Frankowski, Leo Conrad 2 The High Tech Knight

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

soap!"
I bullied them into sudsing down twice in the bone-chilling rain. Finally, we gave
the girls the tent and Sir Vladimir and I hunkered down as best we could under a
tree.
"Sir Conrad, was this really necessary?"
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
"Yes."
"It's some sort of superstition among your people?"
"It's not a superstition. I've told you before, most diseases are caused by germs,
tiny animals, smaller than you can see. That poor bastard in the cave was infested
with them."
"Sir Conrad, you've also taught me the scientific method, and told me never to
believe anything that I could not prove with my own senses. With my own eyes I
just saw a vampire. I touched it. I felt it. I smelled it. Can you doubt that this is
true?"
"You certainly saw something, but what you saw was the victim of a disease."
"As to these germs, well, to be scientific about it, I've never seen one. If you ever
build that microscope that once you talked of, perhaps I will. For now, I know
what I saw, I know what I did."
"As to this chilly midnight bathing party, well, you are a stranger here and I was
only being polite and going along with your customs as you have so often gone
along with ours."
"Okay. Have it your way. Your scientific deductions were satisfied by pounding a
stake into the vampire's heart and my superstitions required that we ritually
bathe off the devil-viruses."
"That's not what's bothering me."
"What bothers me, Sir Conrad, is sitting here wet and naked in the cold rain, with
only male company, when but a short time ago I was most comfortably situated
with my love at my side."
"Well, I'm sitting right next to you."
"More's the pity."
We were silent a long while. Then I said, "I think we were both right about the
man in the cave. Most legends have some basis in fact. The symptoms of rabies
are a lot like the way you described a vampire. The fear of light and water. the
white skin. And if one bites you, you'll certainly become one. I think your vampire
is my rabies victim. Two names for the same thing."
"If you say so. How long does your ritual require before we can go back to the
cave?"
"It's not a ritual and we don't go back, ever."
"Right. It is not a superstition. The cave is merely permanently defiled and
unclean."
It was a long night and I spent it soul searching. I suppose I did the man a favor,
giving him a quick death. Rabies is a rough way to die. Maybe he would have
bitten one of us and maybe I saved one of the others from joining his sad fate.
There was nothing I could do to cure the disease.
But this was all rationalization after the fact. In truth, I had murdered a man
because he frightened me.
The lands we rode through the next morning were cheerful, despite the depressed
mood of our party. The fields were well tended and soon to give a good harvest,
the peasant, cottages were big and well built and most had brightly painted trim.
The people were well fed, half of them were fat, and all were fairly well clothed.
And, everybody bustled, as if whatever they were doing right Id then was the
most important thing in the world.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
That sort of attitude is contagious and we had cheered up some by the time we
entered Uncle Felix's manor in our second-best clothes. I had to call him that
even though he was Sir Vladimir's uncle and not mine. He was the kind of man
who is everybody's uncle. Big, bluff, crude, and wholesome, he radiated good
cheer and good wishes.
"That you, Vlad boy? You big enough for girls already? Pretty ones, too! And a
giant! You must be Stargard! Welcome! Mama! Go kill a fat calf for supper! We
got company! Iwo! Iwo -you lazy peasant! Come take care of the horses! Well, you
people? Get down!"
A little intimidating at first, but you couldn't help liking him. Soon dozens of
people were rushing about, our horses unloaded and put in a barn, and our
baggage opened out. Some women tsk-tsked at our wet finery and took it away,
while the four of us were treated to an impromptu dinner for twelve.
Uncle Felix had already eaten, but sat down to join us and ate enough for six men [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Podstrony