[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Magiere staggered back a few paces more and sank to the ground. She watched
Rashed's writhing, burning form until he stopped moving. Then the entire
upstairs floor caved in.Sparks flew like a thousand fireflies into the night
air.
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Aside from all the methods she had learned from villagers' folklore and
legends, she thought burning an undead's body completely to ash was as good as
any other way to destroy it.
Where was her earthen jar to trap his spirit now? Where were the peasants to
sigh in relief? How brave, how very brave she was to have leaped away and
watched her enemy become trapped under a flaming crossbeam. The topaz amulet
around her neck glowed steadily.
A light brighter than the flames flashed beside her and the horrible visage
of the beheaded man appeared close to her face. She cried out and fell
backward.
"Over, over, over," the thing sang while floating in the air above her, its
severed head close enough for her to see every minute detail. "Over, over,
over, over& "
The light of him began to dim, and he faded until only the night and the
flames of the tavern remained. Magiere half lay on the ground, numb inside as
she watched the burning building for any sign of Rashed.
There was nothing but fire and smoke in the dark.
Chapter Twenty-one
"The first return of emotion fluttered inside Magiere when she saw Leesil
open his eyes. He lay on the ground beside her, out in the street. There were
fresh teeth marks on his left arm below the ones she'd given him two nights
before. His face was pale, but he was breathing without too much discomfort
that she could see. He blinked twice from the light of a torch stuck in the
ground nearby.
"Is it morning?" he rasped.
"Almost," she answered. "Soon."
Leesil scowled, and that brought Magiere more comfort. Irritation and a foul
mood meant he would probably be all right.
"Are we alive?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Good& nobody should feel this bad if they're dead."
Magiere sighed, releasing all the anxiety and tension she'd not even been
aware was locked inside her. She sat gazing at what had been The Sea Lion.
Separated as it was from the buildings nearby, the fire had not spread beyond
the tavern.
As Leesil gained some awareness, he lifted his head enough to see the
smoldering remains of their home, groaned, and then raised his hands slightly
in resignation. When his hands flopped back down, his face winced from pain,
and then he tried cradling his injured arm.
"Don't move," she said. "I got you out of the stable, but after that, I
thought it best to keep you still."
He half rocked on his back and tried to pull off the wool cloak she'd covered
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him with, but he only managed to rumple it to one side. She pulled the cloak
back up into place again.
Streaks of light now stretched out over the trees to the east, gilding a few
white clouds high in the sky. Around them, people still tended the injured or
helped them off the streets. Karlin's voice rose occasionally above the
general noise as he suggested how to best treat an injury or who might need to
be carried. Some members of their little army who hadn't been seriously
injured conversed in low voices and patted each other on the shoulder.
Magiere had her own injured to care for, but there wasn't much she could
offer Leesil, besides time and rest. Once she'd gotten him out of the stable,
she laid him flat and kept him warm. Karlin had told her they were setting up
the bakery as a hospice. Although, like Caleb, he didn't think much of
Miiska's current healers, he had several people trying to locate one.
"Where'd you find me?" Leesil asked. "The last thing I remember is killing a
wolf."
"Apparently, the children dragged you down into their hiding place. Chap was
still sitting on the trapdoor, keeping guard when I arrived." She paused.
"They're good children. Resourceful. These people are worth trying to save."
"Where's Chap now?"
"Geoffry took Rose to the bakery. I sent Chap with them."
"Is Rashed "
"Gone." Her tone became flat and empty. "I watched him burn."
She couldn't muster any joy, but Leesil didn't seem to notice. Just when she
thought he'd be able to rest and heal, something new managed to beat him down
yet again. But not anymore.
That thought brought some comfort again. At least this spiral of success and
failure was truly over.
"Nothing happened like I thought it would," she said.
Leesil was about to answer when Karlin walked over to check on him. Though
duty and exhausted, the baker appeared unhurt. "Ah, you're awake. I'm so glad.
We'll get you somewhere more comfortable as soon as possible."
"What about the rest?" Leesil asked with effort.
"Only five deaths," Karlin replied. Despite the phrase, his tone held enough
sorrow for ten times as many. "I'm already trying to arrange visitation
ceremonies before burial& when people are ready to face it."
"Brenden's body burned with the tavern," Leesil realized. Then he seemed
unable to continue with the thought. "I never planned on fighting wolves."
"No one did. It's not your fault." Karlin's brows knitted. "The moment the
tavern collapsed, they all fled back into the forest, as if Rashed lost his
hold on them."
"He did," Magiere confirmed quietly.
Leesil lay back and stared up at the sky. "Well, we're homeless& again. All
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that fighting, and we lost the main thing we'd been fighting for."
"Did we?" Magiere asked.
Again, Karlin frowned, his round cheeks wrinkling slightly. "Heal up and
rebuild."
"What?" Magiere stared at him incredulously. "How, and with what? We don't
even have a place to live in the meantime."
Karlin knelt and pointed at the smoldering tavern.
"The land plot is still yours. And the payment the shopkeepers tried to give
you is still sitting in my kitchen. Those coins will buy supplies to get
started. We'll work in the evenings and at week's end. Some of the stonework
in the kitchen, and fireplace, might not even need to be replaced.
It may take a moon or two, but I think enough folks will be willing to help."
Magiere couldn't respond. Karlin did not seem to see himself as unselfish or [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
Magiere staggered back a few paces more and sank to the ground. She watched
Rashed's writhing, burning form until he stopped moving. Then the entire
upstairs floor caved in.Sparks flew like a thousand fireflies into the night
air.
Page 225
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Aside from all the methods she had learned from villagers' folklore and
legends, she thought burning an undead's body completely to ash was as good as
any other way to destroy it.
Where was her earthen jar to trap his spirit now? Where were the peasants to
sigh in relief? How brave, how very brave she was to have leaped away and
watched her enemy become trapped under a flaming crossbeam. The topaz amulet
around her neck glowed steadily.
A light brighter than the flames flashed beside her and the horrible visage
of the beheaded man appeared close to her face. She cried out and fell
backward.
"Over, over, over," the thing sang while floating in the air above her, its
severed head close enough for her to see every minute detail. "Over, over,
over, over& "
The light of him began to dim, and he faded until only the night and the
flames of the tavern remained. Magiere half lay on the ground, numb inside as
she watched the burning building for any sign of Rashed.
There was nothing but fire and smoke in the dark.
Chapter Twenty-one
"The first return of emotion fluttered inside Magiere when she saw Leesil
open his eyes. He lay on the ground beside her, out in the street. There were
fresh teeth marks on his left arm below the ones she'd given him two nights
before. His face was pale, but he was breathing without too much discomfort
that she could see. He blinked twice from the light of a torch stuck in the
ground nearby.
"Is it morning?" he rasped.
"Almost," she answered. "Soon."
Leesil scowled, and that brought Magiere more comfort. Irritation and a foul
mood meant he would probably be all right.
"Are we alive?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Good& nobody should feel this bad if they're dead."
Magiere sighed, releasing all the anxiety and tension she'd not even been
aware was locked inside her. She sat gazing at what had been The Sea Lion.
Separated as it was from the buildings nearby, the fire had not spread beyond
the tavern.
As Leesil gained some awareness, he lifted his head enough to see the
smoldering remains of their home, groaned, and then raised his hands slightly
in resignation. When his hands flopped back down, his face winced from pain,
and then he tried cradling his injured arm.
"Don't move," she said. "I got you out of the stable, but after that, I
thought it best to keep you still."
He half rocked on his back and tried to pull off the wool cloak she'd covered
Page 226
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
him with, but he only managed to rumple it to one side. She pulled the cloak
back up into place again.
Streaks of light now stretched out over the trees to the east, gilding a few
white clouds high in the sky. Around them, people still tended the injured or
helped them off the streets. Karlin's voice rose occasionally above the
general noise as he suggested how to best treat an injury or who might need to
be carried. Some members of their little army who hadn't been seriously
injured conversed in low voices and patted each other on the shoulder.
Magiere had her own injured to care for, but there wasn't much she could
offer Leesil, besides time and rest. Once she'd gotten him out of the stable,
she laid him flat and kept him warm. Karlin had told her they were setting up
the bakery as a hospice. Although, like Caleb, he didn't think much of
Miiska's current healers, he had several people trying to locate one.
"Where'd you find me?" Leesil asked. "The last thing I remember is killing a
wolf."
"Apparently, the children dragged you down into their hiding place. Chap was
still sitting on the trapdoor, keeping guard when I arrived." She paused.
"They're good children. Resourceful. These people are worth trying to save."
"Where's Chap now?"
"Geoffry took Rose to the bakery. I sent Chap with them."
"Is Rashed "
"Gone." Her tone became flat and empty. "I watched him burn."
She couldn't muster any joy, but Leesil didn't seem to notice. Just when she
thought he'd be able to rest and heal, something new managed to beat him down
yet again. But not anymore.
That thought brought some comfort again. At least this spiral of success and
failure was truly over.
"Nothing happened like I thought it would," she said.
Leesil was about to answer when Karlin walked over to check on him. Though
duty and exhausted, the baker appeared unhurt. "Ah, you're awake. I'm so glad.
We'll get you somewhere more comfortable as soon as possible."
"What about the rest?" Leesil asked with effort.
"Only five deaths," Karlin replied. Despite the phrase, his tone held enough
sorrow for ten times as many. "I'm already trying to arrange visitation
ceremonies before burial& when people are ready to face it."
"Brenden's body burned with the tavern," Leesil realized. Then he seemed
unable to continue with the thought. "I never planned on fighting wolves."
"No one did. It's not your fault." Karlin's brows knitted. "The moment the
tavern collapsed, they all fled back into the forest, as if Rashed lost his
hold on them."
"He did," Magiere confirmed quietly.
Leesil lay back and stared up at the sky. "Well, we're homeless& again. All
Page 227
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
that fighting, and we lost the main thing we'd been fighting for."
"Did we?" Magiere asked.
Again, Karlin frowned, his round cheeks wrinkling slightly. "Heal up and
rebuild."
"What?" Magiere stared at him incredulously. "How, and with what? We don't
even have a place to live in the meantime."
Karlin knelt and pointed at the smoldering tavern.
"The land plot is still yours. And the payment the shopkeepers tried to give
you is still sitting in my kitchen. Those coins will buy supplies to get
started. We'll work in the evenings and at week's end. Some of the stonework
in the kitchen, and fireplace, might not even need to be replaced.
It may take a moon or two, but I think enough folks will be willing to help."
Magiere couldn't respond. Karlin did not seem to see himself as unselfish or [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]