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.before been discussed.‘Ah,’ Mara cried in discovery, after a quarter hour of gestures, and finally crude chalk drawings on a slate.‘I understand what you want to say.You ask about the egu, large creatures, similar to relli, that live in the deeps beneath the waves.Yes, the Sea of Blood is filled with them.Each ship carries lances tipped with oiled rags.You called them “harpoons” earlier, but they are not the same as darts to kill fish.An emu lance is always lit when fired.Sailors say only flame or a Great One’s spells will repel attacks by egu.’Kevin rubbed his temples again.Dinner did not find him with any appetite, and he decided to retire to sleep.‘My great barbarian gets seasick,’ Mara teased, the healthy flush of her own cheeks a sure indication that the malady was no problem for her.She shot her lover a flashing glance and said, ‘I know an infallible cure for bellyaches.’ She then shed her robe without ceremony and tumbled into the alcove where he knelt, trying to sort cushions from blankets.His robe soon joined hers, abandoned in a heap on the floor.Further thoughts of egu did not trouble his sleep after that, for he had no energy left to think.* * *Coalteca completed her crossing inside a week, untroubled by egu, and tossed by surprisingly few squalls.‘It is summer,’ Lujan said in answer to Kevin’s inquiry.‘The winds are steady, and the rainfall slight.’ He raised a sunburned arm and indicated the shoreline of Dustari, rising purple off Coalteca’s painted prow.‘Look, you can see our destination, the city of llama.’The port in Dustari differed greatly from what Kevin had observed of Jamar, built on granite hills, and backed by jagged mountains.The wood-and-paper-screen construction favoured throughout the mainland Empire was here augmented by stone.Immense, multitiered towers arose, their pyramid structures serving as watch stations for a massive crenellated wall.Other towers with light beacons marked the string of scattered islets that extended seaward arms to the west.The headlands bulked darkly rocky, between expanses of reddish black sand of volcanic origin.The contours of the hills were steep-sided, and lush with trees that had unfamiliar shapes.The smells on the breeze were also strange, and peppered with a pungence of spice.‘The grinders of condiments have sheds at the harbour-side,’ Lujan said, When Kevin commented.‘llama does great trade in spices that grow only in the mountains to the south.’The folk were also famous for their weaving, and prayer mats woven ir Dustari were reputed to carry good fortune in their threads.Fey blood ran strong in the folk from that shore; many children born here grew up to take service with the Assembly of Magicians.Kevin longed for the chance to explore the town, and watched the street traffic avidly as Coalteca dropped anchor in the bay.Two-wheeled carts moved along the docks, hauled by a six-legged creature much slighter than a needra.Weaving flocks of scarlet-and-white shore birds screamed and dived above the masts, chasing one another for the chance to snatch scraps tossed overboard by the cooks.Dirty urchins shouted, their voices echoing across the harbour, as they likewise sought handouts.Suddenly their cries stilled, and they wheeled and fled into waterfront alleys.Kevin’s interest sharpened.Onto the wharf marched soldiers armoured in yellow and purple.Bearers carried a lacquered litter hung with banners bearing the symbol of a catlike animal entwined with a snake.Servants hurried aside to clear the way for the company, and the dock crews bowed low in deference.‘The Lord of the Xacatecas comes personally to meet us,’ Mara commented in some surprise.Poised by Kevin’s shoulder, and dressed in rich robes of green, she wore makeup that artfully managed to play down her youth.‘You didn’t expect him?’ Kevin asked, turning to assess the reason for her nerves.‘I did not.’ Mara considered, frowning.‘That he has left his war camp to attend the arrival of the Acoma honours us [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]