九味书屋 > 文学经管电子书 > anner.bloodandgold(v2) >

第42部分

anner.bloodandgold(v2)-第42部分

小说: anner.bloodandgold(v2) 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



s making my way home to Alexandria; to find the reason for the Fire; and to drink of the healing fount; when you took the Mother and Father away。〃
   She gave me a delicate but cold smile。
   〃Can you imagine my anguish when I discovered that the Elder was dead and the temple was empty? When the few survivors of the temple told me that a Roman named Marius had e and stolen our King and Queen?〃
   I said nothing; but her resentment was plain。 Her face displayed its human emotions。 A shimmer of blood tears rose in her round dark eyes;
   〃Time has healed me; Marius;〃 she said; 〃because I contain a great deal of the Queen's blood; and was from the moment of my making very strong。 Indeed; the Great Fire only turned me a dark brown color; with small pain。 But if you hadn't taken Akasha away from Alexandria; she would have let me drink her blood again; and I would have been healed quickly。 It would not have taken so long。〃
   〃And would you drink the Queen's blood now; Eudoxia? 〃 I asked。 〃Is that what you mean to do? For surely you know why I did what I did。 Surely you know it was the Elder who put the Mother and the Father in the sun。〃
   
   
   She didn't answer。 I couldn't tell whether this information surprised her or not。 She was perfectly concealed。 Then she said:
   〃Do I need the blood now; Marius? Look at me。 What do you see?〃
   I hesitated to answer。 Then I did:
   〃No; you don't need it; Eudoxia;〃 I said。 〃Unless such blood is always a blessing。〃
   She looked at me for a long moment and then she nodded her head slowly; almost drowsily and her dark eyebrows came together in a small frown。
   〃Always a blessing?〃 she asked; repeating my words。 〃I don't know if it is always a blessing。〃
   〃Will you tell me more of your story? What happened after you first drank from Akasha? After your Maker went his way?〃 I put these questions gently。 〃Did you reside in the temple once your Maker had left?〃
   This seemed to give her the moment of recollection that she required。
   〃No; I didn't remain there;〃 she said。 〃Though the priests coaxed me; telling me wild stories of old worship; and that the Mother was imperishable; save from the sunlight; and should she ever burn; so would we all。 There was one among them who made quite a point of this warning; as though the prospect tantalized him…。〃
   〃The Elder;〃 I said; 〃who eventually sought to prove it。〃
   〃Yes;〃 she said。 〃But to me he was no Elder; and I did not heed his words。
   〃I went out; free of my Maker; and; left with his house and his treasure; I decided upon another way of life。 Of course the temple priests often came to me and harried me that I was profane and reckless; but as they did no more than that; I paid them no heed。
   〃I could easily pass for human then; especially if I covered my skin with certain oils。〃 She sighed。 〃And I was used to passing for a young man。 It was a simple matter for me to make a fine household; to acquire good clothes; that is; to pass from poor to rich in a matter of nights。
   〃I gave out word in the schools and in the marketplace that I could write letters for people; and that I could copy books; and all this by night when the other copyists had quit and gone home。 And arranging a big study in my house; with plenty of light; I set to doing this for human beings; and this was how I came to know them; and came to know what the teachers were teaching by day。
   
   〃What an agony it was that I couldn't hear the great philosophers who held forth in the daylight hours; but I did very well with this nocturnal occupation; and I had what I wanted; the warm voices of humans speaking to me。 I befriended mortals。 And on many an evening my house was filled with banqueting guests。
   〃I learned of the world from students; poets; soldiers。 In the small hours; I slipped into the great library of Alexandria; a place that you should have visited; Marius。 It is a wonder that you passed over such a treasure house of books。 I did not pass it over。〃
   She paused。 Her face was horridly blank; and I knew it was from an excess of emotion。 She did not look at any of us。
   〃Yes; I understand this;〃 I said; 〃I understand it very very deeply。 I feel the same need for mortal voices near me; for mortals smiling on me as though I were their own。〃
   〃I know your loneliness;〃 she said in a rather hard voice。 And for the first time I had the feeling that the passing expressions on her face were hard as well; that her face was nothing but a beautiful shell for a disturbed soul inside her; of which I knew little from her words。
   〃I lived well and for a long time in Alexandria;〃 she said。 〃What greater city was there? And I believed as many blood drinkers do that knowledge alone would sustain me over the decades; that information could somehow stave off despair。〃
   I was quite impressed with these words; but I didn't respond。
   〃I should have remained in Alexandria;〃 she said; looking off; her voice low and suddenly full of regret。 〃I began to love a certain mortal; a young man who felt great love for me。 One night he made his love known to me; that he would give up all for me…his proposed marriage; his family; all…if only I would go away with him to Ephesus; the place from which his family had e; and where he wanted to return。〃
   She broke off as if she did not mean to go on。
   〃It was such love;〃 she said; her words ing more slowly; 〃and all this while he believed that I was a young man。〃
   I said nothing。
   〃The night he declared his love; I revealed myself。 He was quite horrified by the pretense。 And I took my revenge。〃 She frowned as though she wasn't quite sure of the word。 〃Yes;〃 she said; 〃my revenge。〃
   〃You made him a blood drinker;〃 I said softly。
   〃Yes;〃 she said; still looking off as though she were back in those times。 〃I did; and by the most brutal and ungraceful force; and once that was done; he saw me with naked and loving eyes。〃
   〃Loving eyes?〃 I repeated。
   She looked pointedly at Avicus and then back to me。 Then she looked at Avicus again。
   I took my measure of him。 I had always thought him rather splendid; and assumed from his beauty that the Gods of the Grove were chosen for their beauty as well as their endurance; but I tried to see him as she saw him now。 His skin was golden now; rather than brown; and his thick black hair made a dignified frame for his unusually beguiling face。
   I looked back to Eudoxia and saw with a little shock that she was looking at me。
   〃He loved you again?〃 I asked; locking in immediately upon her story and its meaning。 〃He loved you even when the Blood flowed in his veins?〃
   I could not even guess her inner thoughts。
   She gave me a grave nod。 〃Yes; he loved me again;〃 she said。 〃And he had the new eyes of the Blood; and I was his teacher; and we all know what charm lies in all that。〃 She smiled bitterly。
   A sinister feeling came over me; a feeling that something was very wrong with her; that perhaps she was mad。 But I had to bury this feeling within me and I did。
   〃Off we went to Ephesus;〃 she said; going on with her story; 〃and though it was no match for Alexandria; it was nevertheless a great Greek city; with rich trade from the East; and with pilgrims always ing for the worship of the great goddess Artemis; and there we lived until the Great Fire。〃
   Her voice became small。 Mortals might not have heard it。
   〃The Great Fire destroyed him utterly;〃 she said。 〃He was just that age when all the human flesh was gone from him; and only the blood drinker remained; but the blood drinker had only just begun to be strong。〃
   She broke off; as though she could not continue; then she went on:
   〃There were only ashes left to me of him。 Ashes and no more。〃
   She fell silent and I dared not encourage her。
   Then she said:
   〃I should have taken him to the Queen before I ever left Alexandria。 But you see; I had no time for the temple blood drinkers and when I had gone to them; it was as a rebel; talking my way in proudly with tales of the Queen's gestures to me so that I might lay flowers before her; and what if I had brought my lover; and the Queen had made no such gesture as that which she had made to 

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的