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of people. This meal was like travelers in a tavern, eating together because
they had to, but quickly and in decent silence.
Soon enough they were done. The matriarch took a cup of halin from
her son.  One problem has been solved. We will adopt the robber women.
Cholkwa s behavior will be forgotten. My son is right! We have no ability to
judge such a man, and Taiin  I know wants to keep Cholkwa as a friend.
 This is true, said the captain.
 Only one problem remains: the girl, Helwar Ahl.
 No, said the robber boy.  I also am a problem. He glanced at
Cholkwa.  I don t want to stay here and watch these people kill my male
relatives. Take me with you! I want to see foreign harbors and ships as
large as caves!
Cholkwa frowned. For a moment, there was silence.
Ettin Taiin refilled his cup.  This might be a good idea for two
reasons. The boy is likely to suffer from divided loyalties. That s always a
problem when one adopts a child as old as he is. And I find him attractive.
If he stays here and becomes Ettin, I will be troubled with incestuous
thoughts. As much as possible, I try to keep my mind free of disturbing
ideas. They cause sleepless nights on campaign and slow reflexes in
battle.
 What about Helwar Ahl? asked Cholkwa, obviously trying to go from
one topic to another.
 She can t go with you, the matriarch said.  A woman with an
unrelated man! And we are not ocean sailors, nor are the other families in
this region, the ones we trust. Take the boy, if he s going to give Taiin
perverted ideas, and tell the girl s fam-ily, when you get north, that she s
here with us. They can send a ship for her.
 I want to be an actor, said Dapple.
 You can t! said Cholkwa.
The matriarch frowned.  There are two things that men cannot do.
One is have babies, because it s impossible. The other is harm women and
children, because it s wrong. And there are two things that women cannot
do: father children and fight in a war. These are absolute prohibitions. All
other kinds of behavior may be difficult or disturbing, but they can be done.
Granted, I would not want a daughter of mine to become an actor, though it
might help make plays more interesting. There are too many penises in
comedy, and too many honorable deaths in tragedy. These are male
interests. Maybe the world would benefit from a play about real life!
 Surely you don t mean that, Mother, the Ettin captain said.
 You re a fine lad and my favorite child, but there is much you don t
know. The world does not consist entirely of sex and violence. It isn t only
men who take action, and there are kinds of action that do not involve
violence or sex.
Dapple said,  I will run away again, I promise.
 From here? asked the matriarch.  Surely you have learned how
dangerous the south can be.
 From anywhere, said Dapple.
Ettin Hattali sipped halin. The others watched her. By this time, the
sky was dark and full of stars, which shed enough light so that Dapple could
see the old woman s pale face.  Life is made of compromises, Hattali said
finally.  I will offer you one. Stay here until your family sends for you, and I
will argue for you with them. You are useless for breeding already. A girl
who runs off in all directions! This is not a trait any family will want to
continue. I ll say as much and argue that the world needs women who
speak for women, not just in our houses and the meetings between
families, but everywhere, even in plays. Who knows where the current
interest in drama will lead? Maybe  in time plays will be written down,
though this seems unlikely to me. But if they remain at all, in any form, as
spoken words or memory, women should have a share in them. Do we want
men to speak for us to future generations?
 Cholkwa, who has broken many rules before, can certainly break
another one and teach you. If he wants the story of his behavior with the
robbers kept quiet, if he wants to keep my son Taiin as a lover, he will
cooperate.
Taiin and Cholkwa  lovers? For a moment, Dapple was distracted.
This cer-tainly explained why Taiin found the boy attractive. How could
Cholkwa betray his longtime lover, Perig, for a lame man with one eye?
Her family s old friend sighed.  Very well, I ll take the boy. No question
I behaved badly when I mated with his mother. To create life without a
contract! It was shameful! And you are right that I should have told my story.
Then he would have gotten a proper home as a baby. Now he is old
enough to love and mourn those criminals. I will not leave him here to watch
his family die. He paused.
 And I will take your message to the Helwar. But I don t like the idea of
teaching the girl to act.
 If you don t do it, I will ask Perig, or run off in disguise again!
 Have the young always been this much trouble? Cholkwa asked.
 Always, said the matriarch in a firm tone.
The captain stood up.  My leg aches, and I want either sleep or sex.
Take the boy north, so he doesn t bother me. Take the message, so my
mother can be happy. Worry about teaching the girl next year.
The two men left, the boy following. He would be put in a room by
himself, the captain said as they walked into the house.  It s been a hard
few days for you, Rehv my lad; and I don t think you need to deal with Ettin
boys.
Dapple was alone with the matriarch, under a sky patterned with
darkness and light.
 He made me angry when he used the word  can t for a woman, Ettin
Hattali said.  No man has the right to say what women can and cannot do. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]