| OCR Text |
Show "Good Saint Ida!" said Dr'Anya, horrified, along with the chorus of gasps traveling around the table. "A teacup?" marvelled Chu, and Janni nodded at her gravely. Pym leaned over and touched it tentatively with an extended finger. "•Twould be no sport, using such a thing," he said, "would it my mother?" "Sport?" cried Erica. Dr'Anya pushed the weapon away from her and the group around the table sat in silence, regarding the fearsome thing. Then a new dance was signaled by a crash on the cymbals and the Seljuk player of the convulted pipe stood up. The flock of red DragonGeese ceased their grazing, formed a delta shape, and began to dance. Their necks rose and fell, their feet stamped the ground firmly, their wings lifted and flapped-all in time with the the reedy ululation of the pipe, their patterns taking them among the watching folk scattered around the field. Dr'Anya felt the hair prickle along the back of her neck and she turned. There stood Hoqqam in the deep red Twinset, mayhap a meter behind her, his face a study of both abject terror and cunning. He was gazing fixedly at the dancing birds and fingering the talisman hanging around his neck-the painted eye. In his other hand was a coil of light rope. The birds were quite close now, and all the folk around the table were intent on the weaving dance they made. The large bird in front was especially clever with his feet and seemed to be leading the others. How strange, thought Dr'Anya, who had never in her life seen the reds dancing thus, though she'd heard that the Seljuk men could teach certain of the birds such tricks. 360 |
