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white and pure.^It wasn't soaked in anything between that time and now. It
just& aged."
"I don't get you."
"No, and neither does anybody else." He felt his frustration suddenly rise to
the surface. "I'm not in an enviable position right now. I'm pulled this way
and that."
"How "
"So " He held up both hands. "Please. Just listen for a bit. You can say how
crazy I am afterward. I
know you're an expert on music, maybe even on Waltiri's music, but this is
something else."
"I don't understand your doubts. You think "
Michael's expression stopped her. She folded her arms and leaned back in her
chair, glancing nervously at a patron walking past their table.
"You mentioned the hauntings. There's a connection."
"With this?" She dropped her hand to the envelope.
Michael nodded. "I don't know all the details. Even if I did, it wouldn't be
worthwhile to tell you. Because you couldn't possibly believe."
"Jesus," she said. "What are you involved in?"
He laughed and looked up at the backlit white canopy overhead.
"That policeman. Is he part of it?"
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Bear, Greg - Songs of Earth and Power Vol. 2 - The Serpent Mage
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"Not really. He's like you. And my father. And Bert Cantor."
"Who's Bert Cantor?"
"Somebody who knows. Whom do I tell? And how much? You all live in the real
world."
"You don't?"
Michael sighed. "For a time, I didn't. I was missing for five years,
Kristine."
Her brows knit. Then she leaned forward. "Because of the concerto?"
"It's part of the& experience. Yes."
And I ended up in a much better re-creation of Xanadu than this restaurant
 He severely edited what impulse would lead him to say. It was so difficult,
wanting to tell the entire story and being constrained by practical
considerations  belief, the impact the story might have on how she regarded
him, his unease at what might seem self-aggrandizing.
"Okay. I'm listening." There was a look in Kristine's eyes then that only
deepened his distress. She was
interested. She was positively intrigued. He was something different in her
life, and his attitude, his tone of voice, did not reveal him to be a nut or a
liar.
Which compounded distress upon distress.
And stopped him cold before he could begin his next sentence. "I'm sorry." His
face reddened.
"I said you were mysterious this morning," Kristine reminded him. "I don't
know what I meant "
"Okay," he said. "I'll tell you this much. I have been warned not to do any of
this." He gestured toward the manuscript with an open hand. "I don't know by
whom. I'm ignoring that warning, but I want you to be aware of the risk we're
taking."
"Jesus," she said again, looking down at the table. They were served their
salads. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
"Because I'm an idiot." He touched his fork to the salad.
"You are not an idiot," Kristine objected, raising her eyebrows not at him but
at her salad plate.
"Then maybe it's because I'm way out of my depth."
She regarded him shrewdly. "Then why are you doing this?"
"Because I find you attractive," Michael said, the editing function somehow
completely deactivated.
Kristine didn't react for an uncomfortable number of seconds. "I'm living with
someone now," she said.
"I suspected as much."
"I'd like to think we're both interested in the music."
"We both are."
"And I'd like to think you wouldn't use all of this as an excuse, just to see
somebody you're attracted to."
"I haven't been. Not entirely."
"How old are you?" Kristine asked. "I mean, really?"
"I don't know," Michael said. "I was gone five years. It didn't seem like five
years to me."
"I was thinking you might be older than you said."
"If anything, I'm younger."
"Then I'm really confused." She removed her napkin from her lap and laid it on
the tablecloth. "And I'm not very hungry."
"Neither am I."
"You don't want me to do anything with the manuscript, then?"
"On the contrary. I
do want you to& take it to the music department, look it over, get it
performed. But I
think you should be aware there could be trouble."
"Do you always cause trouble for women you're attracted to?"
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Her question stunned him.
Yes
. "Not like this," he answered. "It's not me causing the trouble."
"What I think you're trying to say is, if we play this music again, the same
things will happen as happened
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Bear, Greg - Songs of Earth and Power Vol. 2 - The Serpent Mage in 1939."
"Or something even more important."
"And I could be sued, as Waltiri was sued."
"I don't know about that. That isn't what worries me most."
She seemed absolutely fascinated by the idea. "That would be& interesting. But
you're right; I find it all hard to believe."
"And you're only hearing the easy part," Michael said.
Again a pause, as she bit her lower lip and searched his face intently. "Let's
talk about how you feel about me& "
"Please. It's embarrassing. I've said too much, and I've said it in all the
wrong ways."
"No. I appreciate your honesty. You are being honest; that much is obvious.
And you're not crazy. Believe me, I've gone out with enough crazy men& " She
gazed off into the middle distance. "I like you, but there is this&
situation." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]