Maia полностью

As soon as the girl had gone she turned back to Ran-dronoth. "Randro, I promise you-I swear by Frella-Til-theh I'll say nothing to Eud-Ecachlon or to anyone else. I swear I'll come straight back here-oh, within the hour if you say so-only please let me go to Milvushina!"

He shook his head. "This is war, Maia: Seekron will be here before sunset. Eud-Ecachlon-Elvair-ka-Virrion- they're the enemy. I can't let you go anywhere where you might talk to them."

"But if I don't go it'll look more suspicious! Surely you can see that?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "By tonight the city will be in my hands. Until then you must stay here. Anyway, what good could you do?"

"She's my friend and she's in bad trouble! Oh, Randro, you said you loved me!"

"This is no time to argue, Maia."

Suddenly in the midst of her frenzied fear for Milvushina, an idea came into her mind; one so simple that she could only wonder that it should not have occurred to her before. This was Randronoth that she was dealing with- Randronoth who had paid nine thousand meld.

She sat down and dried her eyes. After a little-he was still looking out southward-she said, "Well, I can see your point of view, Randro. It is war, and I know you've got to think of your men first. I'm sorry you reckon you can't trust me, but there it is: I must just try and accept it, mustn't I? Shall we go down, now, and have a drink in the garden? I could do with it, I know that. One of your soldiers could watch for half an hour, couldn't he?"

After a moment's thought he replied, "Very well," and put out his hand to help her down the stairs.

While he was instructing the soldier she called Ogma into the parlor.

"Ogma, don't argue with me or act anything out of the

ordinary, d'you see? Just bring some wine and nuts and that out into the garden, and do it quickly!"

As soon as he had joined her she led him into the garden, poured the wine, handed him his goblet and drank deeply herself.

"Ah! That's better! I'm feeling a lot better now," she said. "Give me your arm, Randro; let's have a little stroll. There's something I want to show you, down by the shore. Did I ever tell you about the golden lilies I picked for King Karnat in Suba? No? Well, 'twas like this, see-"

Talking on, she drew his arm through hers, leading him gently and leisurely on among the shrubs and flowerbeds, fragrant in the cooling air of evening. The western sky was reddening and there was no least breath of wind.

"Do you know something, Randro?" she said. "I've longed for you so often since that night of the barrarz. You were wonderful! We had so much pleasure, didn't we? Do you remember in the morning, when you thought you were finished and then you found you weren't?"

"Yes, I do," he replied. "I wouldn't be likely to forget that, would I?"

"We can't make love now, though," she said, and drew his hand from her waist up to her bosom. "What a pity! For there'll be no chance later tonight, will there? Not once Seekron gets here. You'll have far too much to do."

"I thought you didn't want to make love," he answered.

"Why, when did I say that? You never asked me, did you?"

They had reached the marble bench near the Barb.

"You've seemed so angry and upset all day. Naturally, I thought-"

"Sometimes being upset brings a girl on all the harder; didn't you know that?" She kissed his ear, nibbling the lobe. "It's all the strain and excitement and that."

"Maia, are you serious? Do you really want to make love?"

For answer she flung her arms round his neck, kissing him passionately and pressing herself against him. He responded, panting, and caressing her with trembling hands.

"Let's go back to the house, then. Come on!"

"Oh, no, Randro! I couldn't! I mean, I couldn't let myself go; not with the soldiers there and everyone knowing. No, I'm afraid we'll just have to leave it for now."

She pressed herself to him still more ardently, putting one hand on his thigh. "It's a shame, isn't it?"

"No one can see us here."

"Oh!" She stood back, wide-eyed, holding her hand over her open mouth. "Oh, Randro, no! How can you-"

He smiled delightedly. "You're Lespa; I'm Shakkarn. Why not?"

"Oh, no!" But his fingers had already begun to unfasten her robe at the neck, drawing it down and drawing down her shift to bare her deldas, which he stooped to kiss.

"Well-well-I don't know. Oh, Randro, it's so nice!" She kicked off her sandals, let her clothes fall and stood naked before him. "You, too! You, too! Only just turn round a moment, darling: I want to make water and I can't do it with you watching."

"Can't you?" He gave her a playful smack on the buttocks. "All right." Turning his back, he began pulling his leather jerkin over his head.