[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
forgive you. And when she completes changeover, you will pledge to her and
through her to Zeor or you will leave Zeor forever."
Digen was being incredibly harsh, he knew, but Rellow wasn't just any member
of the House. He would be second under Ercy, and what he'd just done amounted
to attempted murder. The slightest injury to those tender, developing
nerves Digen shuddered
Conceding stiffly, Rellow sank to his knees. "Aild Ercy Farris,
Sectuib-Apparent of my House, I beg and entreat you to forgive my error in
judgment that could have resulted in serious injury. In future, I will leave
my sense of humor at the doorstep of your abode. Zlin my sincerity and forgive
me; that is my plea."
Well,thought Digen,at least he's learned the proper forms! And hewas sincere,
too. Sincerely sarcastic.
Ercy said, "I wish you no harm and hold no malice for you, Rellow. Let it be
as if it had not happened."
Rellow rose and whipped out of the room, leaving everyone stirring back to
life from frozen fascination. Sarton came around the table to Digen, offering
his hands. "Unto Zeor, forever, my Sectuib. And am I glad I don't have your
job! If that that boyshould ever succeed to Zeor God alone could help us if
there is a God. Ercy, are you injured?"
Digen frowned as Ercy stretched her throbbing arm. He detected no serious
injury, but in this ambient field ...
"Honestly," said Ercy, "I don't think it's anything to fuss about."
Digen said, "I'm going to take her to the lab for a thorough scanning. The
development should be recorded. Please, everyone, finish your meal."
In the lab, they went through the familiar routine together. Digen watched as
Ercy sat patiently suspended between emotions, waiting. Ordinarily, that would
be good, but at this point no. Digen made a decision.
"Ercy, you definitely have some nerve fibers and glands forming now. It's so
faint, though, I doubt if you'll enter stage one before, oh, thirty, maybe
forty hours at the earliest. Right now, I want you to come with me."
He took her down into the deep old basement and at the end of a long, damp
corridor, they entered Rialite's Memorial to the One Billion. Here were
inscribed the names of those who had given their lives for the principles of
the Tecton and the cause of unity between Simes and Gens.
The vaulted room was lit by one selyn lamp under the waters of the fountain
and one combustion lamp above in the air. It was cool here, well insulated
from the ambient nager of Rialite.
Page 59
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Since the days of Rimon Farris, every Householding has kept a memorial to
those Gens who were killed by our ancestors, Simes who had no choice but to
kill Gens in order to live. Since the days of Rimon Farris, we have added to
the roll of martyrs, Sime and Gen alike, who have given their lives to abolish
the junct transfer."
Ercy wondered what her father was leading up to, but she had a creeping
intuition that she knew.
"Every House had its own roll inscribed in its memorial. And then, when Klyd
Farris founded the modern Tecton, he brought the custom to the public with the
establishment of this very Memorial in which we stand, dedicating it with his
own hand. Though the names inscribed here are those of the martyrs to the
Tecton, this is very much Zeor's own Memorial. Ercy, come here."
Ercy stepped across the floor, which was inlaid with metal plates on which
names were inscribed, and stood beside her father.
"Ercy, together with me, place your hands and arms deep into the water."
She was, Digen noted, still altogether too calm. She had to come to grips
with the fact of changeover. With utter trust, she plunged her arms deep into
the chill water just as he did.
One of his tentacles guided the fingers of her left hand to touch the selyn
lamp's glowing tip. A shock thrilled up her arms and into her body. A
terrible bright awareness made her feel transparent.
Then it was over, her father handing her a towel. She looked at her arms,
feeling the vague soreness he had named "a slight development there."It's
really happening! Right now, this very moment. The waiting is over.
All about her, the names of the martyrs leaped into high relief. . . .who
have given their lives to abolish the junct transfer. The kill. It was real to
her in a way it never had been before. Icould go junct. I could kill. There
would be so few Donors who could face her need and survive that she was seized
with a cold, prickling horror the true knowledge of what she had become: Sime.
Digen followed the stages of his daughter's realization as they swept through
her, and knew a moment of such pride as to make all the years of struggle
worthwhile. No matter how much preparation a child had, that moment of coming
face to face with adult identity inevitably shattered the mind and forced a
total reorientation. He let it run its course, waiting until she was breathing
normally again. "Aild Ercy Farris, step forward."
Ercy took a small step forward, knowing that now she was about to receive
Zeor, whatever that meant. She knew only that it was a necessary requisite to
becoming Sectuib.
Digen took Zeor's Book of Martyrs from its place and handed it to Ercy. "Read
the names of those who have placed the meaning of their lives in your hands
for fulfillment."
The list was familiar to Ercy. It started with names of people whose stories
were long lost, not even a legend remaining.
"Billy Kell. Drust Fenell. Vee Lassiter. Jon Forester." She read on and on,
unaware that the passage of time had altered accents so that the owners of the
names would barely have recognized them. As she read, the legends, the
Page 60
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
stories, and the dry, factual histories of these people as she had learned
them became real to her in a new way. It was almost as if, as she called off
each name of the roll, the ghost of that person stood forth to answer, "Yo!"
As she came to the end, her throat constricted, tears stung her eyes and she
had to blink them away. When she came to the names her father had inscribed,
she broke helplessly into open sobs as she read, "Skip Ozik. Joel Hogan.
Ilyana Dumas Farris-Farris, Sosectu in Rior. The entire House of Rior."
Digen had braced himself, but even so it was several minutes before he could
find his voice. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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forgive you. And when she completes changeover, you will pledge to her and
through her to Zeor or you will leave Zeor forever."
Digen was being incredibly harsh, he knew, but Rellow wasn't just any member
of the House. He would be second under Ercy, and what he'd just done amounted
to attempted murder. The slightest injury to those tender, developing
nerves Digen shuddered
Conceding stiffly, Rellow sank to his knees. "Aild Ercy Farris,
Sectuib-Apparent of my House, I beg and entreat you to forgive my error in
judgment that could have resulted in serious injury. In future, I will leave
my sense of humor at the doorstep of your abode. Zlin my sincerity and forgive
me; that is my plea."
Well,thought Digen,at least he's learned the proper forms! And hewas sincere,
too. Sincerely sarcastic.
Ercy said, "I wish you no harm and hold no malice for you, Rellow. Let it be
as if it had not happened."
Rellow rose and whipped out of the room, leaving everyone stirring back to
life from frozen fascination. Sarton came around the table to Digen, offering
his hands. "Unto Zeor, forever, my Sectuib. And am I glad I don't have your
job! If that that boyshould ever succeed to Zeor God alone could help us if
there is a God. Ercy, are you injured?"
Digen frowned as Ercy stretched her throbbing arm. He detected no serious
injury, but in this ambient field ...
"Honestly," said Ercy, "I don't think it's anything to fuss about."
Digen said, "I'm going to take her to the lab for a thorough scanning. The
development should be recorded. Please, everyone, finish your meal."
In the lab, they went through the familiar routine together. Digen watched as
Ercy sat patiently suspended between emotions, waiting. Ordinarily, that would
be good, but at this point no. Digen made a decision.
"Ercy, you definitely have some nerve fibers and glands forming now. It's so
faint, though, I doubt if you'll enter stage one before, oh, thirty, maybe
forty hours at the earliest. Right now, I want you to come with me."
He took her down into the deep old basement and at the end of a long, damp
corridor, they entered Rialite's Memorial to the One Billion. Here were
inscribed the names of those who had given their lives for the principles of
the Tecton and the cause of unity between Simes and Gens.
The vaulted room was lit by one selyn lamp under the waters of the fountain
and one combustion lamp above in the air. It was cool here, well insulated
from the ambient nager of Rialite.
Page 59
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Since the days of Rimon Farris, every Householding has kept a memorial to
those Gens who were killed by our ancestors, Simes who had no choice but to
kill Gens in order to live. Since the days of Rimon Farris, we have added to
the roll of martyrs, Sime and Gen alike, who have given their lives to abolish
the junct transfer."
Ercy wondered what her father was leading up to, but she had a creeping
intuition that she knew.
"Every House had its own roll inscribed in its memorial. And then, when Klyd
Farris founded the modern Tecton, he brought the custom to the public with the
establishment of this very Memorial in which we stand, dedicating it with his
own hand. Though the names inscribed here are those of the martyrs to the
Tecton, this is very much Zeor's own Memorial. Ercy, come here."
Ercy stepped across the floor, which was inlaid with metal plates on which
names were inscribed, and stood beside her father.
"Ercy, together with me, place your hands and arms deep into the water."
She was, Digen noted, still altogether too calm. She had to come to grips
with the fact of changeover. With utter trust, she plunged her arms deep into
the chill water just as he did.
One of his tentacles guided the fingers of her left hand to touch the selyn
lamp's glowing tip. A shock thrilled up her arms and into her body. A
terrible bright awareness made her feel transparent.
Then it was over, her father handing her a towel. She looked at her arms,
feeling the vague soreness he had named "a slight development there."It's
really happening! Right now, this very moment. The waiting is over.
All about her, the names of the martyrs leaped into high relief. . . .who
have given their lives to abolish the junct transfer. The kill. It was real to
her in a way it never had been before. Icould go junct. I could kill. There
would be so few Donors who could face her need and survive that she was seized
with a cold, prickling horror the true knowledge of what she had become: Sime.
Digen followed the stages of his daughter's realization as they swept through
her, and knew a moment of such pride as to make all the years of struggle
worthwhile. No matter how much preparation a child had, that moment of coming
face to face with adult identity inevitably shattered the mind and forced a
total reorientation. He let it run its course, waiting until she was breathing
normally again. "Aild Ercy Farris, step forward."
Ercy took a small step forward, knowing that now she was about to receive
Zeor, whatever that meant. She knew only that it was a necessary requisite to
becoming Sectuib.
Digen took Zeor's Book of Martyrs from its place and handed it to Ercy. "Read
the names of those who have placed the meaning of their lives in your hands
for fulfillment."
The list was familiar to Ercy. It started with names of people whose stories
were long lost, not even a legend remaining.
"Billy Kell. Drust Fenell. Vee Lassiter. Jon Forester." She read on and on,
unaware that the passage of time had altered accents so that the owners of the
names would barely have recognized them. As she read, the legends, the
Page 60
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
stories, and the dry, factual histories of these people as she had learned
them became real to her in a new way. It was almost as if, as she called off
each name of the roll, the ghost of that person stood forth to answer, "Yo!"
As she came to the end, her throat constricted, tears stung her eyes and she
had to blink them away. When she came to the names her father had inscribed,
she broke helplessly into open sobs as she read, "Skip Ozik. Joel Hogan.
Ilyana Dumas Farris-Farris, Sosectu in Rior. The entire House of Rior."
Digen had braced himself, but even so it was several minutes before he could
find his voice. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]