Greg Bear Songs of Earth 02 The Serpent Mage

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worst enemy.
Complacency and lack of vigilance."
"The Earth is dying?" Michael asked, feeling like a child again, asking
questions of a teacher.
The role he wishes upon me. Power lies in placing others in their weakest
postures
.
"Tarax didn't do a very good job of bringing his ship up on the reef, did he?
Pushed out the captain and then couldn't navigate. He forgot to toss away the
unnecessary, the deadly cargo the underpinnings of the Realm. Chaos, the
mist of creation. Now they pollute the Earth. Soon anything will be possible.
When anything is possible, nothing is real. Might as well spread turpentine
across a fresh oil painting."
Clarkham sat across the table from Michael and folded his arms, looking strong
and young and satisfied, his face dark in the saloon's cool gloom. "His
qualifications to be the mage of the new Earth seem weaker to all of us day by
day. Perhaps even to himself."
"All of us?"
"The Serpent still dreams. And who can say there aren't others? They might be
less apparent in this than even you. And you have moments when you don't even
want to be a mage." His smile was perfectly candid and friendly. "The contest
must be decided soon. We all have loyalties to our people, and without the
people, what use is a world? Like Adonna, I once considered populating my own
worlds, but& " He sighed. "You've seen the results. By the way, how did you
escape? Mine was a particularly nasty trap."
Michael saw no reason for lies. "Tarax released me."
"On what condition?"
"Part of a pact. I would train his daughter, and he would tell me where you've
hidden Kristine."
Clarkham's smile broadened. "Interesting. The law of mages. No candidate shall
harm a fellow candidate or lessen his chances. But as you see, I don't
necessarily follow those rules. Tarax's daughter a Sidhe? I
seem to recall his woman was a pure Sidhe. Adonna made the same mistake." He
leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. "Thirsty?"
Michael shook his head. He did not want the taste of the wine diluted or
washed away. "Why is it a mistake?"
"It can be a great mistake for a mage. If you choose not to be a mage if you
sensibly decline this position you've half unwittingly put yourself in then
there is no threat. But I tell too much. You are still my enemy."
Michael nodded. "Yes," he said. "You killed Tommy."
"His death was easy. He killed himself. Do you know humans, Michael? You think
you are one of them.
You are, mostly. But you don't know them. Have you followed your history
lessons, read the newspapers?
We are not fighting each other in order to serve an exalted race, Michael. We
strive to serve animals&
unprincipled, cruel, blind and willful. When the Sidhe last left Earth for the
Realm, humans were already on their merry path to making it unlivable even for
themselves. Now they have the power to destroy everyone.
"Humans are willful and blind. They do not appreciate. They look upon those
possessed by genius and
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Bear, Greg - Songs of Earth and Power Vol. 2 - The Serpent Mage chew them over
and spit them out. Artists and poets are just so many& " His face had paled
again, and he brought color back with another broad smile. "Their scientists
have the upper hand. Taming a garden gone to seed."
"The Sidhe tried to take magic away from us," Michael said. "Without magic, we
could only learn how to use the world. The scientists have made us strong."
"
Us
?" Clarkham mimicked incredulously. "You rank yourself with the scientists?"
"I would hope to," Michael said.
"A candidate mage condoning the worship of a corrupt and runaway world.
Amazing how far humans have fallen."
Michael suddenly felt a surge of boredom. He pushed it aside lest it dull his
apprehension and sense of peril. "You are about to try to strike a deal with
me," he said.
"I am?" Clarkham feigned surprise.
"You are," Michael said, the insane self-assurance coming to the fore again.
So much to keep in balance
.
"All right. But it might not be the deal you imagine. Your talent is strong
but undeveloped. We could help each other. Alone, I can create a suitable
world& But together, the three of us can control Tarax's ambitions and create
a new Earth for all the races, or as many as will accept us."
"Three?"
"You have a certain attraction to Tarax's daughter. Her power can be most
useful, if handled properly.
And I can keep the worst from happening between the two of you, once you
merge." His eyes seemed to cloud. "Euphemisms. Once she seduces you, or you
her."
Michael made as if to consider this, but there were alarms in his head. What
he had felt in Shiafa&
Tonn's wife on the Blasted Plain. Connected. Horribly connected. Those who
aspire to become mages&
"What about her loyalty to Tarax?"
"I doubt she feels any loyalty."
Michael glanced down at the worn-smooth table top. "What kind of world would
you make for all the races?"
"The world-building is relatively easy," Clarkham said. "It's control of the
world's inhabitants mat causes trouble. Humans are especially difficult. They
would likely start tinkering with the very foundations, unless they're kept
tightly reined in. Sidhe might be more manageable. At least the Sidhe have a
sense of their limits."
"How would you control them?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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