[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
The sky darkened as the volcano roared. Lightning sprang into the sky. One
side of the volcano disappeared. Molten rock poured forth from cracks,
splintering the side of the mountain, which slid slowly and then faster down
into the flow.
"This is bad," Skelly said. "Firefinder can't hold it."
A shout went up from the company. "The fireborn! The fireborn are coming!"
Dozens of them came in wide sweeps, diving into the volcanic flow and rising
again glowing with the fire and power they absorbed. One wing broke off from
the others and entered the cone itself. Gradually the volcano quieted.
* * * *
Laurelyanne climbed into the back of the wagon, frowning. Josiah kept giving
the healers fits, begging for a drink so that he could access the magic
which was what had gotten him in trouble in the first place. Dree lay curled
up against Josiah. He opened his eyes, focusing with effort.
"Is ... is it true? Aejys?"
"Yes. She's alive. She's here."
"I want ... to see her."
"No. If you start moving around, you'll kill yourself. That was a foolish
thing to do. First you get nearly cut to ribbons and then you cast that damned
spell on top of it all so you can get cut up some more."
Josiah sighed. "Couldn't let him ... let him hurt her."
"Well, your heart is in the right place," Laurelyanne said, grudgingly.
Josiah tried to sit up and fell heavily back, hammered by pain and weakness.
"Please, help me. I want to see her."
Dree raced suddenly out of the wagon.
"No. You will start those wounds bleeding again. And thanks to that foolish
spell, you will exhaust what little strength you have started to get back.
No."
"Please..."
"Ask again, child, and I will spell you out for a week."
Dree returned, followed by Dynarien.
"If I carry him, will you let him go?" Dynarien asked.
Laurelyanne shook her head, rolling her eyes as if despairing of their
foolishness. She wanted to say no, but said, "Yes," Instead.
Dynarien wrapped Josiah in a blanket they were still having trouble keeping
him warm and lifted him out of the wagon.
Page 293
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The Valdren smiled and nodded as they passed. Some called him "Lord" and
wished him a "good day." The Sharanis studied him, wondering at what the
Valdren attitude toward him meant and just what he might be lord of.
Clemmerick fell in beside them.
"Josiah?"
Josiah glanced at Clemmerick, managing a small smile. Although Dynarien was
as gentle as possible, Josiah's wounds hurt in response to every little
movement.
"Let me carry him," Clemmerick said. "He's my friend."
Dynarien regarded the huge ogre for a moment. "You're Clemmerick? I'm
Dynarien," he added at the ogre's nod.
"I know all about you, Rose Warrior," Clemmerick told him as he took Josiah
from him. Grymlyken emerged from Clemmerick's pocket and settled on his
shoulder, holding onto his collar to smile at Josiah and listen to the
conversation better. He did not interrupt. This whole thing was getting to be
a bit much for the little fellow and more and more he wished he were back in
the tavern with the whole adventure over. Too many people he cared about were
getting hurt and it bothered him. Life had been far simpler when all Grymlyken
had to worry about was breaking up a few drunken brawls each night.
"Does everyone in camp know who I am?" Dynarien sounded a tiny bit
exasperated.
"Everyone who recognizes the blazon." Clemmerick nodded at the shield. "My
mother is a poet. Are you taking him to Aejys?"
"Yes."
Skelly watched them coming and when they were close, he shoved his big nose
against Josiah, taking a good sniff. "Smells like an Abelard."
"Josiah Abelard. Her lover," Dynarien explained.
Clemmerick looked startled, remembering how Josiah had sworn, in the throes
of a drunken confession nearly a year ago, that he would never tell Aejys that
he loved her. Carefully and gently, the big ogre settled his friend beside his
liege-lord. Aejys still slept, wrapped in the magic of the Dancer.
"The mage-master himself?" Skelly was surprised.
The blankets slipped away from Aejys as she turned without waking, revealing
her perfect breasts. Josiah tried to turn onto his side and pull the blankets
over her, but fell back with a soft groan at the rush of pain and dizziness.
Dynarien's manhood reacted and he sighed, before bending over them and
straightening the blankets himself. He hoped that Talons would appreciate the
suffering his abstinence was causing him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
BATTLE OF NORENDELL
The layout of the camp had been changed significantly to accommodate Skelly,
Page 294
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
since the dragon insisted on taking part in the conversations. It had taken
Dynarien most of the night to convince Skelly to allow him to move Aejys and
Josiah into the command tent. Tagalong had objected loudly to Dynarien's
putting them in bed together. She simply could not believe that they were, as
Dynarien claimed, lovers. It seemed like the sheerest nonsense. Aejys had
better sense than to take a sloppy sot into her bed. But Aejys still drowsed
through the last of the Dancer's changes, and Tagalong could not ask her.
Laurelyanne and Borian had come to Dynarien's defense in the ensuing argument,
leaving Tagalong out-voted.
The others sat in a circle around them.
"We came for a fight," Soren said, "but it doesn't look like we're going to
get one." The aged ha'taren had to work hard not to simply stare at Skelly.
The very last thing she had ever expected to do in her life was to hold a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szkicerysunki.xlx.pl
The sky darkened as the volcano roared. Lightning sprang into the sky. One
side of the volcano disappeared. Molten rock poured forth from cracks,
splintering the side of the mountain, which slid slowly and then faster down
into the flow.
"This is bad," Skelly said. "Firefinder can't hold it."
A shout went up from the company. "The fireborn! The fireborn are coming!"
Dozens of them came in wide sweeps, diving into the volcanic flow and rising
again glowing with the fire and power they absorbed. One wing broke off from
the others and entered the cone itself. Gradually the volcano quieted.
* * * *
Laurelyanne climbed into the back of the wagon, frowning. Josiah kept giving
the healers fits, begging for a drink so that he could access the magic
which was what had gotten him in trouble in the first place. Dree lay curled
up against Josiah. He opened his eyes, focusing with effort.
"Is ... is it true? Aejys?"
"Yes. She's alive. She's here."
"I want ... to see her."
"No. If you start moving around, you'll kill yourself. That was a foolish
thing to do. First you get nearly cut to ribbons and then you cast that damned
spell on top of it all so you can get cut up some more."
Josiah sighed. "Couldn't let him ... let him hurt her."
"Well, your heart is in the right place," Laurelyanne said, grudgingly.
Josiah tried to sit up and fell heavily back, hammered by pain and weakness.
"Please, help me. I want to see her."
Dree raced suddenly out of the wagon.
"No. You will start those wounds bleeding again. And thanks to that foolish
spell, you will exhaust what little strength you have started to get back.
No."
"Please..."
"Ask again, child, and I will spell you out for a week."
Dree returned, followed by Dynarien.
"If I carry him, will you let him go?" Dynarien asked.
Laurelyanne shook her head, rolling her eyes as if despairing of their
foolishness. She wanted to say no, but said, "Yes," Instead.
Dynarien wrapped Josiah in a blanket they were still having trouble keeping
him warm and lifted him out of the wagon.
Page 293
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
The Valdren smiled and nodded as they passed. Some called him "Lord" and
wished him a "good day." The Sharanis studied him, wondering at what the
Valdren attitude toward him meant and just what he might be lord of.
Clemmerick fell in beside them.
"Josiah?"
Josiah glanced at Clemmerick, managing a small smile. Although Dynarien was
as gentle as possible, Josiah's wounds hurt in response to every little
movement.
"Let me carry him," Clemmerick said. "He's my friend."
Dynarien regarded the huge ogre for a moment. "You're Clemmerick? I'm
Dynarien," he added at the ogre's nod.
"I know all about you, Rose Warrior," Clemmerick told him as he took Josiah
from him. Grymlyken emerged from Clemmerick's pocket and settled on his
shoulder, holding onto his collar to smile at Josiah and listen to the
conversation better. He did not interrupt. This whole thing was getting to be
a bit much for the little fellow and more and more he wished he were back in
the tavern with the whole adventure over. Too many people he cared about were
getting hurt and it bothered him. Life had been far simpler when all Grymlyken
had to worry about was breaking up a few drunken brawls each night.
"Does everyone in camp know who I am?" Dynarien sounded a tiny bit
exasperated.
"Everyone who recognizes the blazon." Clemmerick nodded at the shield. "My
mother is a poet. Are you taking him to Aejys?"
"Yes."
Skelly watched them coming and when they were close, he shoved his big nose
against Josiah, taking a good sniff. "Smells like an Abelard."
"Josiah Abelard. Her lover," Dynarien explained.
Clemmerick looked startled, remembering how Josiah had sworn, in the throes
of a drunken confession nearly a year ago, that he would never tell Aejys that
he loved her. Carefully and gently, the big ogre settled his friend beside his
liege-lord. Aejys still slept, wrapped in the magic of the Dancer.
"The mage-master himself?" Skelly was surprised.
The blankets slipped away from Aejys as she turned without waking, revealing
her perfect breasts. Josiah tried to turn onto his side and pull the blankets
over her, but fell back with a soft groan at the rush of pain and dizziness.
Dynarien's manhood reacted and he sighed, before bending over them and
straightening the blankets himself. He hoped that Talons would appreciate the
suffering his abstinence was causing him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
BATTLE OF NORENDELL
The layout of the camp had been changed significantly to accommodate Skelly,
Page 294
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
since the dragon insisted on taking part in the conversations. It had taken
Dynarien most of the night to convince Skelly to allow him to move Aejys and
Josiah into the command tent. Tagalong had objected loudly to Dynarien's
putting them in bed together. She simply could not believe that they were, as
Dynarien claimed, lovers. It seemed like the sheerest nonsense. Aejys had
better sense than to take a sloppy sot into her bed. But Aejys still drowsed
through the last of the Dancer's changes, and Tagalong could not ask her.
Laurelyanne and Borian had come to Dynarien's defense in the ensuing argument,
leaving Tagalong out-voted.
The others sat in a circle around them.
"We came for a fight," Soren said, "but it doesn't look like we're going to
get one." The aged ha'taren had to work hard not to simply stare at Skelly.
The very last thing she had ever expected to do in her life was to hold a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]