Read Online Golden Torc - 2 by Julian May - Free Book Online
Authors: Julian May
Tags: Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction - General, Fiction - Science Fiction, Time travel, American, High Tech
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thunderously. "Including one that was an unmitigated disaster! Where was I?... Gomnol's brainstorm! Understand now, this chap is an inspired psychobiologist. He knew it would be dangerous to put gold torcs on human latents who weren't wholeheartedly assimilated into our fellowship."
"There are always," the Queen interposed darkly, "ingrates."
"So Gomnol conceived the silver torcs, with their built-in psychoregulators. And shortly after that, the gray torcs, to be used by so-called nonlatent humans who could stand very lowlevel metapsychic involvement. A whole new world of fellowship was born! Beginning in Gomnol's time, when it became possible to mass-produce the gray torcs, well, produce them with relative speed, at any rate, we of the Tanu were able to seize the ascendancy on this world. The vile Firvulag, those shadow-siblings of ours, were no longer able to contend with us on a virtually equal footing. We had armies of loyal human grays to crush their superior numbers! We had human mothers to counter the vulgar fecundity of their coarse little women! We had the noble silvers, our operant allies-mental! And as time went on, many of the silvers were advanced to full citizenship and given gold."
This can be done without psychic injury torcexchange? Certainly cherished Elizabeth silvertorc removed without danger after gold in place.
"And think! The brilliant gray technicians have improved our economy by devising more efficient means of transport and goods production! Thanks to the mourned Lord of Animals, Kernonn, we have beasts to ride and beasts to haul and beasts to guard us from Firvulag depredation. And perhaps best of all... we have hybrid human champions in the Grand Combat." The King paused. He leaned across the table, upsetting his cup in the process, and took one of Elizabeth's hands. "And now, Tana's bounty surpasses itself. She has sent us you."
Queen Nontusvel seemed to radiate a lunar benevolence.
There was a different glow in the deep green eyes of Thagdal. Impervious and calm, Elizabeth repeated, "And now Tana has sent me. But in our own world, the gifts of God are often ambiguously given. You don't yet see me as I am, King Thagdal."
"But that will come, dearest Elizabeth! You shall go to the most noble of us all for your initiation into our ways, to the Prescient Lady Brede Shipspouse, she of the Two Faces and the poetry. Brede will teach you and you will teach her. And in good time you will go to Tasha-Bybar and then you will come to me. Dearest Elizabeth."
"Dearest Elizabeth," came Nontusvel's echo. Surely it was as full of goodwill as it had ever been.
"A toast!" bellowed Thagdal, leaping to his feet. His cup had been speedily righted and replenished.
"A toast!" the several hundred guests shouted back. The arbiter shook the chain of silence.
"To the Tanu race and the human race! In fellowship, in communion, in love!"
The feasters raised their great golden goblets. "Fellowship!
Communion! Love!"
"With an emphasis on the latter!" called out Aiken Drum. There was laughter and shouting and a great swallowing and spilling of wine, with many a soggy embrace and a sipping from lip to lip. The royal couple, inflamed by the drink and festivity, now clung to each other murmuring and snorting. A corps de ballet of human women and men, dressed alike in bold magpie leotards, appeared as music struck up and began to lead the throng in elaborate contredanse patterns. Elizabeth whispered to Bryan, "I'm going to have to leave you for a while. I must look into them while their inhibitions are down. If you like, I'll share the data with you later." She gave him a solemn moue, then closed her eyes and withdrew to some mental vantage point.
One of the female black and whiters tried to haul Bryan off his bench into the dance, where Aiken and Raimo were already whirling and leaping as though they had been doing the complex steps all their lives. Bryan shook his head to the invitation. He let the waiters fill his
"There are always," the Queen interposed darkly, "ingrates."
"So Gomnol conceived the silver torcs, with their built-in psychoregulators. And shortly after that, the gray torcs, to be used by so-called nonlatent humans who could stand very lowlevel metapsychic involvement. A whole new world of fellowship was born! Beginning in Gomnol's time, when it became possible to mass-produce the gray torcs, well, produce them with relative speed, at any rate, we of the Tanu were able to seize the ascendancy on this world. The vile Firvulag, those shadow-siblings of ours, were no longer able to contend with us on a virtually equal footing. We had armies of loyal human grays to crush their superior numbers! We had human mothers to counter the vulgar fecundity of their coarse little women! We had the noble silvers, our operant allies-mental! And as time went on, many of the silvers were advanced to full citizenship and given gold."
This can be done without psychic injury torcexchange? Certainly cherished Elizabeth silvertorc removed without danger after gold in place.
"And think! The brilliant gray technicians have improved our economy by devising more efficient means of transport and goods production! Thanks to the mourned Lord of Animals, Kernonn, we have beasts to ride and beasts to haul and beasts to guard us from Firvulag depredation. And perhaps best of all... we have hybrid human champions in the Grand Combat." The King paused. He leaned across the table, upsetting his cup in the process, and took one of Elizabeth's hands. "And now, Tana's bounty surpasses itself. She has sent us you."
Queen Nontusvel seemed to radiate a lunar benevolence.
There was a different glow in the deep green eyes of Thagdal. Impervious and calm, Elizabeth repeated, "And now Tana has sent me. But in our own world, the gifts of God are often ambiguously given. You don't yet see me as I am, King Thagdal."
"But that will come, dearest Elizabeth! You shall go to the most noble of us all for your initiation into our ways, to the Prescient Lady Brede Shipspouse, she of the Two Faces and the poetry. Brede will teach you and you will teach her. And in good time you will go to Tasha-Bybar and then you will come to me. Dearest Elizabeth."
"Dearest Elizabeth," came Nontusvel's echo. Surely it was as full of goodwill as it had ever been.
"A toast!" bellowed Thagdal, leaping to his feet. His cup had been speedily righted and replenished.
"A toast!" the several hundred guests shouted back. The arbiter shook the chain of silence.
"To the Tanu race and the human race! In fellowship, in communion, in love!"
The feasters raised their great golden goblets. "Fellowship!
Communion! Love!"
"With an emphasis on the latter!" called out Aiken Drum. There was laughter and shouting and a great swallowing and spilling of wine, with many a soggy embrace and a sipping from lip to lip. The royal couple, inflamed by the drink and festivity, now clung to each other murmuring and snorting. A corps de ballet of human women and men, dressed alike in bold magpie leotards, appeared as music struck up and began to lead the throng in elaborate contredanse patterns. Elizabeth whispered to Bryan, "I'm going to have to leave you for a while. I must look into them while their inhibitions are down. If you like, I'll share the data with you later." She gave him a solemn moue, then closed her eyes and withdrew to some mental vantage point.
One of the female black and whiters tried to haul Bryan off his bench into the dance, where Aiken and Raimo were already whirling and leaping as though they had been doing the complex steps all their lives. Bryan shook his head to the invitation. He let the waiters fill his
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