Mercedes Lackey A Ghost of a Chance

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."How did youhear about those?""Thrush, I told you," Gwyna replied, a trifle impatiently."You played for her to dance when herbrothers were out busking the taverns at midday.The Gypsy, remember?""Oh," Rune said faintly.That was all the way back in Nolton! How on Earth had word of thosesongs gotten all the way here? How many of these Free Bards were there? And was thereanything that they didn't know? "I didn't know-you all knew each other-" Then she burst out,impatiently, "Does every busker in the world belong to the Free Bards? Was I the only onewho never heard of you before this?""Oh no-" Gwyna took one look at her angry, exasperated face, and burst out laughing.Forsome reason she found Rune's reaction incredibly funny.Rune wasn't as amused; in fact,she was getting a bit angry, but she told herself that there was no point in taking out heranger in Gwyna--even if she was being incredibly annoying.Rune reined in her temper, and finally admitted to herself that she wouldn't be asexasperated if she wasn't still in pain.After all, what was she thinking-that the Free Bardshad the same kind of information network as the Church? Now there was an absurdity!"No, no, no," Gwyna finally said, when she'd gotten her laughter under control."It's just theGypsies.We're used to passing messages all over the Kingdoms.Anything that intereststhe Free Bards involves us, sooner or later.""Why?" Rune asked, her brow furrowed."You Gypsies are all related in one way or another,if I understand right, but what does that have to do with the Free Bards?""Quite a bit," Gwyna said, sobering."You see, Master Wren came to us when he first ranaway from the Guild, and it was being with us that gave him the idea for the Free Bards.Heliked the kind of group we are.He says we're 'supportive without being restrictive,' whateverthat means.""All right, I can see that," Rune replied."But I still don't understand what the Gypsies have todo with the Free Bards.""For a start, it's probably fair to say that every Gypsy that's any kind of a musician is a FreeBard now.The Gift runs strong in us, when it runs at all.When anything calls us, music ordance, trading-craft, horse-craft, metal-craft, or mag-" She stopped herself, and Rune hadthe startling idea that she was about to say "magic." Magic? If it was not proscribed by theChurch, it was at the least frowned upon."Well, anything that calls us, calls us strongly, so when we do a thing, we do it well." Gwynaskipped lightly over the grass and held open the tent-flap for Rune."So if we'd chosen thecaged-life, every male of us could likely be in the Guild.That wasn't our way, though, andseeing that gave Master Wren the idea for the Free Bards.Of you gejo, I'd say maybe oneof every ten musicians and street-buskers are Free Bards.No more.The rest simply aren'tgood enough.You were good enough, so we watched you.We-that's Free Bards andGypsies both."Rune sighed.That, at least, made her feel a little less like a child that hasn't been let in on asecret.The Free Bards weren't everywhere; they didn't have a secret eye on everyone.Justthe few who seemed to promise they'd fit in the Free Bard ranks."There weren't any Free Bards in Nolton.The Gypsies, though, we have eyes and earseverywhere because we go everywhere.And since we're always meeting each other, we'realways passing news, so what one knows, within months all know.We're a good way for theFree Bards to keep track of each other and of those who will fit in when they're ready."Gwyna showed her back to her own corner of the tent, which now held her bedroll and thehuge cushions, her pack, as well as the instruments Talaysen had given her."Food first?" the girl asked.Rune nodded; now that her head and arm didn't hurt quite somuch, she was actually hungry.Not terribly, which was probably the result of the medicine,but she wasn't nauseated anymore.Gwyna brought her bread and cheese, and more of the doctored wine, while Erdric'sgrandson came and flung himself down on the cushions with the bonelessness of the veryyoung and watched her as if he expected she might break apart at any moment.And as if hethought it might be very entertaining when she did [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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