Asaro, Catherine - A Roll of the Dice

VIP免费

2024-11-24 0 0 105.97KB 47 页 5.9玖币

侵权投诉

A Roll of the Dice

Catherine Asaro

Year: 2000

In research, there's no substitute for field experience — but there can be too much of a good

thing!

Table of Contents

1Quis Web

2An Oath Unasked

3Mountain Passage

1. Quis Web

Jeremiah's kidnappers let him watch the delegation that came to negotiate on his behalf.

The wall in front of him was one-way glassplex; he could see the people in the room beyond,

but to them the wall appeared opaque.

He didn't recognize the man speaking, but the fellow wore the uniform of the Foreign Affairs

Corps for the Allied Worlds of Earth. Jeremiah knew the other two people in the delegation:

Deborah Svenson, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard, and

Professor Jack Brenn, Jeremiah's thesis advisor in the anthropology department.

One of Jeremiah's kidnappers also stood in the room: Chankah Dahl. As Manager of Dahl,

she governed one of the largest city-states in the human settlement on the planet Coba. A

tall woman with gray hair, she ranked high in the power hierarchy of the Twelve Estates.

The voice of the Foreign Affairs officer came over an audiocom set high in the wall. "You

must understand, Manager Dahl," he continued. "Jeremiah Coltman is a citizen of the Allied

Worlds. Your decision to send him to another Estate against his will is considered abduction

by our people."

Manager Dahl remained unperturbed. "You are well aware that before Jeremiah came here,

he signed an agreement to abide by our laws." She looked around at them. "Your

government has no jurisdiction here. He is ours now."

Jack Brenn stiffened. A large man with broad shoulders and a shock of black hair, his

intensity almost crackled in the room. "You have no right to hijack him this way! He signed

that agreement with the understanding that it meant you could deport him if you didn't like

him."

"But we do like him," Chankah said mildly. "We have bestowed our highest honor on him."

Dean Svenson spoke. "Now that Jeremiah's fieldwork is complete, he wishes to return

home. Manager Dahl, he has his school, work, relatives." Quietly she said, "His life."

The Manager said, simply, "He is Calani. Calani do not leave Coba."

Jeremiah touched the engraved band that circled his biceps. He had one on each arm.

Made from solid gold, they symbolized his position. Calani. Dice player.

He really, really didn't want the honor.

"I will relay your regards to him," Chankah finished.

Jeremiah recognized her tone. She was dismissing the delegation. He hit his fist on the

glassplex. "I'm here!" he shouted. He knew it wouldn't carry through the soundproofed wall,

but he had to try. "Don't go!"

Only his silent reflection answered. He regarded it, seeing a man more of Coba than of

Earth. Three years ago, when he arrived in Dahl, he had been soft, out of shape, plump.

Now lean muscles replaced the flab, built by his job on the construction crew where he had

worked until ten days ago. He would never be tall or husky, but he enjoyed a fitness now he

had never known before. He loved working in the crisp air of the spectacular Teotec

Mountains. During the day he labored with his muscles and at night he labored with his

mind, writing his dissertation. His only "hardships" were the lack of computers and the

relatively low level of technology here, where the culture had backslid. He had otherwise

thoroughly enjoyed his life.

Until now.

Instead of comfortable work clothes, today he wore garb appropriate for a Calani: rich

suede trousers, a suede vest, and a white shirt embroidered at the cuffs with threads made

from gold. His armbands went over the shirt sleeves and heavy gold guards circled his

wrists. His hair spilled over his ears and down his neck in tousled brown curls.

Behind him, the lock mechanism on the door clicked. He turned to see a woman enter with

an octet of guards. She riveted attention. At six-foot-two, she stood six inches taller than him.

Her face showed the classic beauty of Coba's highborn. She was almost twenty years his

senior, just past forty, but she had the build and vibrant health of an athlete half her age. Her

suede trousers clung to her long, muscular legs. A trace of silver dusted the tendrils of hair

that curled at her temples, and a heavy auburn braid fell down her back to her waist. Her

eyes, large and gray, had a luminous quality. Her simple clothes had no adornment and

needed none: her aura of authority drew notice far more than any jewelry or bright colors.

Jeremiah knew little more about her than her name. Khal Viasa. As Manager of Viasa, she

governed a small but wealthy city-state high in the mountains. During his years here, he had

seen her only at a distance when she visited Dahl. He hadn't thought much about it, though

he had always noticed her striking appearance. No one would ever describe Khal Viasa as

"pretty." Elegant perhaps, mesmerizing, stunning, regal. It had never occurred to him that so

powerful a ruler would notice a simple laborer. Nor had he expected his reputation as a

good Quis player to carry beyond Dahl.

Ten days ago Manager Dahl told him the news; Manager Viasa had bought his Calani

contract — a contract he hadn't even known he owned. They seemed to find this a perfectly

reasonable transaction, despite his incredulous protests.

Be careful what you wish for. If ever a situation had earned that warning, this was it. He had

wanted a chance to observe the Calanya, the elite group of dice players that lived on a

Manager's Estate. He considered his inability to study that cloistered institution a weak point

in his dissertation. Calani played the strategy game of Quis. They studied for years and had

to pass rigorous exams before they could apply for positions within the Calanya of the

Twelve Estates. Well, he hadn't applied for anything. If he had known his talent would lead

him into this situation, he would never have let anyone find out how well he took to the game.

Manager Viasa came over to him, moving with a natural grace. She spoke in the Teotecan

language. "My greetings."

"They're leaving." Jeremiah motioned to the room beyond the glass. "Without me."

She put her hands on his shoulders, making him acutely aware of both her greater height

and her sensuality. "Surely you know better than to speak in front of your escort. Manager

Dahl told me that you spent the last tenday learning the ways of the Calanya."

Learning? Is that what they called it? He had spent the last ten days in a guarded suite,

albeit one far more luxurious than the apartment where he had lived before. Yes, Manager

Dahl had given him the Oath: never again read, write, or speak to anyone outside the

Calanya. He couldn't live that way. Scholarship was his life. When he broke the Oath,

however, they put him in solitary, which he hated. So for now he remained silent.

His thoughts must have shown on his face. Khal's voice gentled. "Jeremiah, I realize you are

unhappy with this. I am sorry it is hard for you. I hope you will feel better when we reach

Viasa. We leave tonight."

That only made it worse. In Viasa, his chances of escape went to nil.

Starlight silvered the towers of Viasa as the windrider descended in the night. The Estate

rose out of the darkness like an ancient castle. The old fortress now served as the

headquarters and home of Manager Viasa and her staff. A wall surrounded the Estate and

city. Sharply slanted roofs came into view, their stark beauty accented by lights within

arched windows. Mist wreathed Viasa, turning the lights a hazy gold and curling around

shadowed arches and spires. Beyond the city, jagged mountains stepped up into the sky.

Viasa stood near Grayrock Falls, high in the Teotec Mountains. Jeremiah knew that even if

he did somehow escape his guards, no feasible way existed to leave here except by air. He

had never flown a rider, and the winds that ripped through these upper ranges were inimical

to all but the most seasoned pilots. Even with equipment, supplies, and luck he doubted he

could survive the months-long hike out of the mountains and across the desert to the

starport.

He wondered if the delegation knew he had left Dahl. Would they go home without him? The

Allied authorities had warned him that if he insisted on coming to Coba, he would lose their

protection. The human settlements that had spread across the stars were splintered into

three political entities. The Allied Worlds of Earth existed in the shadow of two giants, the

Skolian Imperialate and the Trader empire. The Skolians claimed Coba. Earth had no wish

to strain its precarious relations with the powerful, warlike Skolians, particularly not for a

graduate student who, in the greater scheme of things, had little consequence.

The wings of the windrider spread in metal pinions. Painted to resemble an althawk, the

craft rode the gales like a giant bird. It soared over the city rooftops and landed on an

airfield lit by misty lights.

Jeremiah looked around the cabin. It seated ten: his guards, Khal Viasa, and himself. The

pilot and co-pilot sat up front. As he undid his safety harness, his guards rose to their feet.

All eight women were taller than him, as were most Cobans, both male and female. These

wore dusky purple uniforms with the Viasa symbol on their shoulders, a stylized image of

Grayrock Falls. Stunners hung on their belts, guns that fired needles with a fast-acting

sedative.

The captain opened the hatch. Accompanied by six guards, Jeremiah jumped down onto

the tarmac. As he pulled his fur-lined hood tighter against the tearing gales, Khal stepped

down with the other guards. Her hood framed her face, making her large eyes even more

intense. She smiled slightly at him, as reserved as always, but also with discreet surprise,

as if she too found it astonishing that he was her Calani.

The icy wind at Viasa made even the gales at Dahl seem like puffs of breeze. Leaning into

the rushing air, they ran across the tarmac to the Estate and entered the fortress through a

graceful quartz arch in its stone wall. Relief washed over him as they reached the protection

of a vaulted hall.

Several Estate aides waited for them. As they bowed to Manager Viasa, they darted

glances to where Jeremiah stood with his escort. He seemed to intrigue them just as much

as his rare glimpses of a Calani in Dahl had fascinated him.

A dark-haired woman spoke. "Welcome back, Manager Viasa."

"I came as soon as I received your message," Khal said. "What is the situation at the dam

now?"

Her aide looked worn out, with dark circles under her eyes. "The electrical plant still isn't

functioning. The beacon that guides windriders in the mountains has already failed. If this

continues much longer, neither Viasa nor Tehnsa will have power."

Jeremiah tensed. No wonder Khal had wanted to return so soon. The Viasa-Tehnsa Dam

harnessed energy from the Grayrock Falls. In this remote mountain region, it provided the

only continuous source of power for Viasa, and also for Tehnsa, its dependent city-state.

Khal came over to him. She stood a fraction closer than he expected, nothing that would

have been unusual in Cambridge on Earth, but a bit off-kilter here, given the famous reserve

of the Viasa people. She spoke in her husky contralto. "I'm sorry, Jeremiah. It seems Viasa

demands my attention. Your escort will show you to your rooms."

He nodded, relieved. Tired and disheartened, he needed to withdraw into privacy.

Khal spoke to the captain of his escort. "Take him into his suite by the private door. The

others can wait until later to meet him." She smiled at Jeremiah — and it changed her entire

face. Instead of classic reserved perfection, she suddenly became warm and vibrant. "The

other Calani are curious about you. None have ever even seen an offworlder, let alone met

one."

He just nodded again, glad he didn't have to think of a response. She brushed his arm in an

unexpected touch of farewell. Then his guards escorted him out of the hall. They followed

marble corridors with high, arched ceilings. At first he thought the bronze claws on the walls

held torches; then he realized they were electric lights. The lamps resembled flame, adding

to the ancient atmosphere, a reminder of Viasa's age and conservative nature.

The next wing they entered, however, had genuine torches in the claws. They stopped at a

wall engraved with arabesque designs. When the captain pressed a series of ridges in the

design, clinks came from within the wall. She leaned against the stone and a door swung

inward. Moving to the side, she bowed to Jeremiah. He looked back at her, puzzled. Then

he realized she was waiting for him to enter.

He walked into a suite of stunning luxury. The darkwood furniture gleamed with red

highlights. Pale green cushions lay on divans and in piles on a plush gold rug. The walls

were painted dark amber near the floor, then shaded upward through lighter golds and into

ivory near the ceiling. Held by slender gold chains, lamps hung from the ceiling, spheres of

delicate frosted glass hand-painted with mountain scenes. Blown glass vases graced the

tables, each with a blue-green stalk topped by a spray of gold spheres the size of marbles,

but airy and hollow.

The bathroom alone was as big as his old apartment in Dahl. A pool filled most of it, fed by

fountains and tiled in green, with frothy jeweled inlays. The bedroom had a canopied bed

made up in blue and green velvet. Copper braziers kept the room warm. In the window seat,

starlight streamed through tall panels made from unbreakable glassplex. Looking through

the windows, he realized the outside wall was a sheer cliff face that plunged far down into

the mountains.

When they returned to the living room, the captain indicated a horseshoe arch set across

from the private door. Gold mosaics bordered the arch and ivory drapes hung within it. "That

leads to the main common room for all the suites," she said. Then she bowed to him. "We

will leave you to rest. If you need anything, we will be Outside."

He nodded, knowing full well the real reason they were posted around his suite. Khal meant

to ensure he stayed put.

When Jeremiah was alone, he sunk onto a divan, too tired even to go to bed. After awhile, a

tap came at the archway to the common room. He wanted to ignore it, but the same

inexhaustible curiosity that had spurred him to become an anthropologist got the better of

him now.

"Come in," he said.

The hangings shifted to reveal a tall man with a husky build and broad shoulders. He looked

about forty, with the classic features of the Coban highborn. Gray dusted his black curls. He

stood with natural confidence, as if he took his high status for granted. His clothes

resembled Jeremiah's, but darker in color. Three bands circled each of his arms, rather than

one. Jeremiah wondered why he rated more, then felt irked at himself for caring.

"My greetings," the man said. "I am Kev." He took in Jeremiah's slouched posture. "I can

return another time, if you prefer."

Although Jeremiah didn't feel like company, he had no wish to alienate the other dice

players. He would be living with them for some time, maybe even the rest of his life, a

possibility he was doing his best to forget.

He sat up straighter. "Come in. Please." He indicated an armchair set across a table from

him. "Be comfortable."

Kev settled into the chair and stretched his long legs across the carpet. "Being Outside is

tiring. But you need not worry. You will not have to go there often."

"Outside?"

Kev gestured around them. "The Calanya, the place where we live, is Inside. All else is

Outside."

Jeremiah stared at him. "We never leave these suites?"

"We have this wing of the Estate. And the parks. They cover twenty square kilometers." Kev

looked apologetic. "Most Calanya have more land. These mountains limit Viasa's space.

文档加载中……请稍候！
如果长时间未打开，您也可以点击刷新试试。

下载文档到电脑，查找使用更方便

5.9 玖币 0人已下载

立即下载 VIP免费下载

Asaro, Catherine - A Roll of the Dice.pdf

共47页,预览5页

还剩页未读，继续阅读

声明：本站为文档C2C交易模式，即用户上传的文档直接被用户下载，本站只是中间服务平台，本站所有文档下载所得的收益归上传人(含作者)所有。玖贝云文库仅提供信息存储空间，仅对用户上传内容的表现方式做保护处理，对上载内容本身不做任何修改或编辑。若文档所含内容侵犯了您的版权或隐私，请立即通知玖贝云文库，我们立即给予删除！

Asaro, Catherine - A Roll of the Dice

相关推荐

开通VIP享超值会员特权

作者详情

相关内容

热门标签

举报选择: