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. The Rand feel it, too.But they ve worn these things all their lives, and so the effectcould be different. Does Jon know about this? Sem asked. If he doesn t, he soon will. ***The few drops of water that had fallen earlier that day had been a cruel tease.Instead ofturning to heavy rain, the sky had cleared and the following morning dawned without a cloud insight.Another week passed with no change in the weather unless, if anything, it had grownmore oppressive.Jon could see that the Rand were jumpy it confirmed what Klei and Sem hadtold him but the game continued, one play at a time.The Rand had now returned to the third ring.Both sides seemed to think they were on theverge of making it to the inner circle, and whoever reached it first earned a tremendousadvantage over his opponent.Once one of a team s pieces entered the fourth circle, they had theright to move any other two pieces to any unoccupied squares in the four circles.Technically, thefirst side to create a winning configuration won the contest.Unless, that is, the opponent, whowas allowed one more turn, could use it to create a higher-level configuration.But the right toclaim victory didn t necessarily mean the end of the game, for the provisional victor could electto continue playing in order to effect an even more powerful configuration.As a mere game, itmade little sense to jeopardize an achieved victory, but the competition had always been more than a game even when it had devolved into a form of gambling.Nevertheless, refusing toclaim victory meant that the final triumph was more significant.Despite the monotony, an undercurrent of excitement grew day by day.So much so, thatJon began to fear that Krator s absorption in the game had taken him to the edge of mania.Nolonger stubbornly silent, he now talked excitedly to anyone who d listen, but if you followed hiswords you d find little connection between them.It was an endless stream, not of nonsenseexactly, since it was tangentially related to the events taking place, but of something akin tononsense.Surely, Jon thought, Krator is about to reach a breaking point.But then two events changed everything.The first was the reappearance of Krace; thesecond was an appearance of a totally different sort.Instead of going immediately to join Fila and his players, Krace sought out Crljena andled her away the others, beyond the edge of the crater.None of Fila s guards dared stop them,and, watching the Rand, Jon saw marks of profound confusion in their faces.Krace had appearedhaggard and very old characteristics unusual for the Rand.Jon had never seen him before, buthe was certain that something terrible had happened to him. What does this mean? Zoë asked Jon, but he could give her no answer.However, theEmpress was concerned with more than the two Rand.They walked together in silence and then sat down by the stream.Zoë studied the trickleof water for a long time before she spoke. I don t know why, but this morning I had a strong feeling that I was needed at BentLake, she said. It was the first time that I ve experienced such a premonition, and I wonder if ithad something to do with Krace.I could see that Crljena was shocked by his appearance.Noneof the other Rand looks so old and so feeble. It s hard to imagine that he s brought good news. The only good news I can imagine would be news that this absurd game is over.I mbeginning to think it was wrong for me to come here. Wrong to help your son? What help have I been? Jon knew Zoë too well to attempt a polite lie. Not much, when it comes to the game.But Axor needed helpers, and.if you hadn tcome, who knows what would have happened? You and your friends were on the way. But the game was underway when we arrived, Jon pointed out. I think there must havebeen a special day when it had to start.That s what Talor thinks, too.What would have happenedif Axor s six helpers had been missing that day is anybody s guess. Axor could have had a hundred helpers from Bent Lake if I d allowed them to go to hisaid.Why did I think I had to be one of them? Because you re his mother, Jon ventured.Zoë shook her head. I should have known better.I should have known better, she repeated sadly.Jon could tell that Zoë was annoyed with herself, but he had no insight into what she wasthinking.Zoë stood up. It s time to return to the others, she said. If they see us talking together they ll thinkwe re plotting something.Little do they know. And that final remark left Jon even more confused.Zoë had once seemed simple to him a woman guided solely by the code of the Foresters and her own longing for heroism.But nowshe d grown complex in ways that baffled him.***Hours passed before Crljena and Krace returned to the two camps.Crljena wentimmediately to where Jon and Zoë were sitting with Helen, Naxa and Phillipa in the shadow of atent.She was excited, but also strangely calm.Everyone is to gather as soon as possible.I will ask Klei to act as interpreter so that theNew Men can hear my husband s message. Is it good news? Jon asked her.That you will have to decide for yourself.But you ll see that it changes everything.At Zoë s request, Naxa and Phillipa went in search of the rest of their companions.In afew minutes, everyone from both camps converged in the grassy space next to the platform.Here, long flat stones had been long ago laid on the ground in three rows.They sat on these, theNew Men with their three Rand friends on one side, the other, larger body on the other.But Jonsaw that Dan had managed to sit next to the Rand woman with whom he had struck up afriendship [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]
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. The Rand feel it, too.But they ve worn these things all their lives, and so the effectcould be different. Does Jon know about this? Sem asked. If he doesn t, he soon will. ***The few drops of water that had fallen earlier that day had been a cruel tease.Instead ofturning to heavy rain, the sky had cleared and the following morning dawned without a cloud insight.Another week passed with no change in the weather unless, if anything, it had grownmore oppressive.Jon could see that the Rand were jumpy it confirmed what Klei and Sem hadtold him but the game continued, one play at a time.The Rand had now returned to the third ring.Both sides seemed to think they were on theverge of making it to the inner circle, and whoever reached it first earned a tremendousadvantage over his opponent.Once one of a team s pieces entered the fourth circle, they had theright to move any other two pieces to any unoccupied squares in the four circles.Technically, thefirst side to create a winning configuration won the contest.Unless, that is, the opponent, whowas allowed one more turn, could use it to create a higher-level configuration.But the right toclaim victory didn t necessarily mean the end of the game, for the provisional victor could electto continue playing in order to effect an even more powerful configuration.As a mere game, itmade little sense to jeopardize an achieved victory, but the competition had always been more than a game even when it had devolved into a form of gambling.Nevertheless, refusing toclaim victory meant that the final triumph was more significant.Despite the monotony, an undercurrent of excitement grew day by day.So much so, thatJon began to fear that Krator s absorption in the game had taken him to the edge of mania.Nolonger stubbornly silent, he now talked excitedly to anyone who d listen, but if you followed hiswords you d find little connection between them.It was an endless stream, not of nonsenseexactly, since it was tangentially related to the events taking place, but of something akin tononsense.Surely, Jon thought, Krator is about to reach a breaking point.But then two events changed everything.The first was the reappearance of Krace; thesecond was an appearance of a totally different sort.Instead of going immediately to join Fila and his players, Krace sought out Crljena andled her away the others, beyond the edge of the crater.None of Fila s guards dared stop them,and, watching the Rand, Jon saw marks of profound confusion in their faces.Krace had appearedhaggard and very old characteristics unusual for the Rand.Jon had never seen him before, buthe was certain that something terrible had happened to him. What does this mean? Zoë asked Jon, but he could give her no answer.However, theEmpress was concerned with more than the two Rand.They walked together in silence and then sat down by the stream.Zoë studied the trickleof water for a long time before she spoke. I don t know why, but this morning I had a strong feeling that I was needed at BentLake, she said. It was the first time that I ve experienced such a premonition, and I wonder if ithad something to do with Krace.I could see that Crljena was shocked by his appearance.Noneof the other Rand looks so old and so feeble. It s hard to imagine that he s brought good news. The only good news I can imagine would be news that this absurd game is over.I mbeginning to think it was wrong for me to come here. Wrong to help your son? What help have I been? Jon knew Zoë too well to attempt a polite lie. Not much, when it comes to the game.But Axor needed helpers, and.if you hadn tcome, who knows what would have happened? You and your friends were on the way. But the game was underway when we arrived, Jon pointed out. I think there must havebeen a special day when it had to start.That s what Talor thinks, too.What would have happenedif Axor s six helpers had been missing that day is anybody s guess. Axor could have had a hundred helpers from Bent Lake if I d allowed them to go to hisaid.Why did I think I had to be one of them? Because you re his mother, Jon ventured.Zoë shook her head. I should have known better.I should have known better, she repeated sadly.Jon could tell that Zoë was annoyed with herself, but he had no insight into what she wasthinking.Zoë stood up. It s time to return to the others, she said. If they see us talking together they ll thinkwe re plotting something.Little do they know. And that final remark left Jon even more confused.Zoë had once seemed simple to him a woman guided solely by the code of the Foresters and her own longing for heroism.But nowshe d grown complex in ways that baffled him.***Hours passed before Crljena and Krace returned to the two camps.Crljena wentimmediately to where Jon and Zoë were sitting with Helen, Naxa and Phillipa in the shadow of atent.She was excited, but also strangely calm.Everyone is to gather as soon as possible.I will ask Klei to act as interpreter so that theNew Men can hear my husband s message. Is it good news? Jon asked her.That you will have to decide for yourself.But you ll see that it changes everything.At Zoë s request, Naxa and Phillipa went in search of the rest of their companions.In afew minutes, everyone from both camps converged in the grassy space next to the platform.Here, long flat stones had been long ago laid on the ground in three rows.They sat on these, theNew Men with their three Rand friends on one side, the other, larger body on the other.But Jonsaw that Dan had managed to sit next to the Rand woman with whom he had struck up afriendship [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]