The Birthgrave Read Online Free PDF

slithered by with them, dressed like them for the most part, but with several ounces more gold around their necks, fantastic earrings, and jet-black hair, roped through with ribbons and flowers. This seemed enough. I wanted to go in, almost drunk from the sight of them, but I waited for him as I had known I would. When he came he was thoughtful, discontented, sullen. Whatever he had sought on the hill had not come to him.
    More quietly dressed than the others, the two girls, one on either side of him, made up for it. They were incongruous. Their hair was a kind of parody of a court woman’s—elaborate, but too unruly to be kept in place. It stood up on their heads in hills, in plaited ropes, in twists and loops, transfixed by the blades of gold combs and jasper pins. The one nearest to me had wound pearls in and out like a pale snake trail. Strands had unfurled onto their shoulders where they tangled in the masses of goldwork. Their dresses were silk, one crimson, one black and yellow, and under the fringed and embroidered hems were the boots of bandit-bitches, covered with muck and filth and dust.
    My eyes were moving away from them to Darak, impatient. No one had seen me yet as I sat in the shadow of the door-mouth. Then I saw what hung from the throat of that pearl-haired, crimson girl. A tiny green and cool shining thing on a gold ring and chain. Jade.
    I got up before I could think, my hand went out, and I shouted at her.
    The whole procession stopped, stumbled around, stared at me. I did not see their expressions, only sensed them, my eyes pinned to that green cool thing between her brown bitch’s breasts.
    There was silence, and then he said: “Bow to your goddess, people. Ask her to do a few tricks for you to earn her bread.”
    It was very still then. The hot raw day hung close. I did not look at his face, only at the face of the girl with the jade. She grinned, raised her eyebrows, one after the other, then spat on the ground before the steps. But her eyes were tight.
    I went down the steps very slowly, and I was trembling. I stood a few feet from her, and pointed to the green thing without speaking.
    She laughed, and spat again. Then looked at Darak.
    â€œWhat is it you want, witch? You can’t eat a green hard stone.”
    â€œGive it to me,” I said to the bandit girl.
    She made her fear into anger.
    â€œKeep off. It isn’t yours. It’s mine. He gave it to me.”
    â€œNot yours. He stole it. Mine now. Give it to me.”
    In spite of herself, the girl shrank away, back against his body.
    â€œIn our camp,” Darak said softly, “if one of us wants something from another, we fight for it. For food, or gold, or a knife, or a woman. Or a man. Shullatt here fought for me. And I took her. You want the green stone, you can fight her too. Shullatt’s not afraid.”
    Shullatt’s eyes altered. Her courage was back. She was on her own ground again. Another moment and she would have me under her, her cat claws in my eyes, hammering my breasts with her hard elbows. I would rather fight a man than a woman. Another moment—I could not wait. My hand went out. The jade leaped into my fingers. I tugged and the chain broke.
    Like cool water in my palm, the jade lay sleeping but alive.
    Her moment was over, but still she moved. With my other hand I caught her hard and stinging across the whole face. Blood jetted from one nostril as she reeled backward. Darak might have steadied her but did not bother. She went down by his feet and screamed curses at me without getting up.
    Abruptly Darak smiled grimly, set the toe of his boot against the girl’s side, and quite gently kicked her.
    â€œBe quiet,” he said. “You’ve lost the stone. She fought you for it, in her own way.”
    Someone began crying and shouting. Heads turned. I could not see who it was, but I heard the voice of the woman.
    â€œShe saved my children! The doctor from Sirrain told