-7c42-5d8a-f03c-cd0f-8c017e
Document version: 1
Document creation date: 29.01.2010
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v1.0 создание файла (fb2) - Paco
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