[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
fool! she scolded herself. Pulling herself together, she turned her attention back to her pupil. "Is he, then?"
"Is he what?" Cygnus looked baffled.
"Beyond your not inconsiderable skills,. of course."
"No though for a time I thought otherwise! It was a fever, brought on no doubt by cold and privation and much
mishandling by the Temple Guards. For a time I despaired of his life, but he is safe now." For the first time in that long,
weary night, Cygnus allowed himself to grin.
Elster returned his smile. "Go and tend your patient, then. Afterward, get some rest, then come back here to sit with the
Queen, and I will visit our mysterious prisoner." Her eyebrow lifted. "Never having seen a human, let alone a sorcerer, I
must confess to some curiosity. A sorcerer, from distant lands, with powers such as we cannot fathom ..." She
shrugged. "Oh, never mind. Just remember what he is, and take due care. And for Yinze's sake, boy," she added in a
whisper, "get him on our side!"
Cygnus nodded, made as. if to go then he hesitated, looking down at the Queen. Grief and rage twisted in his guts
like a knife. "Master. . . . Will she be all right?"
In that moment, Elster seemed to age so much that the young physician was sorry that he had spoken. "Her body?
Yes, it will survive. Her mind? Yinze only knows what will become of that,"
Chapter 14
Contest of Queens
As Shia picked her tortuous way from the Tower of Incondor, climbing up through the ever-rising chain of valleys that
led into the heart of the mountains, the going became harder and harder as the snow grew deeper and the biting cold
increased. It was a barren, menacing landscape, with its fanged and looming crags and bottomless, shadowed gorges
through which the wind came shrieking like the death-wails of a thousand slaughtered cats.
At first, Shia sometimes found shelter in caves and crevices that afforded some protection from the merciless wind and
its stinging burden of snow. She gladly stopped to rest in these havens, making the most of a welcome respite from her
ceaseless battle with the mountains. Sometimes she found game lean snow hares or ptarmigan, or a cragfast sheep or
goat to ease her relentless hunger. But as the cat went on, shelter became more scarce and the snow piled ever
higher on the stony trails and ledges, slowing her to a snail's pace, and making each step a greater torture.
Shia's neck and jaws ached from carrying the Staff of Earth. Its magic burned her, sending currents of prickling power
swirling through her body to weaken her, and confuse her instinctive sense of direction. Her mouth, where her jaws
clenched around the Staff, became a mass of blisters and sores, making it harder to hunt and to eat on the rare
occasions when prey could be found. Food was scarce and hard to come by on this freezing roof of the world. Day by
day, the great cat grew more gaunt and hollow-eyed, a shaggy black scarecrow all skin and bone. Lacking the energy
even to think, she hauled herself upward step by step, dragging the Staff in locked and frozen jaws. At night she made
snow nests to conserve her heat, but Shia never stopped shivering, wishing that Bohan and Anvar were curled up
beside her, and that Aurian could hold her close to warm her body with her own.
As time went on, Shia's suffering and wretchedness increased until she thought that she must be dying. Once, as she
stumbled along in a kind of waking dream, she thought that Anvar walked by her side and he was dying.
Nonetheless, he still found time to ask her a bunch of senseless human questions that irritated her beyond all bearing.
She told him in no uncertain terms to cease his foolishness and get back into his body and seemingly, he had, or at
least she hoped he had.
When Anvar vanished, Shia's boneless legs collapsed beneath her, and she lay for some time, quivering with shock
and wondering if it could be true. Their powers were fey, the Magefolk, and there was no telling what they might
do but one thing was certain. If Anvar had truly been on the brink of death, then she had only been able to see him
because she was in a similar easel
Unclenching her jaws with an effort from around the Staff, Shia looked up at the leaden sky. Dying? But I cannot! I
promised Aurian . . . Black specks were whirling in front of her eyes. Only when a harsh cry drifted down from above
did her befuddled brain tell her they were real. Shia felt her heart kick into life within her. Eagles! And if the eagles were
circling . . . The great cat picked up the Staff and tottered forward. Her mouth was watering. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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fool! she scolded herself. Pulling herself together, she turned her attention back to her pupil. "Is he, then?"
"Is he what?" Cygnus looked baffled.
"Beyond your not inconsiderable skills,. of course."
"No though for a time I thought otherwise! It was a fever, brought on no doubt by cold and privation and much
mishandling by the Temple Guards. For a time I despaired of his life, but he is safe now." For the first time in that long,
weary night, Cygnus allowed himself to grin.
Elster returned his smile. "Go and tend your patient, then. Afterward, get some rest, then come back here to sit with the
Queen, and I will visit our mysterious prisoner." Her eyebrow lifted. "Never having seen a human, let alone a sorcerer, I
must confess to some curiosity. A sorcerer, from distant lands, with powers such as we cannot fathom ..." She
shrugged. "Oh, never mind. Just remember what he is, and take due care. And for Yinze's sake, boy," she added in a
whisper, "get him on our side!"
Cygnus nodded, made as. if to go then he hesitated, looking down at the Queen. Grief and rage twisted in his guts
like a knife. "Master. . . . Will she be all right?"
In that moment, Elster seemed to age so much that the young physician was sorry that he had spoken. "Her body?
Yes, it will survive. Her mind? Yinze only knows what will become of that,"
Chapter 14
Contest of Queens
As Shia picked her tortuous way from the Tower of Incondor, climbing up through the ever-rising chain of valleys that
led into the heart of the mountains, the going became harder and harder as the snow grew deeper and the biting cold
increased. It was a barren, menacing landscape, with its fanged and looming crags and bottomless, shadowed gorges
through which the wind came shrieking like the death-wails of a thousand slaughtered cats.
At first, Shia sometimes found shelter in caves and crevices that afforded some protection from the merciless wind and
its stinging burden of snow. She gladly stopped to rest in these havens, making the most of a welcome respite from her
ceaseless battle with the mountains. Sometimes she found game lean snow hares or ptarmigan, or a cragfast sheep or
goat to ease her relentless hunger. But as the cat went on, shelter became more scarce and the snow piled ever
higher on the stony trails and ledges, slowing her to a snail's pace, and making each step a greater torture.
Shia's neck and jaws ached from carrying the Staff of Earth. Its magic burned her, sending currents of prickling power
swirling through her body to weaken her, and confuse her instinctive sense of direction. Her mouth, where her jaws
clenched around the Staff, became a mass of blisters and sores, making it harder to hunt and to eat on the rare
occasions when prey could be found. Food was scarce and hard to come by on this freezing roof of the world. Day by
day, the great cat grew more gaunt and hollow-eyed, a shaggy black scarecrow all skin and bone. Lacking the energy
even to think, she hauled herself upward step by step, dragging the Staff in locked and frozen jaws. At night she made
snow nests to conserve her heat, but Shia never stopped shivering, wishing that Bohan and Anvar were curled up
beside her, and that Aurian could hold her close to warm her body with her own.
As time went on, Shia's suffering and wretchedness increased until she thought that she must be dying. Once, as she
stumbled along in a kind of waking dream, she thought that Anvar walked by her side and he was dying.
Nonetheless, he still found time to ask her a bunch of senseless human questions that irritated her beyond all bearing.
She told him in no uncertain terms to cease his foolishness and get back into his body and seemingly, he had, or at
least she hoped he had.
When Anvar vanished, Shia's boneless legs collapsed beneath her, and she lay for some time, quivering with shock
and wondering if it could be true. Their powers were fey, the Magefolk, and there was no telling what they might
do but one thing was certain. If Anvar had truly been on the brink of death, then she had only been able to see him
because she was in a similar easel
Unclenching her jaws with an effort from around the Staff, Shia looked up at the leaden sky. Dying? But I cannot! I
promised Aurian . . . Black specks were whirling in front of her eyes. Only when a harsh cry drifted down from above
did her befuddled brain tell her they were real. Shia felt her heart kick into life within her. Eagles! And if the eagles were
circling . . . The great cat picked up the Staff and tottered forward. Her mouth was watering. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]