sheritepper.necromancer nine-第5部分

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　〃Next？〃　The　word　faltered　in　my　throat。
　〃Next　to　disappear。　Next　to　vanish。　Next　to　be　gone；　as　too　many　of　our　colleagues　and　allies　now　are　gone。〃
　〃I　might　have　stopped　it；〃　I　cried。　〃Himaggery　told　me　he　needed　me；　but　I　wouldn't　listen。
　He　shook　me；　took　me　by　my　shoulders　and　shook　me　as　though　I　had　been　seven　or　eight　years　old。　〃This　is　no　time　for　dramatics；　my　boy；　or　flights　of　guilt。　Be　still。　Let　me　think。〃
　So　I　was　still；　but　it　was　a　guilty　stillness。　If　I　had　been　there？　If　I　had　been　willing　to　take　up　the　Gamesmen　of　Barish　and　use　them；　use　the　Talents？　Would　Himaggery　and　Windlow　still　be　there？　I　wanted　to　cry；　but　Mertyn's　grip　on　my　shoulder　did　not　loosen；　so　I　stood　silent　and　blamed　myself　for　whatever　it　was　that　had　happened。
　
　The　Skip…rope　Chant
　
　Mind's　mistress；　moon's　wheel；　cobweb　Didir；　shadow…steel。
　Mighty　wing；　lord　of　sky；　lofty　Tamor。　hover　high。
　Night…dark。　dust…old；　bony　Dorn；　grave…cold。
　Flesh…queen；　love…star；　lust…pale；　Trandilar。
　Pain's　maid；　broken　leaf；　Dealpas；　heart's　grief。
　Cheer's　face；　trust's　clasp；　far　and　strong　is　Wafnors　grasp。
　Far…eyed　Sorah；　worshipper；　many　gods　who　never　were。
　Here　and　gone；　flashing　fast。　Hat？or　is　Trusted　last。
　Chilly　Shattnir；　power's　store；　calling　Game　forevermore。
　Fire　and　smoke；　horn　and　bell。　messages　of　Buinel。
　Shifted；　fetched；　sent…far；　trickiest　is　Thandbar。
　
　When　all　time　is　past；　eleven　first；　eleven　last。
　
　The　Gamesunen　of　Barish；　their　Talents。
　
　Grandmother　Didir；　First　Demon。　Talent；　Telepathy。
　Grandfather　Tamor；　First　Armiger。　Talent；　Levitation。
　Dorn；　First　Necromancer。　Talent；　Raising　of　Ghosts。
　Trandilar；　First　Ruler。　Talent；　Beguilement。
　Dealpas；　First　Healer。　Talent；　Healing。
　Wafnor；　First　Tragamor。　Talent；　Telekinesis。
　Sorah。　First　Seer。　Talent；　Clairvoyance。
　Hafnor；　First　Elator。　Talent；　Teleportation。
　Shattnir；　First　Sorcerer。　Talent；　Power　storage。
　Buinel；　First　Sentinel。　Talent；　Fire　starting。
　Thandbar；　First　Shifter。　Talent；　Shapeshafting。
　
　The　eleven　represent　the　pantheon　of　elders；　the　〃respected　ones〃　of　the　religion　of　Gameworld。
　NOTE： There　are　short　verses　for　every　Gamesman　in　some　issues　of　the　Index　of　Gamesmen；　over　four　thousand　different　titles。　In　some　areas；　skip…rope　petitions　are　held　during　which　young　men　and　women　attempt　the　recitation　of　the　entire　Index。　The　last　person　to　plete　this　task　successfully　was　Minery　Mindcaster；　in　her　eighteenth　year；　at　the　petition　in　Hilbervale。
　
　2。　A　City　Which　Fears　the　Unborn
　At　the　end　of　the　short　time　which　followed；　it　was　Mertyn　who　left　me；　not　I　who　left　him。　I　had　never　seen　him　in　this　kind　of　flurry；　this　Kingly　bustle　with　all　the　House　at　his　mand　and　no　nonsense　about　not　using　Talents　in　a　Schooltown。　He　simply　ordered　and　it　was　done；　a　horse；　packing；　certain　books　from　the　library；　foodstuffs；　two　Armigers　and　a　young　Demon　to　acpany　him。　I　did　nothing　but　get　in　his　way；　each　time　trying　to　tell　him　that　I　would　go　back　with　him　to　the　Bright　Demesne　to　do　what　I　should　have　done　in　the　first　place。　He　would　have　none　of　it。
　〃For　the　love　of　Divine　Didir；　Peter；　sit　down　and　be　still。　If　there　were　anything　you　could　do；　I　would　have　you　do　it　in　a　moment。　There　is　nothing。　Believe　me；　nothing。　Just　now　the　most　important　thing　you　can　do　is　what　you　were　intending　to　do　anyhow；　find　Mavin　and　tell　her　what　has　happened　here。　Give　me　a　moment　with　these　people　and　I'll　talk　to　you　about　it。
　So　I　sat　and　waited；　with　ill　grace　and　badly　concealed　hurt。　It　was　quite　bad　enough　to　remember　that　I　had　e　away　when　I　was　needed；　it　was　worse　now　to　be　denied　return　when　I　was　eager　to　help。　At　last　Mertyn　had　all　his　minions　scattered　to　his　satisfaction；　and　he　came　back　to　me；　sitting　beside　me　to　take　my　hand。
　〃Thalan；　put　your　feelings　aside。　No…I　know　how　you　feel。　　You　could　not　have　failed　to　love　old　Windlow。　All　who　know　him　do。　As　for　Himaggery；　it　is　hard　not　to　like　him；　admire　him；　even　when　he　is　most　infuriating。　So；　you　want　to　help。　You　can。　Hear　me；　and　pay　utmost　attention。
　〃For　some　time　there　have　been　disappearances。　Gamesmen　of　high　rank。　Wizards。　Almost　always　from　among　those　we　would　call　'progressive。'　Many　have　been　Windlow's　students　over　the　years。　It　can't　be　mere　happenstance；　coincidence。　We　suspect　the　cause　but　have　no　proof。
　〃Are　those　who　have　vanished　dead？　If　they　are；　then　some　among　the　powerful　Necromancers　should　be　able　to　raise　them；　query　them；　find　out　what　has　happened。　So；　Necromancer　after　Necromancer　has　called　into　the　dust　of　time；　but　none　of　the　vanished　rise。　Instead；　for　some　few　of　the　searchers；　it　has　been　Necromancer　Nine；　highest　risk；　and　they　have　vanished　as　well。　Gone。　Not　dead；　Or；　if　dead；　dead　in　a　way　no　others　have　ever　died。〃　He　shivered　as　though　cold。　〃If　not　dead；　then　where？　Demon　after　Demon　has　sought　them；　and　for　some　of　them　it　has　been　Demon's　Eyes　Nine；　they　have　disappeared　as　well。　Are　they　imprisoned？　Pursuivant　after　Pursuivant　has　searched；　Rancelmen　have　delved。　We　find　nothing。　Those　who　vanish　are　simply　gone。
　〃Yet　still　we　pursue　our　goal；　our　studies。　Himaggery。　His　allies。　Windlow's　old　students。　Though　our　allies　vanish；　our　numbers　continue　to　grow…slowly；　too　slowly。　I　warned　Himaggery　to　draw　no　attention　to　himself。　Bannerwell　was　a　mistake；　though　we　had　to　do　it。　As　Windlow　would　say；　it　was　morally　correct　but　tactically　wrong。　So　it　has　happened。　Old　Windlow　evidently　had　some　foreknowledge　of　it；　he　told　you　I　would　be　needed。　Well；　I　will　go　and　try　to　hold　things　together　while　you　seek　out　Mavin　because　we　need　her。　We　need　her　clever　mind；　her　hidden　ways；　her　sense　of　strategy。　You　can　help　most　by　finding　her；　which　you　would　have　done　in　any　case。〃
　I　could　not　be　so　discourteous　as　to　argue　against　that。　He　meant　what　he　said。　It　was　no　mere　sop　for　my　fort。　I　swallowed　my　pride　and　assented；　sorrowing　that　I　had　refused　help　earlier　and　that　it　was　now　too　late。　He　pulled　me　close；　whispering。
　〃Thalan；　mark　me。　You　have　the　eidolon　of　Dorn。　I　know　you　dislike　using　it；　but　if　you　have　chance　to　do　so；　query　among　the　dead　for　Himaggery　and　Windlow。　If　you…by　any　chance…use　others　of　those　Talents…no；　don't　say　anything；　boy…seek　for　Himaggery　and　Windlow。　Even　half　answers　are　better　than　no　answers　at　all。〃
　He　kissed　me　and　went。　I　was　left　in　his　place　alone；　among　the　tumble　of　packing；　things　half　out　of　boxes；　paper　scattered　upon　his　table；　maps　curling　out　of　their　cases；　a　disorder　which　spoke　more　harshly　than　words　of　his　state　of　mind。　I　spent　an　hour　setting　it　right；　then　went　to　make　my　own　preparations　and　to　take　farewell　of　Chance。
　It　was　not　easy。　He　did　not　accept　that　I　would　have　to　go　alone。　He　could　accept　only　that　Mertyn　had　so　ordered；　and　he　was　as　bound　by　that　order　as　I。　At　the　end　he　told　me　he　would　go　back　to　the　Bright　Demesne　to　await　my　return。　He　said　that　two　or　three　times；　to　await　my　return；　as　though　by　saying　it　he　could　assure　it　would　be　so。　It　forted　me　more　than　it　did　him；　I'm　sure。　Perhaps　he　intended　it　so。　I　was　very　uncertain　of　what　was　to　happen　next；　so　preoccupied　I　paid　no　attention　at　all　to　Karl　Pig…face　and　by　my　contemptuous　silence　（for　so　he　and　his　followers　interpreted　it）　did　his　unpleasant　reputation　grave　and　permanent　harm。　At　the　time；　I　didn't　think　of　him　at　all。
　I　rode　out　of　Schooltown　at　first　light。　It　was　a　three…day　trip　to　Bannerwell　from　the　town。　I　made　it　in　two；　riding　late　and　rising　early；　paying　no　attention　to　the　scenery　and　eating　in　the　saddle。
　Havajor　Dike　lay　just　east　of　the　fortress　of　Bannerwell。　I　came　upon　it　at　evening；　late；　with　only　an　afterglow　in　the　sky　where　the　high　clouds　still　shed　a　little　reflected　light。　A　star　shone　above　the　clouds；　only　one；　trembling　like　a　tear　in　the　sadness　of　dusk　with　its　blue…brown　scent　of　dark；　bat…twittered　and　hesitant。　I　saw　one　lonely　figure　upon　the　Dike；　black　against　the　glow；　and　rode　up　to　ask　what　housing　might　be　available　for　the　night。　As　I　came　closer；　I　saw　that　it　was　Riddle；　Tossa's　father；　that　lean　Immutable　who　had　e　to　Bannerwell　with　Chan