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A Caress Of Twilight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 124 из 236"
I knew the Firbolgs were the first semidivine inhabitants of the British Isles and Ireland. I knew that my ancestors had defeated them and won the right to be the new rulers of the lands. It was several thousand years of history away; that I knew. What I hadn't known was that Rhys was older than Frost, older than most of the sidhe. That Rhys was one of the first of us to come to the isles now thought to be the original home of all sidhe. "Rhys is older than you are?"
"Yes."
I looked at Rhys.
He suddenly seemed very interested in driving.
"Rhys?"
"Yes," he said, looking straight ahead. He maneuvered a curve a little too fast, so he'd have to play with the wheel.
"How much older are you than Frost?"
"I don't remember." His voice held a plaintive note.
"Yes, you do."
He glanced at me. "No, I don't. It's been too long, Merry. I don't remember what year Frost was born." He sounded grumpy now.
"Do you remember what year you were born?" I asked Frost.
He seemed to think about it, then shook his head. "Not really. Rhys is right on one thing. After a time it simply is too long to think about."
"Are you saying you all begin to lose parts of your memories?"
"No," Frost said, "but it no longer becomes important what year you were born. You know that we do not celebrate our birthdays."
"Well, yes, but I never really thought about why."
I turned back to Rhys. His face looked almost grim. "So you've seen worse than back there at the club, restaurant, whatever?"
"Yes." The word was very short, clipped.
"If I asked you to tell me about it, would you?"
"No," he said.
There is no that can be worn down to yes, then there is NO. Rhys's no was one of those.
I left it alone. Besides, I wasn't sure I wanted stories today about awful deaths, especially if that death was worse than what we'd just walked through. It was the most dead I'd ever seen, and more than I'd ever wanted to see.
"I'll respect your wishes."
He glanced at me almost as if he didn't trust me. "That's big of you."
"No need to be snide, Rhys."
He shrugged. "Sorry, Merry, I'm just not feeling particularly good right now."
"I thought I was the only one having trouble handling this."
"It's not the bodies that bothered me," Rhys said. "It's the fact that the lieutenant is wrong. It wasn't gas or poison, or anything like that."
"What do you mean, Rhys? What did you see that I didn't?"
Frost leaned back away from my seat.
I knew the Firbolgs were the first semidivine inhabitants of the British Isles and Ireland. I knew that my ancestors had defeated them and won the right to be the new rulers of the lands. It was several thousand years of history away; that I knew. What I hadn't known was that Rhys was older than Frost, older than most of the sidhe. That Rhys was one of the first of us to come to the isles now thought to be the original home of all sidhe. "Rhys is older than you are?"
"Yes."
I looked at Rhys.
He suddenly seemed very interested in driving.
"Rhys?"
"Yes," he said, looking straight ahead. He maneuvered a curve a little too fast, so he'd have to play with the wheel.
"How much older are you than Frost?"
"I don't remember." His voice held a plaintive note.
"Yes, you do."
He glanced at me. "No, I don't. It's been too long, Merry. I don't remember what year Frost was born." He sounded grumpy now.
"Do you remember what year you were born?" I asked Frost.
He seemed to think about it, then shook his head. "Not really. Rhys is right on one thing. After a time it simply is too long to think about."
"Are you saying you all begin to lose parts of your memories?"
"No," Frost said, "but it no longer becomes important what year you were born. You know that we do not celebrate our birthdays."
"Well, yes, but I never really thought about why."
I turned back to Rhys. His face looked almost grim. "So you've seen worse than back there at the club, restaurant, whatever?"
"Yes." The word was very short, clipped.
"If I asked you to tell me about it, would you?"
"No," he said.
There is no that can be worn down to yes, then there is NO. Rhys's no was one of those.
I left it alone. Besides, I wasn't sure I wanted stories today about awful deaths, especially if that death was worse than what we'd just walked through. It was the most dead I'd ever seen, and more than I'd ever wanted to see.
"I'll respect your wishes."
He glanced at me almost as if he didn't trust me. "That's big of you."
"No need to be snide, Rhys."
He shrugged. "Sorry, Merry, I'm just not feeling particularly good right now."
"I thought I was the only one having trouble handling this."
"It's not the bodies that bothered me," Rhys said. "It's the fact that the lieutenant is wrong. It wasn't gas or poison, or anything like that."
"What do you mean, Rhys? What did you see that I didn't?"
Frost leaned back away from my seat.