[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
distortion of a human being, at other times just wanting the whole awful
business to be over and done with. Fwi-Song left his ex-
disciple's fingers until last, then used the teeth with the holes in like
wire-strippers. ' 'Ery
'asty,' he said, wiping his blood-stained face with one gigantic forearm.
Twenty-seventh was cut down, moaning, covered in streaks of blood, and only
semi-conscious. He was gagged with a length of rag, then pinned down flat,
face up, on the sand, wooden spikes through the palms of his mangled hands and
a huge boulder crushing his feet. He started screaming weakly again through
the gag when he saw the prophet Fwi-Song on his litter being carried over
towards him. Fwi-Song was lowered almost on top of the moaning form, then he
struggled with some cords at the side of his litter until a small flap under
his great bulk flopped open, over the face of the gagged, blood-spattered
human on the sand beneath. The prophet gave a sign, and he was lowered on top
of the man, quieting the sound of moaning. The prophet smiled, and settled
himself with little movements of his huge body, like a bird nestling down over
its eggs. His vast bulk obliterating all trace or shape of the human under
him, Fwi-Song hummed to himself while the emaciated crowd looked on, singing
very slowly and quietly, swaying together as they stood. Fwi-
Song started to rock backwards and forwards softly, very slowly at first, then
faster as sweat appeared in beads on the golden dome of his face. He panted,
and made a rough gesture towards the crowd; the two women dressed in the
lengths of cloth came forward and started to lick at the trickles of blood
which had spilled from the prophet's mouth, over the folds of his chins and
down file:///F|/rah/Iain%20Banks/Banks,%20Iain%20-%20Consider%20Phelbas.txt
(67 of 206) [2/4/03 10:24:38 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Iain%20Banks/Banks,%20Iain%20-%20Consider%20Phelbas.txt the
expanse of his chest and breasts like red milk. Fwi-Song gasped, seemed to sag
and stay still for a moment, and then, with a surprisingly fast and fierce
motion, clouted both the lapping women across the head with his mighty arms.
The women scurried off, rejoining the crowd. Mr First started a louder chant,
which the others took up.
Page 90
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
At last Fwi-Song ordered himself to be lifted again. The litter bearers hauled
his massive frame into the air, to reveal the crushed body of Twenty-seventh,
his moaning silenced for ever.
They lifted him out, beheaded the corpse and removed the top of the skull.
They ate his brains, and it was only then that Horza threw up.
'And now we are become each other,' Fwi-Song intoned solemnly to the youth's
hollow head, then threw its bloody bowl over his shoulder into the fire. The
rest of the body was taken down to the sea and thrown in.
'Only ceremony and the love of Fate distinguish us from the beasts, o mark of
Fate's devotion,' Fwi-Song warbled to Horza as the prophet's vast body was
cleaned and perfumed by the attendant women. Tied to his post, stuck in the
ground, his mouth fouled, Horza breathed carefully and deliberately, and did
not try to reply.
Twenty-seventh's body floated slowly out to sea. Fwi-Song was towelled down.
The skinny humans sat about listlessly, or tended the awful-smelling liquid in
the bubbling vats. Mr First and his two women helpers took off their lengths
of cloth, leaving the man in his grimy but whole tunic and the women in their
tattered rags. Fwi-Song had his litter placed on the sand in front of Horza.
'See, bounty from the waves, harvest from the rolling ocean, my people prepare
to break their fast.' The prophet swept one fat-wobbling arm about to indicate
the people tending the fires and cauldrons. The smell of rotting food filled
the air.
'They eat what others leave, what others will not touch, because they want to
be closer to the fabric of Fate. They eat the bark from the trees and the
grass from the ground and the moss from the rocks; they eat the sand and the
leaves and the roots and the earth; they eat the shells and the entrails of
sea-animals and the carrion of the land and the ocean; they eat their bodily
products and share mine. I am the fount. I am the well-spring, the taste on
their tongues.
'You, bubble of froth on the ocean of life, are a sign. Crop of the ocean, you [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
distortion of a human being, at other times just wanting the whole awful
business to be over and done with. Fwi-Song left his ex-
disciple's fingers until last, then used the teeth with the holes in like
wire-strippers. ' 'Ery
'asty,' he said, wiping his blood-stained face with one gigantic forearm.
Twenty-seventh was cut down, moaning, covered in streaks of blood, and only
semi-conscious. He was gagged with a length of rag, then pinned down flat,
face up, on the sand, wooden spikes through the palms of his mangled hands and
a huge boulder crushing his feet. He started screaming weakly again through
the gag when he saw the prophet Fwi-Song on his litter being carried over
towards him. Fwi-Song was lowered almost on top of the moaning form, then he
struggled with some cords at the side of his litter until a small flap under
his great bulk flopped open, over the face of the gagged, blood-spattered
human on the sand beneath. The prophet gave a sign, and he was lowered on top
of the man, quieting the sound of moaning. The prophet smiled, and settled
himself with little movements of his huge body, like a bird nestling down over
its eggs. His vast bulk obliterating all trace or shape of the human under
him, Fwi-Song hummed to himself while the emaciated crowd looked on, singing
very slowly and quietly, swaying together as they stood. Fwi-
Song started to rock backwards and forwards softly, very slowly at first, then
faster as sweat appeared in beads on the golden dome of his face. He panted,
and made a rough gesture towards the crowd; the two women dressed in the
lengths of cloth came forward and started to lick at the trickles of blood
which had spilled from the prophet's mouth, over the folds of his chins and
down file:///F|/rah/Iain%20Banks/Banks,%20Iain%20-%20Consider%20Phelbas.txt
(67 of 206) [2/4/03 10:24:38 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Iain%20Banks/Banks,%20Iain%20-%20Consider%20Phelbas.txt the
expanse of his chest and breasts like red milk. Fwi-Song gasped, seemed to sag
and stay still for a moment, and then, with a surprisingly fast and fierce
motion, clouted both the lapping women across the head with his mighty arms.
The women scurried off, rejoining the crowd. Mr First started a louder chant,
which the others took up.
Page 90
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
At last Fwi-Song ordered himself to be lifted again. The litter bearers hauled
his massive frame into the air, to reveal the crushed body of Twenty-seventh,
his moaning silenced for ever.
They lifted him out, beheaded the corpse and removed the top of the skull.
They ate his brains, and it was only then that Horza threw up.
'And now we are become each other,' Fwi-Song intoned solemnly to the youth's
hollow head, then threw its bloody bowl over his shoulder into the fire. The
rest of the body was taken down to the sea and thrown in.
'Only ceremony and the love of Fate distinguish us from the beasts, o mark of
Fate's devotion,' Fwi-Song warbled to Horza as the prophet's vast body was
cleaned and perfumed by the attendant women. Tied to his post, stuck in the
ground, his mouth fouled, Horza breathed carefully and deliberately, and did
not try to reply.
Twenty-seventh's body floated slowly out to sea. Fwi-Song was towelled down.
The skinny humans sat about listlessly, or tended the awful-smelling liquid in
the bubbling vats. Mr First and his two women helpers took off their lengths
of cloth, leaving the man in his grimy but whole tunic and the women in their
tattered rags. Fwi-Song had his litter placed on the sand in front of Horza.
'See, bounty from the waves, harvest from the rolling ocean, my people prepare
to break their fast.' The prophet swept one fat-wobbling arm about to indicate
the people tending the fires and cauldrons. The smell of rotting food filled
the air.
'They eat what others leave, what others will not touch, because they want to
be closer to the fabric of Fate. They eat the bark from the trees and the
grass from the ground and the moss from the rocks; they eat the sand and the
leaves and the roots and the earth; they eat the shells and the entrails of
sea-animals and the carrion of the land and the ocean; they eat their bodily
products and share mine. I am the fount. I am the well-spring, the taste on
their tongues.
'You, bubble of froth on the ocean of life, are a sign. Crop of the ocean, you [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]