[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.One throw slightly off and he could have been seriously injured.Of course, that was what had made the act exciting."You have to admit it would be exciting if I can perfect it.""And if you can't?" The thought of him diving through that ring had me sweating.Those blades would not only cut him, they would continue to tear through skin and muscle as his body continued through the ring."Don't worry, hon.I'm just getting a feel for what it would look like.I'll practice with paint brushes for spear heads.That way I'll know where I would have been cut and how to adjust my moves.And of course, how big the opening will have to be.As you know, a good act looks more dangerous than it really is.So the opening must be large enough that I don't have to be perfect, yet small enough to look impossible.""Come, Ryana.Luka isn't as dumb as he looks.We have our own new tricks to work on," Kata said, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me towards our Magic Ball group.I blew him a kiss and reluctantly allowed Kata to drag me along."I hope our new act doesn't include spears.""Of course not; we're just going to increase the number of fireballs." Kata smiled.I shook my head.They were all crazy—me included.* * *We arrived in Slicci too late for a performance.Santo planned to stay for five nights, but put on only two performances as the town was small.As usual, early the next day several others and I posted notices at public places where people congregated.Each clan's notice listed only a few acts, usually ones that were new or had added something new.In our case, the Magic Balls was highlighted.Our reception in town had improved a great deal since the king had declared us under his protection.We still weren't considered real Heslanders, but we were no longer lumped in with vagrants and beggars.There were now potential consequences for assaulting the gypsies."Hey, sweet thing.Two silvers for a quick one," an older man said as I walked towards my next site.He looked like a merchant, judging by his well-made clothes and the quality of the dagger on his belt."Five tora," I responded, turning in a full circle."I'm good.""Three silvers," he said, after he recovered his voice.That was one of several responses to my standard quip.About a third thought I was negotiating for more money and raised the offer like this man.A third took it as a good natured joke.And a third got nasty.I wondered what I'd say if someone decided he'd pay the five tora--maybe they would if I were Ilka or Alida."Sorry, no discounts," I said, smiling at the thought as I continued walking.I saw several black-robed men that morning.Two approached me, each with a small wooden bowl."If you can, a donation for the disciples of the prophet Virtor.He preaches the word of the God Xades, who wishes to promote a safe Hesland," a woman's voice said.The robes all seemed similar if not the same except for the color.They effectively hid or obscured everything except an approximation of height.I reached into my purse and took out two coppers and dropped them in the bowl."A worthy goal.How do the disciples of Virtor hope to achieve it?" I asked.Religious cults seemed to have sprung up in each province, but they didn't seem related to each other by prophet or God or goal."The God Xades believes the evil should be punished and made to atone for their evil ways.We are devoted to helping those injured and to find and punish those responsible." The woman's voice again."But that is what the city guard and the magistrate does, isn't it?""That is what the city guard and the magistrate are supposed to do.But many are corrupt and those responsible go free to continue in their evil ways."I had to agree that the city guard wasn’t the most efficient group.The Shadow Sisters were born because they had proved more effective in locating criminals.And there was plenty of corruption.If you had money, you were much less likely to be arrested or found guilty.But."If you act for the city guard and the magistrates, won't that make you criminals?""The city guard and the magistrate follow the words of man.We are acting in accordance with the words of the God Xades, as given to the prophet Virtor.We have no choice.We are sworn to the God Xades and to His wish that Hesland be safe from evil." She scared me.It was one of those things that sounded good—punish the evil ones—but who was going to determine what and who was evil.Would I be evil if I didn't believe in the God Xades? Would I be evil if I didn't want to contribute to their cause? Would there be a trial or was each disciple the sole judge? Did they have prisons? Did they believe they should run the city—province—kingdom?I returned to the wagons with a splitting headache.It just didn't make sense—a unique cult in each province, each with its own prophet, each committed to a unique God, each with different colored robes, and each with a different objective.I could understand cults developing after turbulent times.That was normal.But I would expect to see brown, orange, yellow, and black in each major city.Or at most, each city having a predominant cult.They didn't appear to be at war with each other or were they? It wasn't Shadow or clan business, so I stopped trying to make sense of it.Logic wasn't my strong point, so there was no point in me trying to work it out logically.Now that the yellow-robes weren't a problem, I settled into the day-to-day clan activities and life returned to normal.Kata now had us working with two fireballs, but I knew she would continue to push us until the number of fireballs equaled the number in the group.She was alive with energy.Luka also had a vision and spent every hour working on his new routine with the spears.When I wasn't working with the Magic Balls group, I sat watching Luka.The paint was a good idea.He'd dive through the ring and then check to see if he had touched one of the brushes, which would eventually be a blade [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]