Pliocene Exile 02 - The Golden Torc by Julian May

Author:Julian May
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2008-06-07T14:00:00+00:00

2.8

The gold-torc lady and her steward hovered before the Firvulag jeweler's display while the rest of their retinue, guards and serving women, prevented the fairground multitude from pressing too close.

"I wonder if this one is suitable, Claudius?" the woman asked. "Or is it perhaps so large as to be vulgar?"

The old gray-torc looked with disdain upon the amber paper-weight that the jeweler's assistant proffered on a velvet cushion.

"It has," the steward declared, "bugs in it."

"But they are part of the originality of the piece!" the jeweler protested. "Caught at the moment of their ancient mating hundreds of millions of years ago! The two insects, male and female, united in their nuptial embrace forever within this glow-ing gem! Is it not poignant, Exalted Lady? Does it not touch your heart?"

The lady peeped askance at her steward. "Do you find it touching, mon vieux?"

The jeweler waxed rapturous. "It comes from the darkest depths of Fennoscandia, from the Black Lake's haunted shores!

We Firvulag do not dare to harvest this amber, my Lady. We obtain it!"-he paused dramatically-"from Howlers!"

"Tana have mercy!" the gold-torc lady whispered, eyes wide.

"So you really do trade with the wild ones! Tell me, good jeweler… are the Howlers really as hideous to the eye as rumor has it?"

"To see one," the artisan assured her, keeping a solemn face, "is to go mad."

The lady bent a satirical eye upon her silver-haired servitor.

"I have suspected as much. Ah, yes."

The jeweler's assistant ventured to remark, "Some persons.believe that this year-because of the unrest y'see-the How- lers have even dared to come south!"

The lady squealed in alarm.

Her captal, a huge man with a face like seamed cordovan, slapped his sword hilt. "Now then, Foeman! Beware how you attempt to frighten our noble mistress!"

"Oh, Galucholl is quite right, brave Captal," the jeweler made quick to say. "And let me assure you that we of the True Folk are quite as alarmed about the matter as you. Te only knows what the ugly devils want. But we shall be alert lest they come slinking among us during the games."

The woman shivered in delicious dread. "How exciting!

How terrible! We will purchase the amber, jeweler. I am most taken with the doomed insect lovers. Pay him, Claudius."

Grumbling, the steward took coins from his belt wallet.

Then his eye fell upon a tray of rings and he began to smile.

"We'll take two of those as well, I think. Wrap them up."

"But, sir!" protested the Firvulag. "The carved-jet rings have a certain symbolic significance that you may not be aware-"

The old man's icy green eyes blazed under their white brows.

"I said, we'll take them! Now get those fornicating termites under wraps and be quick about it. We're going to be late for an appointment!"

"Yes, yes, right away, Worthy Master. Get a move on, Galucholl, you young lout!" The jeweler bowed to Madame Guderian as he handed the soft pouch to the steward. "Good fortune attend you, Exalted Lady, and may you enjoy your purchases." The old gray-torc laughed. In a manner

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.