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lel ridges from eye to jawbone; as if from the scraping talons of a huge claw。
〃What is that?〃 she said。 〃That scar。〃
He did not answer at once。
〃A dragon?〃 she said; trying to scoff。 Had she not e down here to make mock of her victim; to torment him with his helplessness?
〃No; not a dragon。〃
〃You're not a dragonlord; at least; then。〃
〃No;〃 he said rather reluctantly; 〃I am a dragonlord。 But the scars were before that。 I told you that I had met with the Dark Powers before; in other places of the earth。 This on my face is the mark of one of the kinship of the Nameless Ones。 But no longer nameless; for I learned his name; in the end。〃
〃What do you mean? What name?〃
〃I cannot tell you that;〃 he said; and smiled; though his face was grave。
〃That's nonsense; fool's babble; sacrilege。 They are the Nameless Ones! You don't know what you're talking about…〃
〃I know even better than you; Priestess;〃 he said; his voice deepening。 〃Look again!〃 He turned his head so she must see the four terrible marks across his cheek。
〃I don't believe you;〃 she said; and her voice shook。
〃Priestess;〃 he said gently; 〃you are not very old; you can't have served the Dark Ones very long。〃
〃But I have。 Very long! I am the First Priestess; the Reborn。 I have served my masters for a thousand years and a thousand years before that。 I am their servant and their voice and their hands。 And I am their vengeance on those who defile the Tombs and look upon what is not to be seen! Stop your lying and your boasting; can't you see that if I say one word my guard will e and cut your head off your shoulders? Or if I go away and lock this door; then nobody will e; ever; and you'll die here in the dark; and those I serve will eat your flesh and eat your soul and leave your bones here in the dust?〃
Quietly; he nodded。
She stammered; and finding no more to say; swept out of the room and bolted the door behind her with a clang。 Let him think she wasn't ing back! Let him sweat; there in the dark; let him curse and shiver and try to work his foul; useless spells!
But in her mind's eye she saw him stretching out to sleep; as she had seen him do by the iron door; serene as a sheep in a sunny meadow。
She spat at the bolted door; and made the sign to avert defilement; and went almost at a run towards the Undertomb。
While she skirted its wall on the way to the trapdoor in the Hall; her fingers brushed along the fine planes and traceries of rock; like frozen lace。 A longing swept over her to light her lantern; to see once more; just for a moment; the time…carven stone; the lovely glitter of the walls。 She shut her eyes tight and hurried on。
The Great Treasure
Never had the rites and duties of the day seemed so many; or so petty; or so long。 The little girls with their pale faces and furtive ways; the restless novices; the priestesses whose looks were stern and cool but whose lives were all a secret brangle of jealousies and miseries and small ambitions and wasted passions… all these women; among whom she had always lived and who made up the human world to her; now appeared to her as both pitiable and boring。
But she who served great powers; she the priestess of grim Night; was free of that pettiness。 She did not have to care about the grinding meanness of their mon life; the days whose one delight was likely to be getting a bigger slop of lamb fat over your lentils than your neighbor got。。。 She was free of the days altogether。 Underground; there were no days。 There was always and only night。
And in that unending night; the prisoner: the dark man; practicer of dark arts; bound in iron and locked in stone; waiting for her to e or not to e; to bring him water and bread and life; or a knife and a butcher's bowl and death; just as the whim took her。
She had told no one but Kossil about the man; and Kossil had not told anyone else。 He had been in the Painted Room three nights and days now; and still she had not asked Arha about him。 Perhaps she assumed that he was dead; and that Arha had had Manan carry the body to the Room of Bones。 It was not like Kossil to take anything for granted; but Arha told herself that there was nothing strange about Kossil's silence。 Kossil wanted everything kept secret; and hated to have to ask questions。 And besides; Arha had told her not to meddle in her business。 Kossil was simply obeying。
However; if the man was supposed to be dead; Arha could not ask for food for him。 So; aside from stealing some apples and dried onions from the cellars of the Big House; she did without food。 She had her morning and evening meals sent to the Small House; pretending she wished to eat alone; and each night took the food down to the Painted Room in the Labyrinth; all but the soups。 She was used to fasting for a day on up to four days at a time; and thought nothing about it。 The fellow in the Labyrinth ate up her meager portions of bread and cheese and beans as a toad eats a fly: snap! it's gone。 Clearly he could have done so five or six times over; but he thanked her soberly; as if he were her guest and she his hostess at a table such as she had heard of in tales of feasts at the palace of the Godking; all set with roast meats and buttered loaves and wine in crystal。 He was very strange。
〃What is it like in the Inner Lands?〃
She had brought down a little cross…leg folding stool of ivory; so that she would not have to stand while she questioned him; yet would not have to sit down on the floor; on his level。
〃Well; there are many islands。 Four times forty; they say; in the Archipelago alone; and then there are the Reaches; no man has ever sailed all the Reaches; nor counted all the lands。 And each is different from the others。 But the fairest of them all; maybe; is Havnor; the great land at the center of the world。 In the heart of Havnor on a broad bay full of ships is the City Havnor。 The towers of the city are built of white marble。 The house of every prince and merchant has a tower; so they rise up one above the other。 The roofs of the houses are red tile; and all the bridges over the canals are covered in mosaic work; red and blue and green。 And the flags of the princes are all colors; flying from the white towers。 On the highest of all the towers the Sword of Erreth…Akbe is set; like a pinnacle; skyward。 When the sun rises on Havnor it flashes first on that blade and makes it bright; and when it sets the Sword is golden still above the evening; for a while。〃
〃Who was Erreth…Akbe?〃 she said; sly。
He looked up at her。 He said nothing; but he grinned a little。 Then as if on second thoughts he said; 〃It's true you would know little of him here。 Nothing beyond his ing to the Kargish lands; perhaps。 And how much of that tale do you know?〃
〃That he lost his sorcerer's staff and his amulet and his power… like you;〃 she answered。 〃He escaped from the High Priest and fled into the west; and dragons killed him。 But if he'd e here to the Tombs; there had been no need of dragons。〃
〃True enough;〃 said her prisoner。
She wanted no more talk of Erreth…Akbe; sensing a danger in the subject。 〃He was a dragonlord; they say。 And you say you're one。 Tell me; what i