"George R. R. Martin - Dying of the Light" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin George R R)

"You must help her, Dirk t'Larien, somehow. I don't know."
"Help her how?"
 "To be free. To escape."
Dirk set his drink down and scratched, his head. "From who?"
"Them. The Kavalars."
He frowned. "Jaan, you mean? I met him this morning, him and Janacek. She loves Jaan. I don't understand."
Ruark laughed, sucked from his drink, laughed again. He was dressed in a three-piece suit of alternating brown and
green squares, like motley, and as he sat spouting nonsense Dirk wondered if the short ecologist was indeed a fool.
"Loves him, yes, she said that?" Ruark said. "You are sure of it, are you? Well?"
Dirk hesitated, trying to remember her words when they had talked by the still, green lake. "I'm not sure," he said.
"But something to that effect. She is- What was it?"
"Betheyn?" Ruark suggested.
Dirk nodded. "Yes, betheyn, wife."
Ruark chuckled. "No, utter wrong. In the car I listened. Gwen said it wrong. Well, not really, but you took the
wrong impression. Betheyn is not wife. Part truth the biggest lie of all, remember? What do you think teyn is?"
The word stopped him. Teyn. He had heard the word a hundred times on Worlorn. "Friend?" he guessed, not
knowing what it meant.
"Betheyn is more of wife than teyn is friend," Ruark said. "Learn the outworlds better, Dirk. No. Betheyn is
woman-to-man word in Old Kavalar, for a heldwife bound by jade-and-silver. Now, there can be much affection in
jade-and-silver, much love, yes. Though, you know, the word used for that, the standard Terran word, there is no like
word in Old Kavalar. Interesting, eh? Can they love without a word for it, t'Larien friend?"
Dirk did not reply. Ruark shrugged and drank and continued. "Well, no matter, but think of it. I spoke of jade-and-
silver and yes, often the Kavalars have love in that bond, love from betheyn-to-highbond, from highbond-to-betheyn
sometimes. Or liking, if not love. But not always, and not necessarily! You see?"
Dirk shook his head.
"Kavalar bonds are custom and obligation," Ruark said, leaning forward very intently, "with love late-coming
accident. Violent folk, I told you. Read history, read legends. Gwen met Jaan on Avalon, you know, and she did not
read. Not enough. He was Jaan Vikary of High Kavalaan, and what was that, some planet? She never knew. Truth.
So their liking grew-call it love, perhaps-and sex happens and he offers her jade-and-silver wrought in his pattern,
and suddenly she is betheyn to him, still not quite knowing. Trapped."
"Trapped? How trapped?"
"Read history! The violence of High Kavalaan is
long past, the culture is unchanged. Gwen is betheyn to Jaan Vikary, betheyn heldwife, his wife, yes, his lover, and
more. Property and slave, she is that too, and gift. She is his gift to Ironjade Gathering, with her he bought his
highnames, yes. She must have children if he orders, whether she wishes or no. She must take Garse as lover also,
whether she wishes or no. If Jaan dies in duel with a man of a holdfast other than Ironjade, a Braith or a Redsteel,
Gwen passes to that man like baggage, property-to become his betheyn, or a mere eyn-kethi if the victor already
wears jade-and-silver. If Jaan dies of natural causes, or in duel with another Ironjade, Gwen goes to Garse. Her will
in the matter is no concern. Who cares that she hates him? Not the Kavalars. And when Garsey dies, eh? Well, when
that time comes, she is an eyn-kethi, holdfast breeder, degraded forever, free to use for any of the kethi. Kethi
meaning holdfast-brothers, more or less, the men of the family. Ironjade Gathering is all huge family, thousands and
thousands of family, and any can have her. What did she call Jaan, husband? No. Jailer. That is what he is, he and
Garse, loving jailers maybe if you think that such can love truly as you or I would. Jaantony honors our Gwen, and
should, for he is high-Ironjade now, she is his betheyn-gift, and if she dies or leaves him, he is fre-Ironjade, an old
man, mocked, empty-armed, without voice in council. But he slaves her, does not love her, and she is years after
Avalon now, older and wiser, and now she knows." Ruark had delivered the last in a breathless fury, his lips drawn
tight.
Dirk hesitated. "He doesn't love her, then?" "As you love your property, so a highbond and his betheyn. It is a tight
bond, jade-and-silver, never to be broken, but it is a bond of obligation and possession. No love. That is elsewhere, if
the Kavalars have it at all, to be found in chosen-brother, the shield and soulmate and lover and warrior twin, the