[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
send out more men to hunt through the woods. They must find his lair
before dawn, or I'll rupture my heart withstanding the pain."
Curtly Giscorl motioned Ivrian toward the door. She cringed, and
slunk from the room, fighting down tears. Her cheek pulsed with pain.
She was not aware of the strangely speculative smile with which the
hawk-faced henchman watched her out.
Ivrian stood at the narrow window of her room watching the little
bands of horsemen come and go, their torches glowing like will-o'-the-
wisps in the woods. The stronghold was full of mysterious movement.
The very stones seemed restlessly alive, as if they shared the torment
of their master.
She felt herself drawn toward a certain point out there in the
darkness. A memory kept recurring to her of how one day Glavas Rho
had showed her a small cavern in the hillside and had warned her that
it was an evil place, where much baneful sorcery had been done in the
past. Her fingertips moved around the crescent-shaped blister on her
cheek and over the rough streak in her hair.
Finally her uneasiness and the pull from the night became too
strong for her. She dressed in the dark and edged open the door of her
chamber. The corridor seemed for the moment deserted. She hurried
along it, keeping close to the wall, and darted down the worn rounded
hummocks of the stone stair. The tramp of footsteps sent her hurrying
into a niche, where she cowered while two huntsmen strode glum-
faced toward the Duke's chamber. They were dust-stained and stiff
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from riding.
"No one'll find him in all that dark," one of them muttered. "It's like
hunting an ant in a cellar."
The other nodded. "And wizards can change landmarks and make
forest paths turn on themselves, so that all searchers are befuddled."
As soon as they were past Ivrian hastened into the banquet hall,
now dark and empty, and through the kitchen with its high brick ovens
and its huge copper kettles glinting in the shadows.
Outside in the courtyard torches were flaring and there was a
bustle of activity as grooms brought fresh horses or led off spent ones,
but she trusted to her huntsman's costume to let her pass
unrecognized. Keeping to the shadows, she worked her way around to
the stables. Her horse moved restlessly and neighed when she slipped
into the stall but quieted at her low whisper. A few moments and it was
saddled, and she was leading it around to the open fields at the back.
No searching parties seemed to be near, so she mounted and rode
swiftly toward the wood.
Her mind was a storm of anxieties. She could not explain to herself
how she had dared come this far, except that the attraction toward that
point in the night -- the cavern against which Glavas Rho had warned
her -- possessed a sorcerous insistence not to be denied.
Then, when the forest engulfed her, she suddenly felt that she was
committing herself to the arms of darkness and putting behind forever
the grim stronghold and its cruel occupants. The ceiling of leaves
blotted out most of the stars. She trusted to a light rein on her horse to
guide her straight. And in this she was successful, for within a half hour
she reached a shallow ravine which led past the cavern she sought.
a
a
T
T
n
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s
F
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f
f
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Click here to buy
Click here to buy
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Now, for the first time, her horse became uneasy. It balked and
uttered little whinnying cries of fear and tried repeatedly to turn off as
she urged it along the ravine. Its pace slowed to a walk. Finally it
refused to move further. Its ears were laid back and it was trembling all
over.
Ivrian dismounted and moved on. The forest was portentously
quiet, as if all animals and birds -- even the insects -- had gone. The
darkness ahead was almost tangible, as if built of black bricks just
beyond her hand.
Then Ivrian became aware of the green glow, vague and faint at
first as the ghosts of an aurora. Gradually it grew brighter and acquired
a flickering quality, as the leafy curtains between her and it became
fewer. Suddenly she found herself staring directly at it -- a thick, heavy,
soot-edge flame that writhed instead of danced. If green slime could be
transmuted to fire, it would have that look. It burned in the mouth of a
shallow cavern.
Then, beside the flame, she saw the face of the apprentice of
Glavas Rho, and in that instant an agony of horror and sympathy tore
at her mind.
The face seemed inhuman -- more a green mask of torment than
anything alive. The cheeks were drawn in; the eyes were unnaturally
wild; it was very pale, and dripping with cold sweat induced by intense
inward effort. There was much suffering in it, but also much power --
power to control the thick twisting shadows that seemed to crowd
around the green flame, power to master the forces of hate that were
being marshaled. At regular intervals the cracked lips moved and the
arms and hands made set gestures.
a
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T
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A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
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.
.
.
A
A
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r r
It seemed to Ivrian that she heard the mellow voice of Glavas Rho
repeating a statement he had once made to Mouse and to her. "None
can use black magic without straining the soul to the uttermost -- and
staining it into the bargain. None can inflict suffering without enduring
the same. None can send death by spells and sorcery without walking
on the brink of death's own abyss, aye, and dripping his own blood into
it. The forces black magic evokes are like two-edged poisoned swords
with grips studded with scorpion stings. Only a strong man, leather-
handed, in whom hate and evil are very powerful, can wield them, and
he only for a space."
In Mouse's face Ivrian saw the living example of those words. Step
by step she moved toward him, feeling no more power to control her
movements than if she were in a nightmare. She became aware of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szamanka888.keep.pl
send out more men to hunt through the woods. They must find his lair
before dawn, or I'll rupture my heart withstanding the pain."
Curtly Giscorl motioned Ivrian toward the door. She cringed, and
slunk from the room, fighting down tears. Her cheek pulsed with pain.
She was not aware of the strangely speculative smile with which the
hawk-faced henchman watched her out.
Ivrian stood at the narrow window of her room watching the little
bands of horsemen come and go, their torches glowing like will-o'-the-
wisps in the woods. The stronghold was full of mysterious movement.
The very stones seemed restlessly alive, as if they shared the torment
of their master.
She felt herself drawn toward a certain point out there in the
darkness. A memory kept recurring to her of how one day Glavas Rho
had showed her a small cavern in the hillside and had warned her that
it was an evil place, where much baneful sorcery had been done in the
past. Her fingertips moved around the crescent-shaped blister on her
cheek and over the rough streak in her hair.
Finally her uneasiness and the pull from the night became too
strong for her. She dressed in the dark and edged open the door of her
chamber. The corridor seemed for the moment deserted. She hurried
along it, keeping close to the wall, and darted down the worn rounded
hummocks of the stone stair. The tramp of footsteps sent her hurrying
into a niche, where she cowered while two huntsmen strode glum-
faced toward the Duke's chamber. They were dust-stained and stiff
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
from riding.
"No one'll find him in all that dark," one of them muttered. "It's like
hunting an ant in a cellar."
The other nodded. "And wizards can change landmarks and make
forest paths turn on themselves, so that all searchers are befuddled."
As soon as they were past Ivrian hastened into the banquet hall,
now dark and empty, and through the kitchen with its high brick ovens
and its huge copper kettles glinting in the shadows.
Outside in the courtyard torches were flaring and there was a
bustle of activity as grooms brought fresh horses or led off spent ones,
but she trusted to her huntsman's costume to let her pass
unrecognized. Keeping to the shadows, she worked her way around to
the stables. Her horse moved restlessly and neighed when she slipped
into the stall but quieted at her low whisper. A few moments and it was
saddled, and she was leading it around to the open fields at the back.
No searching parties seemed to be near, so she mounted and rode
swiftly toward the wood.
Her mind was a storm of anxieties. She could not explain to herself
how she had dared come this far, except that the attraction toward that
point in the night -- the cavern against which Glavas Rho had warned
her -- possessed a sorcerous insistence not to be denied.
Then, when the forest engulfed her, she suddenly felt that she was
committing herself to the arms of darkness and putting behind forever
the grim stronghold and its cruel occupants. The ceiling of leaves
blotted out most of the stars. She trusted to a light rein on her horse to
guide her straight. And in this she was successful, for within a half hour
she reached a shallow ravine which led past the cavern she sought.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
Now, for the first time, her horse became uneasy. It balked and
uttered little whinnying cries of fear and tried repeatedly to turn off as
she urged it along the ravine. Its pace slowed to a walk. Finally it
refused to move further. Its ears were laid back and it was trembling all
over.
Ivrian dismounted and moved on. The forest was portentously
quiet, as if all animals and birds -- even the insects -- had gone. The
darkness ahead was almost tangible, as if built of black bricks just
beyond her hand.
Then Ivrian became aware of the green glow, vague and faint at
first as the ghosts of an aurora. Gradually it grew brighter and acquired
a flickering quality, as the leafy curtains between her and it became
fewer. Suddenly she found herself staring directly at it -- a thick, heavy,
soot-edge flame that writhed instead of danced. If green slime could be
transmuted to fire, it would have that look. It burned in the mouth of a
shallow cavern.
Then, beside the flame, she saw the face of the apprentice of
Glavas Rho, and in that instant an agony of horror and sympathy tore
at her mind.
The face seemed inhuman -- more a green mask of torment than
anything alive. The cheeks were drawn in; the eyes were unnaturally
wild; it was very pale, and dripping with cold sweat induced by intense
inward effort. There was much suffering in it, but also much power --
power to control the thick twisting shadows that seemed to crowd
around the green flame, power to master the forces of hate that were
being marshaled. At regular intervals the cracked lips moved and the
arms and hands made set gestures.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
It seemed to Ivrian that she heard the mellow voice of Glavas Rho
repeating a statement he had once made to Mouse and to her. "None
can use black magic without straining the soul to the uttermost -- and
staining it into the bargain. None can inflict suffering without enduring
the same. None can send death by spells and sorcery without walking
on the brink of death's own abyss, aye, and dripping his own blood into
it. The forces black magic evokes are like two-edged poisoned swords
with grips studded with scorpion stings. Only a strong man, leather-
handed, in whom hate and evil are very powerful, can wield them, and
he only for a space."
In Mouse's face Ivrian saw the living example of those words. Step
by step she moved toward him, feeling no more power to control her
movements than if she were in a nightmare. She became aware of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]