Maia полностью

She crossed the room, went through the bead curtains to the outer door and listened carefully before coming back to the bench.

"It was Dyphna who told me about Enka-Mordet of Chalcon, this mornin'. Apparently Sencho was talkin' to her last night, in between enjoym' himself. He was so pleased with his own cleverness he couldn' resist tellin' her. Enka-Mordet was Senda-na-Say's nephew, and he had a wife and two grown sons."

"You mean the Leopards have killed them all?" asked Maia.

Occula nodded. "Dyphna says Kembri sent about two hundred men, an' they reached Chalcon from Bekla in less than three days."

"Through the rains?" asked Maia. "Surely not?"

"Yes, they did. Apparently half of them are down with fever now; but they finished what they went for, so Kembri woan' be mindin' about that. They killed Enka-Mordet and his wife and sons. But now hear this. On Sencho's personal orders the daughter, Milvushina, was brought back here, for him. 'So she hasn't cost me a meld,' he said to Dyphna."

Maia was silent for some little time. At length she said, "Well, s'pose it's no worse for her than it was for you."

"P'raps not," answered Occula, "but I doan' care to hear you talkin' like that, banzi. Believe me, it's a great mistake to let yourself get so tough that you never feel sorry for anyone. It shows in your face after a time, and that's when you're on the way out-hard as nails and look

it. Meris was beginnin' to look that way. I feel sorry for this wretched girl. You ought to feel sorry for her. But you doan' like her, do you?"

"I never said so."

"No, but I can tell what you're thinkin'. 'She's a baron's daughter, ha, ha, and now she's come down to no better than us.' Yes?"

"I never-"

"Yes, you did," said Occula sharply. "Of course it's bad for slaves, banzi-it's a rotten world-but it's even worse for that poor girl. It's not her fault who she is or where she was born. She's been through enough to drive any girl stark, ravin' mad and if we doan' look after her, she probably will be."

"Cran, I've just thought!" said Maia, jumping to her feet. "Where's your knife, Occula? Is it in your box? She might wake up and find it."

"Yes, I'd thought of that, too," replied Occula. "It's hidden, along with the tessik. But somehow I doan' think Milvushina's the sort to do herself in. I'm not really worried about that. I'm much more bothered about Piggy and his jolly fun."

"You don't think he might drive her to it?"

"No-because we're goin' to help her to turn herself from a baron's daughter into a crafty, hard-headed slave-girl. Oh, you were no trouble, banzi; you're a tough little thing, aren't you? You quite enjoy ruttin' about with Piggy, doan' you? Uh-huh, I've seen you: and he knows it. But d'you realize what it's goin' to be like for her! That's why he had her brought here, the bastard-partly that and partly so's he could feel he'd got twelve thousand meld's worth for nothin'."

Maia looked up quickly, finger to lips, as the door beyond the bead curtains openedsoftly. A moment later they stood up as Terebinthia came in.

"Ah, there you are, Occula," said Terebinthia. "You may go to the High Counselor now. I don't think he's very well this morning, but no doubt you'll be able to make him feel better." Then, turning to Maia, "Where's the Chalcon girl? You've seen her, I suppose?"

"Yes, saiyett. We put her to sleep with me in the big bed-jus' so's I could keep an eye on her, like: only she was a bit upset last night, see. Thought I'd sit in there and

do a bit of mending till she wakes, and then Ogma can get her something to eat."

"Yes, that will do," replied Terebinthia, "and you'd better tell her that the High Counselor will want to see her later on, at supper time." She stooped, holding her hands to the stove, and then added quietly, "He's greatly looking forward to it."

Nevertheless, the High Counselor did not send for Mil-vushina that evening. At dinner next day, when he was attended by Occula and Maia, he was listless and petulant, cutting short his gluttony and showing no inclination for other pleasures. Although replying to Terebinthia, with testy annoyance, that he did not feel ill, he plainly lacked the energy and zest to enjoy the humiliation of a baron's daughter turned concubine. Early in the afternoon he dismissed the girls, but later recalled Occula to bathe and massage him, after which he fell asleep without even attempting to gratify himself.

The next two days brought no change and Maia, to her own surprise, realized that she was beginning to feel frustrated. It had never occurred to her that what she had become accustomed to doing for the High Counselor gave her any satisfaction; indeed, she had now and then, in the secrecy of their bed, expressed to Occula her disgust. Now she began to understand that her feelings were not as simple as she had supposed.