[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
motion.
Do you think . . . prayers will do any good?
Do you think any prayers will do good?
Prayer is always good.
No, it s not
, Cazaril wanted to reply, but held his tongue.
Mendenal added suggestively, lowering his voice, Yours might be especially
efficacious. At this time.
Not so far as Cazaril had noticed. Your Reverence, I do not hate any man in
this world enough to inflict the results of my prayers upon him.
Ah, said Mendenal uneasily. He managed a smile, and took polite leave.
Royesse Iselle stepped into the corridor and glanced up and down it. She spied
Cazaril and motioned him to her.
He bowed. Royesse?
She, too, lowered her voice; everyone here seemed to speak in hushed tones.
There is talk of an amputation. Can you would you be willing to help hold him
down, if it chances so? I think you are familiar with the procedure?
Indeed, Royesse. Cazaril swallowed. Nightmare memories of bad moments in
field hospitals flitted through his mind. He had never been able to decide if
the men who tried to take it bravely or the men whose minds broke in terror
were the hardest for their helpers to endure. Better by far the men who were
unconscious to start with. Tell the physicians I am at their service, and
Lord Teidez s.
Cazaril could hear from the antechamber where he leaned against the wall to
wait just when the proposal was floated to Teidez. The boy was going to be of
the second category, it seemed. He cried, and bellowed that he would not be
made a cripple by traitors and idiots, and threw things. His rising hysteria
was only calmed when a second physician opined that the infection was not
gangrene after all
Cazaril s nose agreed but rather, blood poisoning, and that amputation would
do more harm than good now. Treatment was reduced to a mere lancing, although
from Teidez s yells and struggles it might as well have been an amputation.
Despite the draining of the wound, Teidez s fever soared; servants brought
buckets of cold water to make him a bath in a copper tub in the sitting room,
then the physicians had to wrestle him into it.
Page 176
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Between physicians, acolytes, and servants, they seemed to have enough hands
for these practical tasks, and Cazaril withdrew for a time to his own office
on the floor above. There he diverted his mind by writing tart letters to
those town councils late with their royally mandated payments to the royesse s
household, which was all of them. They had sent letters of excuse claiming
poor crops, banditry, plague, evil weather, and cheating tax gatherers. Six
towns worth of troubles; Cazaril wondered if Orico had pulled a fast one with
his betrothal gift and dumped the six worst towns on his rent rolls onto his
sister and Dondo, or whether all of Chalion was in such disarray.
Iselle and Betriz came in, looking weary and strained.
My brother is more ill than I have ever seen him, Iselle confided to
Cazaril. We are going to set up my private altar and pray before dinner. I m
wondering if we should perhaps fast as well.
I think what may be needed here are not others prayers, but Teidez s
himself; and not for health, but for forgiveness.
Iselle shook her head. He refuses to pray at all. He says it s not his fault,
but Dondo s, which is certainly true up to a point. . . . He cries he never
intended to hurt Orico, and they are slanderers who say so.
Is anyone saying so?
Betriz put in, No one says it to the royesse s face. But there are strange
rumors among the servants, Nan says.
Iselle s frown deepened. Cazaril . . . could it be?
Cazaril leaned his elbows on his table and rubbed the ache between his brows.
I think . . . not on
Teidez s part. I believe him when he says it was Dondo s idea. Dondo, now, of
him I would believe anything. Think it through from his point of view. He
marries Teidez s sister, then arranges for Teidez to ascend the throne while
still a minor. He knew from watching his brother Martou just how much power a
man may wield sitting in a roya s pocket. Grant you, I don t know how he
intended to rid himself of
Martou, but I am certain Dondo meant to be the next chancellor, perhaps
regent, of Chalion. Maybe even roya of Chalion, depending on what evil chances
he could arrange for Teidez. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl aikidobyd.xlx.pl
motion.
Do you think . . . prayers will do any good?
Do you think any prayers will do good?
Prayer is always good.
No, it s not
, Cazaril wanted to reply, but held his tongue.
Mendenal added suggestively, lowering his voice, Yours might be especially
efficacious. At this time.
Not so far as Cazaril had noticed. Your Reverence, I do not hate any man in
this world enough to inflict the results of my prayers upon him.
Ah, said Mendenal uneasily. He managed a smile, and took polite leave.
Royesse Iselle stepped into the corridor and glanced up and down it. She spied
Cazaril and motioned him to her.
He bowed. Royesse?
She, too, lowered her voice; everyone here seemed to speak in hushed tones.
There is talk of an amputation. Can you would you be willing to help hold him
down, if it chances so? I think you are familiar with the procedure?
Indeed, Royesse. Cazaril swallowed. Nightmare memories of bad moments in
field hospitals flitted through his mind. He had never been able to decide if
the men who tried to take it bravely or the men whose minds broke in terror
were the hardest for their helpers to endure. Better by far the men who were
unconscious to start with. Tell the physicians I am at their service, and
Lord Teidez s.
Cazaril could hear from the antechamber where he leaned against the wall to
wait just when the proposal was floated to Teidez. The boy was going to be of
the second category, it seemed. He cried, and bellowed that he would not be
made a cripple by traitors and idiots, and threw things. His rising hysteria
was only calmed when a second physician opined that the infection was not
gangrene after all
Cazaril s nose agreed but rather, blood poisoning, and that amputation would
do more harm than good now. Treatment was reduced to a mere lancing, although
from Teidez s yells and struggles it might as well have been an amputation.
Despite the draining of the wound, Teidez s fever soared; servants brought
buckets of cold water to make him a bath in a copper tub in the sitting room,
then the physicians had to wrestle him into it.
Page 176
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Between physicians, acolytes, and servants, they seemed to have enough hands
for these practical tasks, and Cazaril withdrew for a time to his own office
on the floor above. There he diverted his mind by writing tart letters to
those town councils late with their royally mandated payments to the royesse s
household, which was all of them. They had sent letters of excuse claiming
poor crops, banditry, plague, evil weather, and cheating tax gatherers. Six
towns worth of troubles; Cazaril wondered if Orico had pulled a fast one with
his betrothal gift and dumped the six worst towns on his rent rolls onto his
sister and Dondo, or whether all of Chalion was in such disarray.
Iselle and Betriz came in, looking weary and strained.
My brother is more ill than I have ever seen him, Iselle confided to
Cazaril. We are going to set up my private altar and pray before dinner. I m
wondering if we should perhaps fast as well.
I think what may be needed here are not others prayers, but Teidez s
himself; and not for health, but for forgiveness.
Iselle shook her head. He refuses to pray at all. He says it s not his fault,
but Dondo s, which is certainly true up to a point. . . . He cries he never
intended to hurt Orico, and they are slanderers who say so.
Is anyone saying so?
Betriz put in, No one says it to the royesse s face. But there are strange
rumors among the servants, Nan says.
Iselle s frown deepened. Cazaril . . . could it be?
Cazaril leaned his elbows on his table and rubbed the ache between his brows.
I think . . . not on
Teidez s part. I believe him when he says it was Dondo s idea. Dondo, now, of
him I would believe anything. Think it through from his point of view. He
marries Teidez s sister, then arranges for Teidez to ascend the throne while
still a minor. He knew from watching his brother Martou just how much power a
man may wield sitting in a roya s pocket. Grant you, I don t know how he
intended to rid himself of
Martou, but I am certain Dondo meant to be the next chancellor, perhaps
regent, of Chalion. Maybe even roya of Chalion, depending on what evil chances
he could arrange for Teidez. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]