[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
give Nattie a hug and a kiss.
Nattie fought her off, unconvincingly. Now, now, lovie, don t carry on so.
You ll be giving me the heebie-jeebies. She sat up straight and turned her
face once more toward the man across from her. One other thing& Dag. If you d
be willing to hear me out.
His brows twitched up at the unaccustomed use of his name. I m a good
listener.
Yeah, I noticed that about you. But then Nattie fell silent. She shifted a
little, as if embarrassed, or& or shy? Surely not& Before that young
Lakewalker fellow left, he gave me one last present. Because I said I was
sorry to part never having seen his face. Well, actually, his lady gave it me,
I suppose. She was something of a hand at Lakewalker healings, it seemed, of
the sort he did for my poor ankle when first we met.
Matching grounds, Dag interpreted this. Yes? It s a bit intimate.
Actually, it s a lot intimate.
Nattie s voice fell to almost a whisper, as if confiding dark secrets. It
was like she lent me her eyes for a spell. Now, he wasn t too different from
what I d pictured, sort of homely-handsome. Hadn t expected the red hair and
the shiny suntan, though, on a fellow who d been sleeping all day and running
around all night. Touch of a shock, that. She went quiet for a long stretch.
I ve never seen Fawn s face, you know. The offhand tone of her voice would
have fooled no one present, Fawn thought, even without the little quaver at
the end.
Dag sat back, blinking.
In the silence, Nattie said uncertainly, Maybe you re too tired. Maybe it s&
too hard. Too much.
Um& Dag swallowed, then cleared his throat. I am mightily tired this
night, I admit. But I m willing to try for you. Not sure it ll work, is all.
Wouldn t want to disappoint.
If it don t work, we re no worse off than we were. As you say.
I did, he agreed. He shot a bleak smile at Fawn. Change places with me,
Spark?
She scrambled off Nattie s bed and took his spot on her own, as he sat down
beside Nattie. He hitched his shoulders and slipped his arm out of his sling.
You be careful with that arm, warned Fawn anxiously.
I think I can lift it from the shoulder all right now, if I don t try to
wriggle my fingers too much or put any pressure on it. Nattie, I m going to
try to touch your temples, here. I can use my fingers for the right side, but
I m afraid I ll have to touch you with the backside of my hook on the left, if
only for the balance. Don t jump around, eh?
Whatever you say, patroller. Nattie sat bolt upright, very still. She
Page 170
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
nervously wet her lips. Her pearl eyes were wide, staring hard into space. Dag
eased up close to her, lifting his hands to either side of her head. Except
for a somewhat inward expression on his face, there was nothing whatsoever to
see.
Fawn caught the moment only because Nattie blinked and gasped, shifting her
eyes sideways to Dag. Oh. And then, more impatiently, No, don t look at that
dumpy old woman. I don t want to see her anyhow, and besides, it isn t true.
Look overthere.
Obligingly, Dag turned his head, parallel with Nattie s if rather above it.
He smiled at Fawn. She grinned back, her breath coming faster with the thrill
shivering about the room.
My word, breathed Nattie. My word. The timeless moment stretched. Then
she said, Come on, patroller. There isn t hardly nothing human in the wide
green world could be as pretty as that.
That s what I thought, said Dag. You re seeing her ground as well as her
face, you know. Seeing her as I do.
Do you, now, whispered Nattie. Do you. That explains a lot. Her eyes
locked hungrily on Fawn, as if seeking to memorizethe sightless vision. Her
lids welled with water, which glimmered in the candlelight.
Nattie, said Dag, his voice a mix of strain and amusement and regret, I
can t keep this up much longer. I m sorry.
It s all right, patroller. It s enough. Well, not that. But you know.
Yes. Dag sighed and sat back, slumping. Awkwardly, he slipped his splinted
arm back in its sling, then bent over, staring at the floor.
Are you sick again? asked Fawn, wondering if she should dash for a basin.
No. Bit of a headache, though. There are things floating in my vision.
There, they re fading now. He blinked rapidly and straightened again. Ow.
You people do take it out of me. I feel as though I d just come off walking
patterns for ten days straight. In the worst weather. Over crags.
Nattie sat up, her tears smearing in tracks like water trickling down a cliff
face. She scrubbed at her cheeks and glared around the room that she could no
longer see. My word, this is a grubby hole we ve been stuffed in all this
time, Fawn, lovie. Why didn t you ever say? I m going to make the boys
whitewash the walls, I am.
Sounds like a good idea to me, said Fawn. But I won t be here.
No, butI will. Nattie sniffed resolutely.
After a few more minutes to recover her stability, Nattie planted her cane
and hoisted herself up. Well, come on, you two. Let s get this started.
Fawn and Dag followed her out past the weaving room; once through the door to
the kitchen, Fawn cuddled in close to Dag s left side, and he let his arm
drift around behind her back and anchor her there, and maybe himself as well.
The whole family was seated around the lamplit table, Papa and Mama and Fletch
on the near end, Reed and Rush and Whit beyond. They looked up warily.
Whatever conference they were having, they d kept their voices remarkably low;
or else they hadn t been daring to talk to one another at all.
Page 171
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Are they all there? muttered Nattie.
Yes, Aunt Nattie.
Nattie stepped up to the center of the kitchen and thumped the floor with her
cane, drawing herself up in full Pronouncement Mode such as Fawn had very
seldom seen, not since the time Nattie had so-finally settled the argument for
damages with the irate Bowyers over the twins and Whit s cow-racing episode,
years ago. Nattie drew a long breath; everyone else held theirs.
I msatisfied, Nattie announced loudly. Fawn shall have her patroller. Dag
shall have his Spark. See to it, Tril and Sorrel. The rest of you lot she
glared to remarkable effect, when she put her mind to it, the focused
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]