The Magister (Earthkeep) by Gearhart Sally Miller

Author:Gearhart, Sally Miller [Gearhart, Sally Miller]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2012-10-04T04:00:00+00:00

Bosca searched Zude's face as she handed back the note. "That's tomorrow. No, today. New Nagasaki is down in the old New Mexico desert."

"Yes. Isn't that the town that's grown up near White Sands?"

Bosca nodded. "A healing town. And a gift society."

Zude fingered the earring. "I wonder. . ."

"You'll know soon enough."

"Indeed I shall," Zude agreed.

8 - NEW NAGASAKI - [2088]

Love is a leap of faith, a leap off a cliff.

Are you ready for such joy?

Voices Of The Stream

Anarut, originally a Naga tribeswoman of the lower Himalayas, was now the manager of the Give Away. She swept around the spacious rooftop garden in her elegant long-flowing gown, showing Jez the sumptuous upper dominion of the casino.

Near a fountain surrounded by hearty desert flora, she leaned over the chest-high protective wall.

"There's a colony of Afortunadas there," she said, pointing. "Visitors can hear animal stories for days at a time, if they're willing to camp out." Then she looked to the far-off snow-capped mountains. "See the timberline that cuts north? And that bald escarpment?" Jez nodded. "Just to the right of it, a slightly lower peak? There, that reflected light! That's it. That's our observatory, monitoring for extra-terrestrials."

A barely audible tinkle of chimes interrupted them. Anarut touched her earlobe, silencing the sound. She sighed. "Well," she said, "the dome over there paques and depaques so you can see the action down on the promenade and in the main gaming hall. You can even magnify any quadrant, with no danger of spying on the dealers or. . ."

"No necessity for that," Jez assured her.

"Sorry I have to leave you." Anarut held out her arms. "It is good to see you, Jezebel."

Jez hugged her hard. "You too, Anarut, you too."

"I'll have your friend sent up the minute she arrives." She made for the drop shaft, waving her arms to encompass the roof as she went, calling, "It's all yours, my dear! Enjoy!"

Jez drew a deep breath and looked at the sun, now flat- bottomed as it began its disappearance behind a southwestern ridge. Zude would be prompt. Always Zude was prompt.

Carousel music from below drew her to the parapet. She looked down upon a children's playground. Two niñas hung from a bright yellow pipe-bridge, one by her legs, the other in a hand-over-hand progress across the bar. A sudden irony struck Jez: the children were not so much playing as performing. She herself was part of an audience that watched the niñas; her fellow voyeurs were a man and a woman on a bench by the pipe- bridge, three people just beyond them who stood by the empty carousel, and two young adults who had just halted in their cleaning of the shallow pool to observe the small acrobats.

The only children on the playground.

Deliberately, Jez turned away from the scene and began exploring the rooftop. She strolled over pathways and through occasional nooks, where cushioned chairs or lounges sat with tables and transmogs, all inviting human use and occupation. She marveled at the hand-wind-water pollination that must have been required for this variety of vegetation.

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.