[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Nera, Aeras and Floga had already poured five goblets to the rim with white
wine the color of sunlight and dragged baskets filled with bottles and sponges
over to within reach of each of the pools. Gii passed Mikki a goblet before
she began to take off her own clothes.
I m so glad you chose this cold white instead of a red! Floga said from the
pool on Mikki s left. I was dreaming of this very wine all afternoon.
But I didn t . . . Mikki began and then closed her mouth as she realized
that, yes, she had been picturing in her mind a cold, refreshing white wine
when she d spoken. Unbelievable . . .
The icy wine was a wonderful contrast to the hot, bubbly water, and Mikki
shivered in pleasure. She rested back against the smooth side of the pool and
gazed at the beauty that spread before her. The springs were situated on the
rear of the cliff on which the palace had been built. The view was
spectacular. Mikki looked out across an area of the gardens filled with what
appeared to be all the same type of rose. They had been planted in beds that
each formed a spiraling circle, and even though Mikki knew that they, too, had
to be sick, it seemed that these roses were greener and healthier than those
in the rest of the realm. Beyond the beds of roses, she could see the thick
multiflora hedge, and past it the forest. The sun had already sunk beneath the
leafy horizon, but the sky still held its dying colors. Mikki sipped her wine
and let her eyes linger on the circular rose beds, appreciating the symmetry
and style of the unique beds. She could just make out the hint of some
blossoms, and it even seemed that a few of them had bloomed. They were
scarlet, with a touch of gold at the base . . .
Mikki sat straight up, causing water to slosh over the smooth, white rocks
around the pool.
I wondered when you would notice, Gii said softly.
Have these beds always been filled with the Mikado Rose?
No. They change with each new Empousa. This area of the gardens is sacred to
Hecate s High Priestesses. If you look carefully, you will see that in the
middle of the central bed there is a small temple. It is your private shrine,
a place in which you will never be disturbed.
A sudden thought drifted through Mikki s mind like smoke, and almost without
meaning to, she asked the question. Where is the Guardian s lair?
The entrance is beneath these springs. Hecate fashioned it there so his
protection would never be far from her Empousa.
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Mikki could hear the frown in Gii s voice, and she turned to look at the
handmaiden. You don t like him.
It is illogical to like or dislike him. He is a beast. It is simply his duty
to protect the realm his sole purpose for being. Gii sounded unusually terse.
She s worried that he will err again and cause the realm to become bespelled
once more, Floga said.
Mikki noticed that the Fire Elemental s expression was as cold and
disapproving as her voice.
You sound like you re worried about that, too, Mikki said.
I am.
And are the rest of you? She looked from Nera to Aeras. Both Elementals
nodded quick agreement.
Okay, what exactly did the Guardian do that made Hecate so angry? Mikki
asked, wondering why she felt so damn annoyed at the handmaidens and so damn
defensive of the Guardian.
When no one answered, she turned back to Gii. The handmaiden squirmed and
wouldn t meet her eyes. Mikki sighed. Will you please tell me what in the
hell is going on? I mean, how terrible can it be? Hecate did finally let him
return.
Gii s gaze rose to meet Mikki s. Her eyes were bright and round with unshed
tears. I cannot tell you, Mikado.
You ve got to be kidding! Why in the world can t you tell me?
Forgive me forgive us, but we are not permitted to speak of it. We shouldn t
have said as much as we did. Tears spilled down the little Elemental s
cheeks.
Please don t be angry, Empousa, Nera said.
She tells you only the truth, Empousa, Aeras cried. We have been forbidden
to speak of it.
Gii is right; I should never have mentioned it. Hecate commanded that it
remain in the past. We may not speak of it ever again, Floga said.
Well, how about the Guardian? Will he talk about it?
Oh, Empousa, no! Gii s face, which had been flushed from the bath, suddenly
drained of its color. You must not speak of the past with him! The other
Elementals echoed her with horrified No s of their own.
Okay, okay! I won t ask him. It s all right, Gii, please don t cry. Let s
just forget I said anything about it. Mikki hastily assured her, hating that
she had caused the young women to become so upset. Here, help me figure out
which of these bottles holds what. I don t want to accidentally pour oil
instead of shampoo on my hair.
Sniffing and wiping her eyes, Gii pointed out the soaps and oils in Mikki s
basket. Mikki only half listened to her. Her thoughts kept circling around
unanswered questions. Even after the warnings she still wanted to ask the
Guardian what had happened. Not tonight, of course. Not so soon. But what if
she got to know him better? Today he had actually smiled and joked with her.
And touched her . . . she shivered, remembering how his horn had prickled the
skin of her arm and how his eyes had seemed to see into her soul.
Admit it. He totally intrigues you.
It was true, but she squelched the thought, pulling her mind from the beast to
the mystery that surrounded the realm he guarded. Hecate couldn t honestly
expect her to live here and not want to find out what had happened that caused
the sequence of events that led to her becoming the goddess s Empousa. Maybe
the truth was that Hecate didn t want her to hear about it secondhand, like
common gossip, and that was why she had forbidden the handmaidens to talk
about it. Gii hadn t specifically said that the Guardian had been forbidden,
too; she d just freaked out and said not to ask him about the past. Well, it
was obvious that the handmaidens, as well as the other women in the realm,
tip-toed around the Guardian, vacillating between treating him like a rabid
dog and a god.
She didn t think of him as either.
Mikki uncapped the cork from the bottle Gii had said was shampoo and poured a
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
generous amount of it into her hair. As the night cooled, steam from the pools
lifted in thickening waves, veiling each bather in warm mist. In a world of
her own, Mikki inhaled deeply, noting that the soap was the same fragrance as
the exotic perfume the old woman had given her. She finished washing and
rinsing her hair and uncapped the other bottles, too. All of it the soap,
shampoo and oil were the same rich fragrance.
It is the anointing scent of the Empousa. None other may ever wear it.
As each woman sipped wine and bathed herself, the pools had grown still, and
Floga s voice startled her. Mikki peered at her through the steam and noted
that the Fire Elemental s expression was odd it was almost as if she looked
angry.
Do you wish you could wear it, Floga? Mikki asked pointedly, lowering her
voice so her words were for Floga alone.
The handmaiden instantly looked chagrined. No, Empousa! Of course not, she
whispered.
But as the handmaiden turned away, avoiding her eyes, Mikki wondered . . .
CHAPTER NINETEEN [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
Nera, Aeras and Floga had already poured five goblets to the rim with white
wine the color of sunlight and dragged baskets filled with bottles and sponges
over to within reach of each of the pools. Gii passed Mikki a goblet before
she began to take off her own clothes.
I m so glad you chose this cold white instead of a red! Floga said from the
pool on Mikki s left. I was dreaming of this very wine all afternoon.
But I didn t . . . Mikki began and then closed her mouth as she realized
that, yes, she had been picturing in her mind a cold, refreshing white wine
when she d spoken. Unbelievable . . .
The icy wine was a wonderful contrast to the hot, bubbly water, and Mikki
shivered in pleasure. She rested back against the smooth side of the pool and
gazed at the beauty that spread before her. The springs were situated on the
rear of the cliff on which the palace had been built. The view was
spectacular. Mikki looked out across an area of the gardens filled with what
appeared to be all the same type of rose. They had been planted in beds that
each formed a spiraling circle, and even though Mikki knew that they, too, had
to be sick, it seemed that these roses were greener and healthier than those
in the rest of the realm. Beyond the beds of roses, she could see the thick
multiflora hedge, and past it the forest. The sun had already sunk beneath the
leafy horizon, but the sky still held its dying colors. Mikki sipped her wine
and let her eyes linger on the circular rose beds, appreciating the symmetry
and style of the unique beds. She could just make out the hint of some
blossoms, and it even seemed that a few of them had bloomed. They were
scarlet, with a touch of gold at the base . . .
Mikki sat straight up, causing water to slosh over the smooth, white rocks
around the pool.
I wondered when you would notice, Gii said softly.
Have these beds always been filled with the Mikado Rose?
No. They change with each new Empousa. This area of the gardens is sacred to
Hecate s High Priestesses. If you look carefully, you will see that in the
middle of the central bed there is a small temple. It is your private shrine,
a place in which you will never be disturbed.
A sudden thought drifted through Mikki s mind like smoke, and almost without
meaning to, she asked the question. Where is the Guardian s lair?
The entrance is beneath these springs. Hecate fashioned it there so his
protection would never be far from her Empousa.
Page 83
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Mikki could hear the frown in Gii s voice, and she turned to look at the
handmaiden. You don t like him.
It is illogical to like or dislike him. He is a beast. It is simply his duty
to protect the realm his sole purpose for being. Gii sounded unusually terse.
She s worried that he will err again and cause the realm to become bespelled
once more, Floga said.
Mikki noticed that the Fire Elemental s expression was as cold and
disapproving as her voice.
You sound like you re worried about that, too, Mikki said.
I am.
And are the rest of you? She looked from Nera to Aeras. Both Elementals
nodded quick agreement.
Okay, what exactly did the Guardian do that made Hecate so angry? Mikki
asked, wondering why she felt so damn annoyed at the handmaidens and so damn
defensive of the Guardian.
When no one answered, she turned back to Gii. The handmaiden squirmed and
wouldn t meet her eyes. Mikki sighed. Will you please tell me what in the
hell is going on? I mean, how terrible can it be? Hecate did finally let him
return.
Gii s gaze rose to meet Mikki s. Her eyes were bright and round with unshed
tears. I cannot tell you, Mikado.
You ve got to be kidding! Why in the world can t you tell me?
Forgive me forgive us, but we are not permitted to speak of it. We shouldn t
have said as much as we did. Tears spilled down the little Elemental s
cheeks.
Please don t be angry, Empousa, Nera said.
She tells you only the truth, Empousa, Aeras cried. We have been forbidden
to speak of it.
Gii is right; I should never have mentioned it. Hecate commanded that it
remain in the past. We may not speak of it ever again, Floga said.
Well, how about the Guardian? Will he talk about it?
Oh, Empousa, no! Gii s face, which had been flushed from the bath, suddenly
drained of its color. You must not speak of the past with him! The other
Elementals echoed her with horrified No s of their own.
Okay, okay! I won t ask him. It s all right, Gii, please don t cry. Let s
just forget I said anything about it. Mikki hastily assured her, hating that
she had caused the young women to become so upset. Here, help me figure out
which of these bottles holds what. I don t want to accidentally pour oil
instead of shampoo on my hair.
Sniffing and wiping her eyes, Gii pointed out the soaps and oils in Mikki s
basket. Mikki only half listened to her. Her thoughts kept circling around
unanswered questions. Even after the warnings she still wanted to ask the
Guardian what had happened. Not tonight, of course. Not so soon. But what if
she got to know him better? Today he had actually smiled and joked with her.
And touched her . . . she shivered, remembering how his horn had prickled the
skin of her arm and how his eyes had seemed to see into her soul.
Admit it. He totally intrigues you.
It was true, but she squelched the thought, pulling her mind from the beast to
the mystery that surrounded the realm he guarded. Hecate couldn t honestly
expect her to live here and not want to find out what had happened that caused
the sequence of events that led to her becoming the goddess s Empousa. Maybe
the truth was that Hecate didn t want her to hear about it secondhand, like
common gossip, and that was why she had forbidden the handmaidens to talk
about it. Gii hadn t specifically said that the Guardian had been forbidden,
too; she d just freaked out and said not to ask him about the past. Well, it
was obvious that the handmaidens, as well as the other women in the realm,
tip-toed around the Guardian, vacillating between treating him like a rabid
dog and a god.
She didn t think of him as either.
Mikki uncapped the cork from the bottle Gii had said was shampoo and poured a
Page 84
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
generous amount of it into her hair. As the night cooled, steam from the pools
lifted in thickening waves, veiling each bather in warm mist. In a world of
her own, Mikki inhaled deeply, noting that the soap was the same fragrance as
the exotic perfume the old woman had given her. She finished washing and
rinsing her hair and uncapped the other bottles, too. All of it the soap,
shampoo and oil were the same rich fragrance.
It is the anointing scent of the Empousa. None other may ever wear it.
As each woman sipped wine and bathed herself, the pools had grown still, and
Floga s voice startled her. Mikki peered at her through the steam and noted
that the Fire Elemental s expression was odd it was almost as if she looked
angry.
Do you wish you could wear it, Floga? Mikki asked pointedly, lowering her
voice so her words were for Floga alone.
The handmaiden instantly looked chagrined. No, Empousa! Of course not, she
whispered.
But as the handmaiden turned away, avoiding her eyes, Mikki wondered . . .
CHAPTER NINETEEN [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]