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grandfather take control. Now you re scheming with my mother to oust him.
Worgemuth s smile vanished.
I m not stupid, Myth. I can see what you re doing. I can even puzzle out the
fact the poor senile old Commodo Hvar is being set up to take the blame if the
plot unravels.
Worgemuth looked positively grim.
And now, before you ve even gotten my mother in place, you re around sucking
up to me. Maybe figuring on getting a kid in there that you can control. You
think my mother is too stupid or too silly to notice? Don t bet your life.
She s a Tregesser.
Worgemuth s mouth tightened into a colorless prune.
But why worry about it? There s a gala in progress. The interesting people
are arriving, fashionably late. Blessed went down to greet Tina Bofoku and
her brother Nyo. Worgemuth remained where he was, as though he had relieved a
sentry post that kept watch on the sea.
Trouble with the old-timer? Tina asked. She was in a sparkling mood.
Only for him. Your mother is over there. Later?
Absolutely. She made a face at Nyo.
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Blessed entered the crowd without joining it. Even at the heart of the
veranda he was an observer who watched from the outside. How many of these
people belonged to Worgemuth? Not many. They would be innocents or, at most,
potential recruits.
At first the guests seemed to be playing ocean, moving in little surges
toward where his mother held court, rolling away. But soon Valerena retreated
into Maserang s house. The population divided into equally spaced groups with
cometary individuals between them.
Sometimes someone spoke to Blessed. Always he replied courteously but coolly,
cultivating an image of distance that, tempered by warmth in private, might
lead some to think they had wormed their ways into his confidence. Those would
be the people he used.
As he spoke with an executive who seemed to think she could further his
education and her career in private, he caught a snatch of conversation. He
froze. The words did not register. They did not matter. Only the voice
mattered. There was something frighteningly familiar about it. Something that
raised the hair on the back of his neck. Yet he could not identify it.
He spotted the man. Who is that? he asked his companion.
Nikla Ogdehvan. He and his wife do something mysterious for the House.
Probably something sinister. They come and go and nobody knows where or when
they ll turn up again.
Subtle stress on wife. Why? Marriage was uncommon and quaint but not socially
unacceptable. Thank you. Excuse me, please.
The woman s lips tightened but she did not protest.
It took minutes of drifting. Once he had his target fixed he listened
intently, not to words but to tone and rhythm. The man spoke seldom, but when
he did everyone listened. There was a hard edge beneath his gentleness. No
oneknew what he did. No one wanted to find out.
Half an hour later, when he received the summons from his mother, Blessed
knew exactly what Nikla Ogdehvan did for the House.
Linas Maserang, Myth Worgemuth, and a third man Waited with Valerena.
Valerena said, Myth tells me you ve got everything figured out. With a mind
like yours, you might be useful.
Was that sarcasm? I presume something dramatic has happened to make you
bunch up with so many witnesses around.
Valerena scowled. Word just came. Father s Voyager arrived today.
Exasperation. Those morons up there didn t figure it out till a few minutes
ago. They wouldn t have noticed if that damned Guardship hadn t challenged
him.
May I see the data, Mother?
Maserang said, Help yourself. His sarcasm was thick. He indicated his
personal Information Center.
Just scroll the message from station.
Page 65
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Irked, Maserang did so.
Blessed read. Four hours twenty-three minutes since breakaway. Not enough
time to dock and make the descent.
Valerena snapped, Of course not! He s up there lying low. It says that right
there.
What wesee Grandfather doing and what he sreally doing aren t the same
things, Mother. I submit that heintended to be noticed.
Nonsense, Maserang said. Why?
Because this is my grandfather s Other, who has been exchanged already,
coming in to make the switch again.
Don t let your imagination carry you away. It couldn t have been managed
without our agents noticing.
Neither you nor your agents have noticed that Lupo Provik is out on your
veranda, among the invited guests, masquerading as Nikla Ogdehvan. And he s
been on Prime for a week.
Dead silence. Stricken silence. Death might have drawn a talon through that
room.
Maserang s Info Center buzzed. Irritated, he muttered, I told them I didn t
want to be disturbed.
The silence turned toward disbelief. Valerena said, Amuse yourself at
someone else s expense, Blessed. I no longer find your humor tolerable.
Maserang said, You d better take this, Val.
She went and snarled at the comm. She erected a privacy screen a moment after
she started, though, so that Blessed did not know why she was growling.
She was deathly calm when she came back. That was my father s pet artifact.
Blessed moved toward the door. I ll go irritate someone else, Mother.
She screeched something obscene. He did not listen. He went out to see how
life was treating Lupo Provik.
27 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szkicerysunki.xlx.pl
grandfather take control. Now you re scheming with my mother to oust him.
Worgemuth s smile vanished.
I m not stupid, Myth. I can see what you re doing. I can even puzzle out the
fact the poor senile old Commodo Hvar is being set up to take the blame if the
plot unravels.
Worgemuth looked positively grim.
And now, before you ve even gotten my mother in place, you re around sucking
up to me. Maybe figuring on getting a kid in there that you can control. You
think my mother is too stupid or too silly to notice? Don t bet your life.
She s a Tregesser.
Worgemuth s mouth tightened into a colorless prune.
But why worry about it? There s a gala in progress. The interesting people
are arriving, fashionably late. Blessed went down to greet Tina Bofoku and
her brother Nyo. Worgemuth remained where he was, as though he had relieved a
sentry post that kept watch on the sea.
Trouble with the old-timer? Tina asked. She was in a sparkling mood.
Only for him. Your mother is over there. Later?
Absolutely. She made a face at Nyo.
Page 64
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Blessed entered the crowd without joining it. Even at the heart of the
veranda he was an observer who watched from the outside. How many of these
people belonged to Worgemuth? Not many. They would be innocents or, at most,
potential recruits.
At first the guests seemed to be playing ocean, moving in little surges
toward where his mother held court, rolling away. But soon Valerena retreated
into Maserang s house. The population divided into equally spaced groups with
cometary individuals between them.
Sometimes someone spoke to Blessed. Always he replied courteously but coolly,
cultivating an image of distance that, tempered by warmth in private, might
lead some to think they had wormed their ways into his confidence. Those would
be the people he used.
As he spoke with an executive who seemed to think she could further his
education and her career in private, he caught a snatch of conversation. He
froze. The words did not register. They did not matter. Only the voice
mattered. There was something frighteningly familiar about it. Something that
raised the hair on the back of his neck. Yet he could not identify it.
He spotted the man. Who is that? he asked his companion.
Nikla Ogdehvan. He and his wife do something mysterious for the House.
Probably something sinister. They come and go and nobody knows where or when
they ll turn up again.
Subtle stress on wife. Why? Marriage was uncommon and quaint but not socially
unacceptable. Thank you. Excuse me, please.
The woman s lips tightened but she did not protest.
It took minutes of drifting. Once he had his target fixed he listened
intently, not to words but to tone and rhythm. The man spoke seldom, but when
he did everyone listened. There was a hard edge beneath his gentleness. No
oneknew what he did. No one wanted to find out.
Half an hour later, when he received the summons from his mother, Blessed
knew exactly what Nikla Ogdehvan did for the House.
Linas Maserang, Myth Worgemuth, and a third man Waited with Valerena.
Valerena said, Myth tells me you ve got everything figured out. With a mind
like yours, you might be useful.
Was that sarcasm? I presume something dramatic has happened to make you
bunch up with so many witnesses around.
Valerena scowled. Word just came. Father s Voyager arrived today.
Exasperation. Those morons up there didn t figure it out till a few minutes
ago. They wouldn t have noticed if that damned Guardship hadn t challenged
him.
May I see the data, Mother?
Maserang said, Help yourself. His sarcasm was thick. He indicated his
personal Information Center.
Just scroll the message from station.
Page 65
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Irked, Maserang did so.
Blessed read. Four hours twenty-three minutes since breakaway. Not enough
time to dock and make the descent.
Valerena snapped, Of course not! He s up there lying low. It says that right
there.
What wesee Grandfather doing and what he sreally doing aren t the same
things, Mother. I submit that heintended to be noticed.
Nonsense, Maserang said. Why?
Because this is my grandfather s Other, who has been exchanged already,
coming in to make the switch again.
Don t let your imagination carry you away. It couldn t have been managed
without our agents noticing.
Neither you nor your agents have noticed that Lupo Provik is out on your
veranda, among the invited guests, masquerading as Nikla Ogdehvan. And he s
been on Prime for a week.
Dead silence. Stricken silence. Death might have drawn a talon through that
room.
Maserang s Info Center buzzed. Irritated, he muttered, I told them I didn t
want to be disturbed.
The silence turned toward disbelief. Valerena said, Amuse yourself at
someone else s expense, Blessed. I no longer find your humor tolerable.
Maserang said, You d better take this, Val.
She went and snarled at the comm. She erected a privacy screen a moment after
she started, though, so that Blessed did not know why she was growling.
She was deathly calm when she came back. That was my father s pet artifact.
Blessed moved toward the door. I ll go irritate someone else, Mother.
She screeched something obscene. He did not listen. He went out to see how
life was treating Lupo Provik.
27 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]