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.White silk crossedwith white cords.Slowly, she untied the cords and folded the silk back, eachmovement as delicate as the cloth.Ulanda's fingers continued to pick at the girdle tie but her eyes didn't leave what Lanasi was doing.Lanasi lifted the scroll case so that it lay across both palms.“The Overpriestwould make this a gift.” An aide removed the silk wrapping.“Do you accept?” The silver lines of the sasi rose blazed in the light of the glow globes.A moment of waiting for an answer that wasn't going to come and she put the case on thetable and released the scroll inside.Trailing braid ends, Ca'mit eased the folds apart to reveal the inner story,letting the silk lengths hold them open, his hand on the cool of the table, not the parchment.He had felt Lanasi's distaste at the silver more than from what hesensed himself, and thought it full circle.She'd have gotten it from him, he could feel the echo in the part of his mind that he shared with the Host.“We've been told that we're living in a story,” he said.Speaking to a silentroom, he told how the scroll had been found and a little about the stories written in it.“As Overpriest of the Office of Forms, I am Empire Law.I see that whatEmpire is right now fits these words, the story is half done.” He looked around to the faces watching him, feeling again how it all fit.Pattern.They were threads waiting for weaving, a selection, a setting of the warp and the winding of theshuttles.Then to Ulanda, falling into her eyes, only Lanasi's hand on his shoulder Laurel Hickeywww.2morrow.bc.caEye of the Ocean – Book 1: Ji’Jin Stationkeeping him there.“I have followed you from the emptiness at my side,” hewhispered as to a lover.Lanasi's hand tightened but they both had known thewords would come.“I have watched you dance in the cold night to music I can'thear.”Ulanda had paled more, the tan like dirt over her drawn features.“And wouldyou stand in Temple and watch me die?” His silk cords whispered against theparchment as she pulled the scroll free.The Hegemony word she had chosen meant only to die.He countered it withanother that was derived from Empire plain tongue with the broader meaning thatallowed either a dead Initiate or a live Priest.“Either one will ground what you are in blood,” Ca'mit said, opening himself to see any response from her other thanthe obvious.And in Ritsiniti, at the words, the man had looked up, his eyesasking but there was nothing offered in exchange.“Either one will tie the rest of the story - the longer story - into the fabric of Empire.The changes will still happen, but slowly.The Overpriest Mullaki said: 'Another time.' This is that time.”“That you see only that interpretation,” Ritsiniti said evenly, “shows howtrapped you all are in the shape of Empire.”“Which is of no consequence as we are at the end here.” The soft voice didn'tmask the force behind the words.Finola stood, her tass'alt beside her.Opal flame ran the lengths of her braids and the Priest weaved with the power she wasreleasing.“An interesting Audience, Overpriest.I've never before been restricted Net access - outside the spiral that is.” Her red-flecked eyes sparkled as brightly as the pattern fall as she glanced at her tass'alt.The challenge on the Net baffles came from him.Two of the guard nearest the Alisim Priest stepped out offormation then hesitated at a motion from Uspani.His San had the room sealed,the Net barriers held easily, but Lanasi's link was gone.Finola smiled broadly.“Shall you dance now?” The woman's smile widenedwhen the girl didn't move, her attention apparently captured by the scroll.“You needn't, you know.I've flown that night.” She was still weaving, but in time to her words.“.there are other stories.““They're all one now,” Ritsiniti said as calmly as he had spoken earlier.Then he looked towards the main doors into the Audience Hall as they opened.Commandlevel Net surged into the room.He didn't look surprised, he didn't look as though he was capable of being surprised.Those standing in groups watching theAudience drew back to open a path.Guileless - Ca'mit thought that Niv had simply asked the Net to let the doorsopen and they had, baffles and restrictions and all.Uspani gathered himselftogether enough to acknowledge the Camerat tass'alt's arrival.The new surge of Command Net had already separated into whisperingtendrils.Swarming threads, stretching, coiling, regrouping, always asking where, who - are you the one?Laurel Hickeywww.2morrow.bc.caEye of the Ocean – Book 1: Ji’Jin StationCa'mit stood, for a moment he could actually see the threads as in a weave ofgauze, his eyes were filmed as it passed him, formed, turned.it was quite.crystal eyes were watching him through an unraveling fabric of questions, but it was Commander Oimit, not the Zimmer-Priest.He saw the shape of the motionnow: Alicia, Kori.a spinning, then a weaving of questions.then Net moved on [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]