Lords of Rainbow by Vera Nazarian Read Free Book Online

that is one truth there,” said Nilmet softly, somewhat to himself. And then he selected Werail , who ruled red , the most violent color , and placed him on the board before Fiadolmle , so that she would have to jump or surrender in the next move, for she was blocked from both sides. Werail , he of the Will, was passion and desire, and in red lay the mystery of Intensity. Thus the figurine held a sword.
    Master Jirve rolled his eyes heavenward. Dullness and boredom, like a slow beast, was within him, and allowed no deep meaning to be extrapolated from anything that he now heard. Especially not now—the rich pungent aroma of fried eggs drifted into the common room, spiced with fresh dill and chopped onions. Maybe that’s why he didn’t think and allowed Fiadolmle to end up without a free cell to jump. Back to the middle cell throne she went, out of the game, while Nilmet got to move Koerdis forward.
    “ I just hope,” continued Maertella’s voice from the back, “that for your own sake, some of my words finally sink in.”
    The girl, all this time guiltily silent, was now heard replying tentatively, “Yes ma’am, mistress. I’m truly really sorry . . . Awfully horrid sorry . . . I’ll never do it again, ma’am . . . It’s just that—”
    “ Just that what? Oh, never mind. And I know you’ll do it again, several times, before you learn anything. Just clean up this mess now, or we’ll never get dinner finished. Make another omelet when you’re done—no, make three more. We might have extra company tonight.”
    Soon they heard the hiss of creamy butter dashed against a hot skillet, and the sizzle of a new batch of omelet. The sweet aroma deepened.
    “ You know,” said Jirve Lan, “I’ve never heard her scream at a serving wench. Even now—see how calm she is. Surprising, isn’t it? A marvelous woman, yes she is. Marvelous.”
    “ Why don’t you marry her?” said Nilmet simply. “Hasn’t it been enough time now that you’ve known her and seen her worth—omelet and such aside?”
    The innkeeper laughed nervously, as though he was somewhat naively puzzled at the idea. He then took Love herself, Laelith , the gentle Tilirreh of violet whose domain it was, both human and sacred, and placed her on the board to block Dersenne . Laelith also symbolized persistence, strength, and paradox, and was the lady of the Way Things Are. Her figurine stood artless, empty-handed and simple.
    Nilmet gave another kind smile and shrug, and surrendered Dersenne back to his cell throne in the middle and out of the game.
    Maertella seemed to have forgotten the unpleasant incident with the burned omelet, because now her voice soared in a completely different mood. The two men listened, locked in easy idleness, and inhaled the scent of freshly grated cucumber and yogurt soup that was being prepared as a side dish. It was the nature of the time, just preceding dinner, when thoughts stood in a haze, with nothing else left to do but wait.
    And so they waited. Orange faces regarded each other across the counter, orange bodies leaned against the countertop which itself was orange , bordering on pale rust . The light streamed evenly from the large orb in the inner corner of the common room, touching all things. The orb-light itself, the source, was so very pale, so intensely desaturated, that it came close to white .
    Or at least, so it was claimed. After all, who knew what white looked like? Not even the sorcerous light-technicians could aspire to that dream, although what they manufactured in the Light Guild was supposed to approximate it.
    What the White Roads Inn possessed in terms of illumination was but a fine-quality desaturated orange monochrome. Jirve Lan had had it installed a couple of years ago, brought all the way from the City, the work of one of the best of Light Guild craftsmen.
    Why had he chosen that particular monochrome, orange , rather than any other, he was often asked.
    “ Well,” Jirve would