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Mercy s. In the other she held a glass candle lamp, the flame of the candle casting odd upside down shadows on her face. Her eyes had that stony sheen that terrified Thann whenever xe saw it, and her lips were curved in a tight triumphant smile. The other Mercys followed, two columns of them, hands gliding through the Praise Songs, the shadows they cast dancing across the walls, dancing across Thann as they swept past xe. Xe followed them from the House and into the street. Isaho started singing, her voice cutting through the noise from the crowd of Pilgrims. God has told me, she sang. God has spoken, God has promised, the Fence will fall, it falls tonight. When xe heard that, Thann s stomachs turned to ice. Watching Isaho search faces everywhere for Mam, Baba, and Keleen after they passed through the Gate that first day was sad and troubling, and when her daughter began prophesying for the Mercys and the Pilgrims as if she were denying her grief again by using God as a shield, that was even harder to bear. But this .... Xe didn t know which would be more terrible for Isaho if the Fence stayed right where it was, or if it fell. And xe had no idea what xe could do. The, procession swept up Bond Sisters as it passed their House, sucked in more and more Pilgrims as it moved down to Progress Way. Prophet Speakers came to swell the mix as they moved past the Seminary and the Tent. Brothers poured from the Grand Yeson as they circled around it and headed down the, wide avenue toward the Fish Gate and the seafront. Thann s anyalit picked up the excitement around them and needed constant minding as xe tried to crawl out of the pouch and go scurrying up the handholds sewn into the front of the robe so xe could sit with xe s head out the neck opening and see what was happening. Xe walked with both hands pushed through the side slits in the hatchry robe so xe could catch the little wriggler and shove the questing head back past the pouch sphincter. It was a rather welcome distraction from xe s worry about Isaho, because all this activity meant the babbit was not only healthy but bright beyond xe s age. As the procession reached the wharf, Thann tried to get closer to Isaho, but the press of the throng about her pushed xe aside. Afraid for xe s babbit, xe gave up the struggle and moved away until she came to a double bitt. Xe settled xeself with xe s legs hanging over the edge of the wharf, xe s back and side pressed against the bitts. Though xe couldn t see xe s daughter, xe could hear her as she sang the shimbil litany, the crowd of watchers an-swering her. The golden glow of the Fence flickered on, constant as the beat of Thann s heart. Xe stroked the babbit s small head until xe went soft against xe s palm and withdrew into the pouch to curl up with the nipple in xe s mouth. An hour passed. Page 123 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Another. The shimmer at the edge of the sky vanished. Even the most fervent watchers were silent, even they didn t believe what they were seeing. They waited for the glow to come back. A soughing like the wind rising be-fore a storm passed across the wharves as the thousands out here drew in a collective breath and held it. Thann stared into the darkness and wondered about the offworlder who d rescued them; it seemed a logical connection. Who else would know how to bring the Fence down? Praised be God, the Fence has fallen. Isaho s voice rang out, broke the spell that was holding the watchers si-lent. A mal somewhere in the middle of the press shouted, Miracle! More shouts. Holy Child. Messenger of God. Bless us, Child. Touch my hand. Heal me. Bless me. Thann huddled against the bitts and tried to keep from being stepped on as xe watched two Brothers lift Isaho onto their shoulders. Surrounded by Mercys and Bond. Sisters and Brothers and Prophet Speakers, Isaho and the mals holding her pushed through the crowd toward the gate, chanting the Praises. Xe watched xe s daughter accept this adulation as her due, then xe leaned xe s head against the bitts, closed xe s eyes and mourned. Xe s daughter was gone; the Holy Child was a stranger with the same face. 6. Plotting the road to Change and a New Balance Wintshikan closed her hand around Zell s as the Fence vanished. They did it. I didn t believe they could, but they ve done it. She watched Zaro and Kanilli grab hold of Xaca s hand and the three of them join the rest of the Pixa hohekil on the beach in a wheeling, shouting, laughing dance. I don t think my knees will hold out for that. Zell waggled xe s hand in anya laughter. * * * They sat on the side of an abandoned boat and watched the celebration develop along the sands, merchants bring-ing out bottles of shwala and injyjy, hot meat pies, and roasted tatas. A drummer, a fiddler, and a flutemal met on the raised porch of a house a short distance off and started playing. Others were doing the same farther along the beach. Bonfires bloomed on the sand. Wintshikan looked out to sea once again, rejoicing at the darkness at the edge of the sky a darkness that meant the Fence was still down. She took a deep breath, let it out as she turned to her anya. Zizi, I m thinking that I want to stand in new mountains and watch the sun go down over land I haven t seen before. Zell smiled. These damp lowlands hadn t been good for xe; breathing was difficult and the pain in xe s hip never left xe. +Where there s no war.+ Xe stroked xe s hand along Wintshikan s arm. +Where hate is a personal thing and not visited on strangers.+ Wintshikan sat silent as a long line of femlits, mallits and anyalits snaked past them, laughing and stomping the sand as they moved. When they were by, she said, We ll wait a few days for Luca and the others. If they come back. If they re all right. But if we wait too long, the price may move beyond what we can pay. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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