ggk.asongforarbonne-第100节

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　　That　grim　sense　of　premonition　was　with　her　again　now　as　she　gazed　out　across　the　whitecaps　at　the　stones　of　the　arch　beyond　the　western　shore；　trying　to　deal　with　the　tidings　that　had　e　with　the　messenger　from　the　High　Priestess。
　　〃Will　they　build　their　own　arch；　do　you　think；　if　they　destroy　us　all？〃
　　She　hadn't　heard　Rinette　approaching。　Not　entirely　happy；　for　she　still　hadn't　worked　out　her　feelings　about　the　coolly　arrogant　young　priestess；　she　turned　and　regarded　the　other　woman。
　　As　always；　it　was　the　owl　that　gave　her　pause。　Only　the　High　Priestess　at　each　temple；　or　those　named　and　being　trained　as　their　successors；　carried　the　birds。　Rinette；　no　older　than　Lisseut　herself；　was　very　young　to　be　marked　as　heir　to　the　High　Priestess　of　Rian's　Isle。　Once　she'd　ascended　to　that　rank　she　would　be　second　only　to　Beatritz　de　Barbentain　herself　among　the　hierarchy　of　the　goddess　in　Arbonne。　Lisseut　had　even　heard　talk　among　the　priests　and　priestesses　of　the　isle　that　Rinette　intended　to　follow　Beatritz　down　the　paths　of　blindness　when　that　day　came。
　　Lisseut　of　Vezét；　child　of　this　world；　finding　her　pleasures　and　griefs　among　men　and　women；　had　found　herself　unsettled　by　the　very　thought。　If　Rinette　had　been　older；　a　dour；　pious　zealot；　it　might　have　been　easier　to　deal　with；　but　the　brown…haired　priestess　was　beautiful　and　drily　clever；　and　she　seemed　to　know　and　enjoy　the　troubadours'　repertoire　of　songs　almost　as　well　as　Lisseut　and　Alain　did　themselves。　Once　she　had　even　corrected　Alain　on　a　line…reading　during　his　recitation　of　one　of　the　old　speak…pieces　of　Count　Folquet。　Lisseut；　genuinely　shocked　by　the　interjection；　had　quickly　searched　her　own　recollection　and　realized　that　the　priestess　was　right。　Not　that　this　made　her　any　happier　to　have　heard　an　audience　member　interrupt　a　troubadour。
　　What；　she　remembered　thinking；　was　the　world　ing　to？
　　A　remarkably　inconsequential　issue　that　seemed　since　the　winter　invasion　and　now　this　morning's　news。　She　was　made　aware；　looking　at　the　tall；　slender　woman　beside　her；　that　Rinette's　fate　if　Gorhaut　conquered　was　even　more　brutally　clear　than　her　own；　and　the　priestess；　by　her　sworn　oat　to　the　goddess；　lacked　even　the　options　of　flight　south　or　overseas。　Given　that；　given　the　darkness　of　the　time；　it　suddenly　seemed　profoundly　ungracious　to　be　carrying　a　grievance　against　the　woman　for　correcting　the　misreading　of　a　verse。
　　The　world　had　greatly　changed　since　Ademar　of　Gorhaut　had　led　an　army　through　the　mountains　into　the　green　hills　and　valleys　of　Arbonne。
　　〃A　second　arch？〃　she　said　quietly；　addressing　the　question　asked。　〃I　wonder。　Do　they　build　anything；　these　northerners？　〃
　　〃Of　course　they　do。　They　are　not　inhuman；　they　are　not　really　so　different　from　us；〃　Rinette　replied　calmly。　〃You　know　that。　They　are　badly　taught；　that　is　all。〃
　　〃There　seems　a　great　deal　of　difference　to　me；〃　Lisseut　said　sharply；　〃if　they　burn　women　alive　and　cut　the　heads　and　sexual　parts　off　dead　men。〃
　　〃Badly　taught；〃　Rinette　repeated。　〃Think　of　how　much　of　the　mystery　and　the　power　of　life　they　have　lost　by　denying　Rian。〃
　　〃You'll　forgive　me；　but　I　can't　spare　a　great　deal　of　time　just　now　for　pitying　them　that。　I'm　surprised　you　can。〃
　　Rinette　gave　a　small；　graceful　shrug；　looking　out　at　the　western　shore　and　the　arch　beyond。　〃We　are　trained　to　think　that　way。　The　times　are　evil；〃　she　said。　〃Mortal　men　and　women　are　what　they　have　always　been。　Five　hundred　years　from　now　we　will　all　be　dust　and　forgotten；　and　our　fates；　but　Rian　and　Corannos　will　still　steer　the　course　of　the　world。〃
　　It　was　rather　too　much　for　Lisseut；　this　holy　posturing。　〃I　wonder；〃　she　said　harshly；　good　intentions　forgotten；　〃if　you　will　take　such　a　long　view　when　we　see　the　army　of　Gorhaut　ing　across　the　lake　with　torches　in　their　hands。〃
　　And　regretted　the　words　the　moment　they　were　spoken。
　　Rinette　turned　to　her；　and　Lisseut　saw　then　in　the　clear　light　of　morning　that　the　other　woman's　eyes　were　not　nearly　so　tranquil　as　her　voice　and　words　might　have　suggested。　She　recognized；　belatedly；　that　what　she　had　been　hearing　was　an　attempt　to　master　fear。
　　〃I　do　not　wele　the　prospect　of　being　burned　alive；　if　that　is　what　you　mean；〃　Rinette　of　the　Isle　said。　〃If　that　isn't　what　you　mean；　perhaps　you'll　tell　me　what　you　are　trying　to　say。〃
　　And　after　that　of　course　there　was　nothing　for　Lisseut　to　do　but　apologize　as　best　she　could；　and　then　carry　on　through　the　day；　and　the　next　two；　wrapped　in　her　vest　against　the　wind　and　the　coldness　of　her　own　deep　fears。　Alain　rowed　across　the　whitecaps　of　the　lake　to　Talair　each　day；　carrying　a　borrowed　sword。　He　came　back　the　second　afternoon　with　a　vivid　red　contusion　on　his　forehead。　He　made　a　small　joke　about　deceiving　people　with　a　show　of　clumsiness；　but　Lisseut　had　seen　that　his　hands　were　trembling。
　　
　　On　the　fourth　day　the　armies　came。
　　It　was；　in　fact；　a　near　thing。　High　on　the　ramparts　of　Talair　at　midday　after　the　brutal；　forced　march　from　Barbentain　and　Lussan；　Blaise　looked　down　at　their　exhausted　men　in　the　open　space　below；　and　then　north　in　the　clear　light　for　the　first　sign　of　those　they　were　to　fight。　He　was　uneasily　aware　that　besides　the　eerie　precognition　of　the　High　Priestess；　the　only　thing　that　had　given　them　even　a　chance　to　reach　Lake　Dierne　with　an　army　in　time　had　been　the　disciplined；　prudent　caution　of　Thierry　de　Carenzu。
　　The　stupefying　surprise　of　a　winter　invasion　through　the　mountains　would　have　caught　Arbonne　hopelessly　unprepared…no　one　risked　the　passes　in　large　numbers　in　winter…had　the　duke　of　Carenzu　not　issued　orders　at　the　end　of　the　Lussan　Fair　in　the　countess's　name　for　a　gradual　assembling　of　the　armies　of　Arbonne　under　the　barons　and　dukes。　The　idea　was　to　have　them　armed　and　trained　in　the　castles　over　the　winter　months；　in　preparation　for　the　spring　assault　they　all　expected。
　　Blaise　had　never　been　fortable　with　men　who　preferred　their　own　sex　in　bed；　and　his　nights　with　Ariane　had　rather　plicated　this　particular　issue；　but　he　had　to　acknowledge　a　rapidly　growing　respect　for　the　duke　of　Carenzu。　Thierry　was　sober　and　pragmatic　and　conspicuously　reliable。　In　a　country　where　the　two　other　most　important　noblemen　were　the　dukes　of　Talair　and　Miraval　these　were　not；　Blaise　concluded；　inconsiderable　virtues。
　　Because　of　these　preparations；　when　word　had　e　that　Gorhaut　was　actually　through　the　pass　and　ing　down　from　the　mountains；　the　men　of　Arbonne　had　been　far　more　prepared　than　they　otherwise　would　have　been。　They　were　able　to　move　with　order　and　some　speed…though　the　southern　roads　were　muddy　with　the　winter　rains…north　towards　Barbentain；　and　from　there；　when　Beatritz's　message　came；　here　to　Talair　and　the　lake。
　　Bertran's　own　corans　had　been　waiting　for　them　and　Blaise　knew　the　soldiers　of　Miraval　were　not　far　away；　but　these　were　lost　to　their　army　now；　if　not　worse。
　　For　the　hundredth　time　since　that　meeting　in　Barbentain　four　days　ago　Blaise　found　himself　wrestling　with　the　wisdom　of　the　countess's　decision　to　name　Bertran　to　lead　the　armies。　She　had　to　have　known　that　Urté　would　react　as　he　had。　Even　Blaise；　an　oblivious　stranger　to　that　bitter　tale　only　a　year　ago；　could　have　guessed　how　Urté　would　bridle　at　submitting　to　Bertran's　authority。　Granting　that　de　Talair　was　the　obvious　man　to　lead　Arbonne；　was　that　worth　fifteen　hundred　men？　Would　Thierry　de　Carenzu　have　been　so　terrible　a　choice？
　　Or　was　it　possible　that　Signe　had　expected　Urté　to　rise　above　what　lay　between　Talair　and　Miraval；　with　so　much　at　stake　now？　With　everything；　really；　in　the　balance。　If　so；　she　had　been　wrong；　and　Blaise　was　well…enough　versed　in　the　histories　of　war　to　know　that　Arbonne　would　not　be　the　first　country　to　fall　to　an　invader　because　it　could　not　set　aside　its　own　internal　wars。
　　On　Bertran's　castle　ramparts　in　the　brilliant　sunlight　he　shook　his　head　but　kept　grimly　silent；　as　he　had　in　the　council　chamber　and　ever　since。　In　some　ways　it　might　all　be　purely　a　matter　for　historians　and　dry　philosophers　to　e：　the　men　who　picked　over　the　bones　of　dead　years　like　the　scavengers　who　came　out　at　night　after　a　battle　to　despoil　the　slain　and　dying。
　　The　stark　reality　today　was　that　even　with　the　corans　of　Miraval　they　would　have　needed　an　enormous　number　of　mercenaries　to　have　had　any　real　chance　of　defending　themselves；　and　the　winter　invasion　had　eliminated　that　possibility。　They　were　brutally　outnumbered　by　the　army　Ademar　of　Gorhaut　had　brought　safely　through　the　mountains。　Ademar；　and　Galbert：　Blaise　knew；　as　surely　as　he　knew　anything　in　the　world；　that　this　winter　war　was　his　father's　stratagem…cunning　and　long　planning　mingled　with　a　sublime；　unwavering　certainty　that　the　god　would　see　him　through　the　pass。　And　the　frightening　thing；　of　course；　was　that　Corannos　had。　The　army　of　Gorhaut；　which　was　the　army　of　the　god；　was　in　Arbonne；　and　Blaise；　looking　north　from　the　ramparts　with　Bertran　and　Fulk　de　Savaric　and　others；　felt　fear　like　a　hard　object　lodge　against　his　heart。
　　Only　fools　and　madmen　do　not　know　fear　before　a　battle。　His　first　captain　had　told　him　that；　and　Blaise　had　offered　the　same　reassurance　over　the　years　t