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A Stroke Of Midnight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 125 из 293I think the kiss surprised him more than any blow could have. I smiled down at him. “There are other ways to make the grass grow, Amatheon.”
He stared up at me, uncomprehending for a moment. Then the shadow of a smile caressed his lips. “You would refuse the call of the Goddess?”
I shook my head. “Never, but the Goddess comes in many guises. Why choose pain and death when you can have pleasure and life?”
The smile widened just a bit. He unbent his neck from its almost painful offering position, then looked from the sword in one hand to the chalice in the other. “What would you have of me, Princess, Goddess?”
“Oh, no,” she said, and this time it wasn’t my lips. There was a hooded figure not far from us, her feet not touching the bare soil. In fact she was misty, and try as I might, I could not see her clearly. The hand that held the hood close was neither old nor young nor in between. She was all women and no woman. She was the Goddess. “Oh, no, Amatheon, she has made her choice. I will leave her to that decision. She does not need me to finish this task.” She gave a small chuckle that held something of the dryness of an old woman’s voice, the rich melodious sound of a woman in her prime, and the lightness of a girl. “I do not often agree with Andais, but in this I might. Bloody fertility goddesses.” But she laughed again.
“I did not know that Andais still spoke with you, Goddess.”
“I did not stop speaking to my people, they stopped listening to me, and after a time, they could no longer hear my voice. But I never stopped speaking to them. In dreams, or that moment between waking and sleep, there is my voice. In a song, the touch of another’s hand in theirs, I am there. I am Goddess, I am everywhere, and in everything. I cannot leave, nor can you lose me. But you can leave me, and you can turn your back on me.”
“We did not mean to leave you alone, Mother,” Amatheon said.
“I was not alone, Child. I cannot be truly alone, but I can be lonely.”
“What can I do, Mother, to repent?”
“Repentance is an alien concept to us, Amatheon. But if you wish to make it up to me…”
“Yes, Goddess, with all my heart.”
“Make the earth live again, Amatheon. Spread your seed over that which is barren, and make it live again.” She began to fade like mist in the sun.
“Goddess,” he said.
Her voice floated to us. “Yes, Child.”
“Will I see you again?”
Just her voice now, young and old at the same time. “In the face of every woman you meet.” And she was gone.
He stared up at me, uncomprehending for a moment. Then the shadow of a smile caressed his lips. “You would refuse the call of the Goddess?”
I shook my head. “Never, but the Goddess comes in many guises. Why choose pain and death when you can have pleasure and life?”
The smile widened just a bit. He unbent his neck from its almost painful offering position, then looked from the sword in one hand to the chalice in the other. “What would you have of me, Princess, Goddess?”
“Oh, no,” she said, and this time it wasn’t my lips. There was a hooded figure not far from us, her feet not touching the bare soil. In fact she was misty, and try as I might, I could not see her clearly. The hand that held the hood close was neither old nor young nor in between. She was all women and no woman. She was the Goddess. “Oh, no, Amatheon, she has made her choice. I will leave her to that decision. She does not need me to finish this task.” She gave a small chuckle that held something of the dryness of an old woman’s voice, the rich melodious sound of a woman in her prime, and the lightness of a girl. “I do not often agree with Andais, but in this I might. Bloody fertility goddesses.” But she laughed again.
“I did not know that Andais still spoke with you, Goddess.”
“I did not stop speaking to my people, they stopped listening to me, and after a time, they could no longer hear my voice. But I never stopped speaking to them. In dreams, or that moment between waking and sleep, there is my voice. In a song, the touch of another’s hand in theirs, I am there. I am Goddess, I am everywhere, and in everything. I cannot leave, nor can you lose me. But you can leave me, and you can turn your back on me.”
“We did not mean to leave you alone, Mother,” Amatheon said.
“I was not alone, Child. I cannot be truly alone, but I can be lonely.”
“What can I do, Mother, to repent?”
“Repentance is an alien concept to us, Amatheon. But if you wish to make it up to me…”
“Yes, Goddess, with all my heart.”
“Make the earth live again, Amatheon. Spread your seed over that which is barren, and make it live again.” She began to fade like mist in the sun.
“Goddess,” he said.
Her voice floated to us. “Yes, Child.”
“Will I see you again?”
Just her voice now, young and old at the same time. “In the face of every woman you meet.” And she was gone.