Read Online Talons of Scorpio by Alan Burt Akers - Free Book Online
Authors: Alan Burt Akers
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one else sees him—”
“Of course not! Why, only a kregoinye, one who has been selected by the Everoinye, can ever see—”
“Yes. But I have known a few people in the past who have seen him.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
The spoken Kregish tongue is modulated by many tonal variations, so that Pompino’s simple words, by being given different inflections, could mean that he was calling me a liar, to an amazed agreement with my statement. This latter meaning he now intended.
“True, Pompino. I believe a certain innocence of mind has an influence, for a lad I know saw the bird, and a caravan master from Xuntal, a true child of the Great Plains. Also, this Kov Pando Marsilus, when he was a youngster, saw the Gdoinye.”
“So that is behind your remark. But he is no longer a coy, young and fresh and green and innocent.”
“Ha,” I said in a kind of grunt. “If ever he was, poor lad.”
Pompino let that by.
I did not say that the lad I knew who had seen the scarlet and gold raptor was my eldest son Drak. Pompino was under the impression that I was fancy free and unencumbered by a family. Just why I’d allowed that impression to remain might seem petty and obscure; it saved a quantity of explanations.
The bird circled, a menacing silhouette as he passed beneath the Suns of Scorpio, a glittery glory as the streaming radiance touched his feathers.
“He can only report that we are on our way to carry out our duties,” said Pompino.
“Aye,” I said in an ugly voice. “And we are on our own time in this.”
“True. But I think the Everoinye are now completely involved with us, and we can—”
“We can expect no help from them!”
Pompino let his lips compress. That was true, at least for me, and despite Pompino’s attachment to the Star Lords, I suspected for him, also.
There was no sign of the white dove sent by the Savanti. Even Pompino couldn’t have seen that bird.
It occurred to me to wonder if he’d ever seen or heard of Zena Iztar, who as a superhuman woman exercised mysterious powers. She had assisted me in the past, and although I might suspect she stood over in opposition to both Star Lords and Savanti, I was not certain of that. She it was who had helped us when the Brotherhood of the Kroveres of Iztar fought their early sacrificial battles. Now the Kroveres with Seg Segutorio as their Grand Archbold were dedicated to righting wrongs, uprooting slavery and injustice, and of countering the Shanks. Naive ends for an Order, you may think — all except the last — but of such naiveté are new and fairer worlds formed.
Continuing his train of thought, Pompino went on: “Here in Bormark we will have to go about the business in a rather different fashion from Memis and Pomdermam.”
“Oh?”
“Aye! Look you — I burned a temple to Lem here. No doubt others have sprung up to take its place. But now we have the Lady Tilda with us.”
He used the general word for lady — shiume — which has so many gradations of rankings Kregans more often than not omit all these subtle shadings, and say simply “The Shiume” and then the lady’s name. This applies from Kovneva to Kotera. I know my Delia has trenchant opinions upon this subject of lick-spittling fawning. Pompino and I, when we did not call Tilda the Beautiful, Tilda of the Many Veils, Kovneva, we addressed her as Shiume, my lady.
I agreed. Then, with a note of caution, I said: “We are duty bound to see her safely to her palace. This may lay us open to observation. It is certain sure that Murgon Marsilus will have spies, no less than the Leem Lovers.”
“Then we proceed under cover.”
Any Kregan knows the nightly tally of Moons. Tonight we were due the Twins, the two second moons eternally orbiting each other, and the largest moon, the Maiden with the Many Smiles. The fourth moon, She of the Veils, would appear wanly toward dawn. As for the three smaller moons, they hurtle past in their headlong courses, casting
“Of course not! Why, only a kregoinye, one who has been selected by the Everoinye, can ever see—”
“Yes. But I have known a few people in the past who have seen him.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
The spoken Kregish tongue is modulated by many tonal variations, so that Pompino’s simple words, by being given different inflections, could mean that he was calling me a liar, to an amazed agreement with my statement. This latter meaning he now intended.
“True, Pompino. I believe a certain innocence of mind has an influence, for a lad I know saw the bird, and a caravan master from Xuntal, a true child of the Great Plains. Also, this Kov Pando Marsilus, when he was a youngster, saw the Gdoinye.”
“So that is behind your remark. But he is no longer a coy, young and fresh and green and innocent.”
“Ha,” I said in a kind of grunt. “If ever he was, poor lad.”
Pompino let that by.
I did not say that the lad I knew who had seen the scarlet and gold raptor was my eldest son Drak. Pompino was under the impression that I was fancy free and unencumbered by a family. Just why I’d allowed that impression to remain might seem petty and obscure; it saved a quantity of explanations.
The bird circled, a menacing silhouette as he passed beneath the Suns of Scorpio, a glittery glory as the streaming radiance touched his feathers.
“He can only report that we are on our way to carry out our duties,” said Pompino.
“Aye,” I said in an ugly voice. “And we are on our own time in this.”
“True. But I think the Everoinye are now completely involved with us, and we can—”
“We can expect no help from them!”
Pompino let his lips compress. That was true, at least for me, and despite Pompino’s attachment to the Star Lords, I suspected for him, also.
There was no sign of the white dove sent by the Savanti. Even Pompino couldn’t have seen that bird.
It occurred to me to wonder if he’d ever seen or heard of Zena Iztar, who as a superhuman woman exercised mysterious powers. She had assisted me in the past, and although I might suspect she stood over in opposition to both Star Lords and Savanti, I was not certain of that. She it was who had helped us when the Brotherhood of the Kroveres of Iztar fought their early sacrificial battles. Now the Kroveres with Seg Segutorio as their Grand Archbold were dedicated to righting wrongs, uprooting slavery and injustice, and of countering the Shanks. Naive ends for an Order, you may think — all except the last — but of such naiveté are new and fairer worlds formed.
Continuing his train of thought, Pompino went on: “Here in Bormark we will have to go about the business in a rather different fashion from Memis and Pomdermam.”
“Oh?”
“Aye! Look you — I burned a temple to Lem here. No doubt others have sprung up to take its place. But now we have the Lady Tilda with us.”
He used the general word for lady — shiume — which has so many gradations of rankings Kregans more often than not omit all these subtle shadings, and say simply “The Shiume” and then the lady’s name. This applies from Kovneva to Kotera. I know my Delia has trenchant opinions upon this subject of lick-spittling fawning. Pompino and I, when we did not call Tilda the Beautiful, Tilda of the Many Veils, Kovneva, we addressed her as Shiume, my lady.
I agreed. Then, with a note of caution, I said: “We are duty bound to see her safely to her palace. This may lay us open to observation. It is certain sure that Murgon Marsilus will have spies, no less than the Leem Lovers.”
“Then we proceed under cover.”
Any Kregan knows the nightly tally of Moons. Tonight we were due the Twins, the two second moons eternally orbiting each other, and the largest moon, the Maiden with the Many Smiles. The fourth moon, She of the Veils, would appear wanly toward dawn. As for the three smaller moons, they hurtle past in their headlong courses, casting
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