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the settlement on the lake-shore which others, who were now fishers, shared with children of Adam. A
few small dwellings, fragrant with fresh timber, had arisen on the edge of Skradin for the rest of the
newcomers. These were chiefly females. . . no, women, he thought, mortal women who must in propriety
no longer go adventuring.
A certain blend of cool fleshly scents brought him to a door whereon he knocked. Ears within had kept
their Faerie keeness. A voice called,  Who is it? What will you?
 It is Tauno, Vanimen s son, he answered.  Let me in, Raxi, lover that was in Liri.
He heard whispers, scuffle of feet, fumblings about. The time seemed endless before the latch clacked
free and the barrier swung aside. Two stood beyond. They had thrown on shifts, but he knew them at
once: Raxi, the merriest lass in his tribe, and lean blue-tressed Meiiva who had been his father s special
friend.
He felt the unsureness of his smile as he spread his arms wide. The girl gasped, sprang back, buried face
in hands. Her older companion remained calm, yet it was with an effort that she said,  Welcome, Tauno.
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How good to know you live, you and Eyjan-and to have you here at last-But you must cover yourself.
Tauno glanced down. When he left his bed, he had not bothered to don clothes anew, save for knife
belt; the spirit bone hung always around his neck.  Why, we re alone, Meiiva, he replied in a puzzlement
that was half fear,  and you both know this body well.
 I am not Meiiva any more, Tauno, and she, my sister in God, is not Raxi. We are Jelena and Biserka.
The woman turned about.  Wait here. I ll fetch you garb. The door closed.
It reopened shortly, a crack, and she reached out a coat. He belted it around his middle, sniffing with a
thrill that it was his father s. When Meiiva-Jelena-let him into the humble building, whose rafters made
him bow his head, she had lighted a clay lamp from the fire banked on the hearth.  That s better, she
said, and actually touched his elbow.  Be not ashamed. You ve everything to learn. Sit down, dear, and
let me pour you a stoup.
Dazedly, he settled onto a chest. Biserka crouched in the op-posite corner. Her look upon him
was-fearful? Wistful? He could not tell, but he heard how quickly she breathed.
 Why are you here too? he asked her roommate.
 Andrei, your father, my husband, is off to war, Jelena ex-
plained.  For seemliness as well as shared help, I invited Biserka to come stay here meanwhile. She s
unwedded, and, well- Aforetime frankness was gone; it was hard to finish:  She had a home with a
family, but the eldest son was beginning to show lust for her, and that would not be the best match she
could make.
 You, Raxi? Tauno blurted.  Why, I sought you tonight before all others!
Jelena sighed, though in the dull yellow glow her cheeks smol-dered.  I know. May the merciful saints
aid me in remembering what you are, and not to blame you but to try to show you the way onward.
Having filled three bowls with mead, she brought him one.  Dismiss carnal thoughts, Tauno. This is not
Liri, we are not what we were, and God be praised.
 Well, there are some hussies! flared from Biserka. She hud-
dled back, crossed herself, and added fast,  Ask not their names,
 Surely you ll find one of them among us who were merfolk, Jelena said, where she stood tall above
Tauno.  We re too newly born. How I pray we ll never soil the spirits in us, fresh from God s hand!
She paused, stared beyond him, and mused,  Oh, we will, I fear. To feel sure of our own righteousness,
that would be a mortal sin in itself, pride. But may we always have grace to repent when we fall, to keep
striving. Her glance sharpened and speared him.  If any man would seduce us, let him bear in mind that
we can yet wield edged weapons.
 Then you do recall your past lives? he mumbled.
She nodded.  Aye, though they seem strange, dim, like a
dream that was long and vivid but is fading. We ve awakened, you see. There before the altar, we
awoke from the half-life of beasts to life eternal. Suddenly she, who had been strong as Vanimen, wept.
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 Oh, that moment, that single first moment with God! What.. .remains.. .to abide for.. .but the hope of
finding it again, forever, in Heaven?
A waning moon had cleared eastern heights when Tauno en-tered the forest. It had not taken him long,
for he ran the entire way across plowlands; stalks and ears of grain left welts in revenge for his trampling.
However, the hour had been late when he could finally win free of the women, cast off his father s coat at
the door, and bolt.
It was not that they cursed him. They had been affectionate in their pleading, their wish that he too take
the gift of an immortal soul. It was not even that they were utterly changed, flesh once delightful now
housing an alienness greater than that which sun-dered him from the tribe of Adam. It was that-he
thought, some-where in his staggering mind-that they were carriers of doom. In them was the future,
which held no room for Faerie. When he sprinted, he did not only seek to work out some of the despair
wherein his quest had ended. He fled the unseen, while stars looked down and hissed,  There he is, there
he goes, that s his track to follow.
The breath heaved raw in his throat before he found shelter.
This was below an oak, for it spread darkness and upheld mistletoe. At last he moved on into the
wilderness, toward the lake he could sense afar. He would bathe in yon waters, fill his lungs with their
cleanliness, maybe catch a fish and devour it raw like a seal or a killer whale. Thus he would regain
strength for returning to the castle and whatever was going to happen there.
Trees gloomed, underbrush entangled a heavier murk, on either side of the game trail he took. Moonlight
filtered in streaks through the crowns, to glimmer off vapors which streamed or eddied low above the
earth. It was a touch warmer here than out in the open, damp, smelling of growth a-drowse. Rustlings
went faint, a breeze, an owl ghosting by, the scutter of tiny feet. Once a wildcat squalled, remotely, noise
blurred into music by all the leaves around. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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