"Elgin,.Suzette.Haden.-.Ozark.-.01.-.Twelve.Fair.Kingdoms" - читать интересную книгу автора (Elgin Suzette Haden)

hooded traveling cloak of six layers black velvet quilted
together with silver thread in a pattern of wild roses and star-in-
the-sky-vine and friendly ivy. My scarlet gloves matched my
boots and my riding crop matched my spurs, and around my
throat on a golden chain was a talisman almost not fit for the
sight of decent people, except that decent people could be
counted on not to know what it meant and anybody that knew
what it meant would sure not mention it. All in all it was a
purely disgusting sight. When I flew I preferred honest denims,
and over them a cloak of brown wool. And spurs and riding
crop to fly a Mule were about as sensible as four wheels and a
clutch to sail a ship—but none of that was relevant.

17

18 SUZETTE HADEN ELGIN

I was a symbol, and a symbol carrying out a symbol. I was,
by the Twelve Corners, a Meta-Symbol, and I intended to look
the part if it choked me. They, whoever they might turn out to
be, would have leisure to compare the style in which Castle
Brightwater did these things with their scroungy brigand on a
mangy rented Mule. I would see to that, and I intended to rub it
in and men add salt, if I got the chance.

I brought Sterling down smartly at the entrance to Castle
McDaniets without raising so much as a puff of dust, and I
called out to the guardmaid at the broad door to let us in.

"Well met. Responsible of Brightwater!" she hollered at
me; and I mused, as I had mused many and many a time
before, on the burden it gave the tongue to greet either myself
or my sister Troublesome (not that many greeted her!). A
regular welter of syllables, and I hoped the Granny that did it
got a pain in her jaw joints. When I was a child, the others
made me pay for the inconvenience, ringing changes on it all
me day long. Obstreperous of Laketumoc, they liked to call me.
Preposterous of Bogwatec Philharmonic of Underwear And
numerous variations in the same vein. On the rare occasions
when my sister and I shared the same space, they liked to call
us "Nettlesome and Cuddlesome."

We have a saying, an ancient one: "Don't get mad; get
even." It stayed my hand when I was young enough to mind
such nonsense, and now I would not stoop me distance
necessary to get even. But it still rankles at times. As when a
skinny guardmaid bellows out at me before all the world,
"Well met. Responsible of Brightwater!"

"Well met yourself," I said, "and why not good morrow