Jhegaala by Steven Brust

Author:Steven Brust
Language: pt
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fantasy - Epic, Fantasy - General, American Science Fiction And Fantasy, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy fiction, Horror, Fiction - Fantasy, Fiction, Science fiction, Fantasy, Taltos, Historical, General, Vlad (Fictitious character), Epic
ISBN: 9780765341556
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 2009-06-29T23:00:00+00:00

Part Four

NOTONIDE

While there remains some question because of its short duration, most natural philosophers now agree that the notonide should be considered an actual stage; yet it is a stage of constant transformation. It is here, accompanied by a ninety percent loss in mass, that the wings are formed, the venom glands develop, and the eggs are fertilized. This all happens in an astonishingly brief time: a few days at the most. Needless to say, during this entire stage the jhegaala is exceptionally vulnerable.... Two interesting and contradictory phenomena occur during this stage: To the right, the intense pressure of the constant transformation overwhelms the individual characteristics of the notonide, each reacting for the most part identically. And yet, as is the case with all organisms, it is never so much itself as when under intense pressure. Thus the future nature of this particular levidopt becomes apparent from the present notonide if one knows what to look for. ...

—Oscaani: Fauna of the Middle South: A Brief Survey,

Volume 6, Chapter 18

11

Boraan: My dear, have you ever wondered why it seems to go on so terribly long?

Lefitt: It would hardly be punishment if it were short.

Boraan: (glances at audience): Quite so.

—Miersen, Six Parts Water

Day Two, Act III, Scene 4

Movement is meaningless without time. Movement, as an Athyra once explained to me, means that you're either in two places at once, or to put it another way, at a certain instant, you both are and are not in one place. In that sense, I wasn't moving, because there was no time, and I wasn't anywhere at all. The odd part is that there was the sensation of movement; a rattling, jolting, rocking thing. But sometimes we cannot trust our perceptions.

There was a damnable itch in the middle of my back, and a droning in my ears that wouldn't go away. I wanted to scratch my back, but I couldn't reach it. My hips and my back hurt.

Horse, I thought. Been riding a damned horse. No wonder I hurt. I opened my eyes, but the droning kept going in my ears. I couldn't figure out why the droning didn't stop when I opened my eyes. After what seemed the longest time, I realized it was because my eyes weren't really open. That made sense. I tried to work out if I was feeling sick to my stomach, but it required too much concentration and didn't seem important anyway. The humming got louder, and someone was calling my name, and the humming got softer, and several some ones were calling my name, in different tones, in different ways, and I felt not the least urge to answer any of them; all I wanted to do was open my eyes, because I knew that would make the humming stop. It isn't that the humming was painful, it just wouldn't stop, and I was getting annoyed.

Then someone in a soft, almost melodious voice I didn't recognize was asking me questions, and whoever it was seemed very friendly, and I'd have answered if the questions had made any sense.

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