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.But the room had been winter-cold; it was amazing that Andrew had not died from the chill alone.As Peter placed the still-corked bottle of Koretian wine on the sideboard next to his bed, he sighed, so heavily that Andrew looked up and stared enquiringly at him.Peter explained, "I have so much to do once I become Chara.It's hard to know where to start.There are so many injustices to right.It frustrates me.""That," said Andrew, "is why you will be a good Chara.—Come see."For a moment, Peter stayed motionless by the table, his heart thudding rapidly like a war-horse at full gallop.This was the first time Andrew had given any indication whatsoever that he respected the Chara's son, though Peter supposed the fact that Andrew trusted his new master not to punish him should be indication enough of his respect.Finally, picking up the bottle again, Peter came over to look at the finished basket.It looked like Koretia.That was Peter's first thought as he stared down at it.Perhaps the resemblance came partly because of the shape of the basket, but mainly it was because of the trees.There were dozens of them: little bare twigs sticking up, as though the autumn leaves had fallen from them.Peter had never seen autumn tree-leaves himself, but he had looked at pictures of what Emor was like in the olden days, when the Charas were first given the law.The tiny trees were everywhere in the little creation basket: atop bright green moss that looked like meadowland, between cracks of pebble mountains, along trailing paths composed of vine tendrils, over hazelnut hills, next to bridges composed of bits of bark, surrounding blue-black berries that Peter supposed must represent houses, and around the earthen border surrounding a large leaf."What's that?" Peter asked, pointing at the leaf."A lake.It doesn't look much like a lake, I suppose.I've never seen lakes, only the moat around the capital, which was always muddy.But there are small lakes in Central Koretia, so I thought I should include one."Peter stared at the brown leaf, trying to envision lake-water, but seeing only dry leaf."It looks as though the lake has dried up in its bed.""I suppose so."Andrew's voice had turned toneless.Peter glanced at him.The younger boy was expressionless, as he had been when he spoke of his burial."Wait!" Putting down the wine bottle next to the basket, Peter hurried over to the sideboard and picked up the pitcher there.It was still full of the water that Drogo had delivered.Nearly spilling the heavy pitcher in his haste, he brought it over to the basket, then cautiously tipped it.A few drops landed where he had aimed them, upon the leaf.He set the pitcher aside, and he and Andrew leaned forward to look.The water was as iridescent as the bowl, capturing the colors around it: brown and green and black and the undyed cream color of Andrew's slave-tunic.As Peter leaned further forward, the lake turned suddenly golden, as though sunlight had fallen upon it.It took Peter a moment to realize that it was reflecting the royal emblem brooch, which he had decided to wear today.He straightened up and looked over at Andrew and then realized, startled, that Andrew was smiling faintly at him.That did not happen very often.In fact, it had happened only once: on midwinter's eve, shortly before Lord Carle had Andrew beaten for three days.Peter smiled back."It's very good.I like the trees."Andrew turned his gaze back to the basket, his smile lingering at the corners of his mouth."You don't have many trees near the palace, do you?"Peter was surprised until he realized that, of course, Andrew would only have seen the small stretch of Emorian land between the black border mountains and the palace."We don't have any trees in Emor," he replied."Only in the dominions.It's fields here in Southern Emor, and then there are mountains with shrubs on them, and then come the plains of the Central Provinces of Emor.After that come the northern dominions, but the trees there are all evergreens.Or so my father said," he amended."He saw them when he was young, before he became Chara.""No broad-leafed trees?" Andrew's smile had sunk away during the speech [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]