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A flush rose into her cheeks. "Thank you." Even so, she promised herself, she would
make an effort not to hold him back anymore. She was tired of needing to be saved.
"Now," said Zander, "where do we go next?"
"I'll check the map. Just give me a few minutes." She sat on the floor and leaned her
back against the cool, stone wall. Her face burned with exertion, and sweat soaked her
tunic. "Magic is exhausting, and I'm not used to using my Gift this often. I feel like I've
just run five miles."
"Rest, then." He placed a hand on her forehead and smoothed her hair back. She
blinked, surprised by the tenderness of the gesture. His palm felt pleasantly cool against
her fever-hot skin.
The light-sphere flickered and died again, plunging them both into blackness, but she
didn't have the strength to summon her Gift again so soon after that healing. A heavy,
dull lethargy crept over her mind. She would have loved nothing better than to close her
eyes and sleep for about three days& but of course, they couldn't afford to dally that long.
For some time it might have been a few minutes or an hour she floated in and out
of a half-doze. When enough of her strength had returned, she stood and dusted herself
off. "I guess we should take a look around, shouldn't we?" She raised one hand, and a
new light sphere blossomed and brightened. Soft, silvery light illuminated the stone
walls.
She gasped.
Mummified corpses littered the floor. Seven of them, to be precise. Shriveled, brown
remnants of flesh clung to ancient bones. Scraps of decayed clothing hung from the
bodies. One sat propped against the wall, jaw hanging open in a ghastly grin.
Wendy gulped. She felt as if an icy hand had reached into her body and squeezed her
heart. "Well, isn't this comforting."
"What is this place?" asked Zander.
She pulled the map from her pocket and unfolded the parchment. "According to this,
we're very close to the Tear. It should be in the next room." Her heartbeat quickened.
Now that she wasn't so focused on not getting killed, she could feel the magic again,
stronger than before. It slid over her skin, rushed through her and filled up the hollows of
her body, warming her like some rare and wondrous elixir. The hairs on her neck stood
on end. "Do you feel it?" she whispered.
"Feel what?"
"I guess you have to have the Gift. I can feel the Tear's power."
He stared at her intently. "What is it like?"
"I don't even know how to describe it." She stood and tucked the map under her arm.
Her eyes wandered over the shriveled corpses. "How long do you suppose these guys
have been here?"
"Many, many years, from the looks of it."
"I wonder what killed them. Do you think this place is booby-trapped? Like, if we
step on the wrong stone, the doors slam shut and then poison gas comes in through the
vents? Or the room floods with water or the walls start closing in, or& "
He chuckled, but it sounded forced. "You read too many books."
"Maybe, but you have to admit, this is pretty creepy. Let's get out of this room."
"No arguments here."
They walked through the huge room, toward the doorway at the other end. Then she
felt something that wasn't the Tear's magic, something distinct, separate and somehow
wrong. It was like listening to a melody and hearing a discordant note creep in. She froze.
Her skin prickled as she felt that other power moving toward them. Whatever it was, it
was big& and unfriendly.
Zander looked at her. "What's wrong?"
"Something is coming."
He frowned. "What is it?"
"I don't know." She swallowed, her throat tight. "Zander& " Something cold rushed
into the room like a wind, and she gasped. Dizzy, she swayed and fell to her knees.
He crouched beside her and clutched her shoulders. "Wendy, what's going on?"
She trembled. "Something doesn't want us here. I & I think whoever hid the Tear in
this mountain, they put something here to guard it. And now it's coming for us. It's very
close." She hugged herself. "Zander& I'm scared." Her voice emerged small and shaky.
She hated the sound of it, but she couldn't help herself; at the touch of that dark power, all
her strength had fled. Whatever was coming toward them, it was evil. There was no other
word for it. Evil and very, very strong.
"Don't be afraid." His hands tightened on her shoulders. "I won't let anything happen
to you. I swear it."
"You don't understand. We can't fight it. We have to run."
"There's nowhere to run." He stood and drew his sword. "We have no choice. We
must fight."
A low rumble, like thunder, drifted from the doorway at the room's end. A pair of
green, glowing eyes appeared in the blackness beyond. Wendy gasped as a huge, four-
legged shape strode out of the darkness. The thing was vaguely cat-shaped, but it had no
flesh, no definite form. It was like shadow made solid, as if all the darkness in the room [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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A flush rose into her cheeks. "Thank you." Even so, she promised herself, she would
make an effort not to hold him back anymore. She was tired of needing to be saved.
"Now," said Zander, "where do we go next?"
"I'll check the map. Just give me a few minutes." She sat on the floor and leaned her
back against the cool, stone wall. Her face burned with exertion, and sweat soaked her
tunic. "Magic is exhausting, and I'm not used to using my Gift this often. I feel like I've
just run five miles."
"Rest, then." He placed a hand on her forehead and smoothed her hair back. She
blinked, surprised by the tenderness of the gesture. His palm felt pleasantly cool against
her fever-hot skin.
The light-sphere flickered and died again, plunging them both into blackness, but she
didn't have the strength to summon her Gift again so soon after that healing. A heavy,
dull lethargy crept over her mind. She would have loved nothing better than to close her
eyes and sleep for about three days& but of course, they couldn't afford to dally that long.
For some time it might have been a few minutes or an hour she floated in and out
of a half-doze. When enough of her strength had returned, she stood and dusted herself
off. "I guess we should take a look around, shouldn't we?" She raised one hand, and a
new light sphere blossomed and brightened. Soft, silvery light illuminated the stone
walls.
She gasped.
Mummified corpses littered the floor. Seven of them, to be precise. Shriveled, brown
remnants of flesh clung to ancient bones. Scraps of decayed clothing hung from the
bodies. One sat propped against the wall, jaw hanging open in a ghastly grin.
Wendy gulped. She felt as if an icy hand had reached into her body and squeezed her
heart. "Well, isn't this comforting."
"What is this place?" asked Zander.
She pulled the map from her pocket and unfolded the parchment. "According to this,
we're very close to the Tear. It should be in the next room." Her heartbeat quickened.
Now that she wasn't so focused on not getting killed, she could feel the magic again,
stronger than before. It slid over her skin, rushed through her and filled up the hollows of
her body, warming her like some rare and wondrous elixir. The hairs on her neck stood
on end. "Do you feel it?" she whispered.
"Feel what?"
"I guess you have to have the Gift. I can feel the Tear's power."
He stared at her intently. "What is it like?"
"I don't even know how to describe it." She stood and tucked the map under her arm.
Her eyes wandered over the shriveled corpses. "How long do you suppose these guys
have been here?"
"Many, many years, from the looks of it."
"I wonder what killed them. Do you think this place is booby-trapped? Like, if we
step on the wrong stone, the doors slam shut and then poison gas comes in through the
vents? Or the room floods with water or the walls start closing in, or& "
He chuckled, but it sounded forced. "You read too many books."
"Maybe, but you have to admit, this is pretty creepy. Let's get out of this room."
"No arguments here."
They walked through the huge room, toward the doorway at the other end. Then she
felt something that wasn't the Tear's magic, something distinct, separate and somehow
wrong. It was like listening to a melody and hearing a discordant note creep in. She froze.
Her skin prickled as she felt that other power moving toward them. Whatever it was, it
was big& and unfriendly.
Zander looked at her. "What's wrong?"
"Something is coming."
He frowned. "What is it?"
"I don't know." She swallowed, her throat tight. "Zander& " Something cold rushed
into the room like a wind, and she gasped. Dizzy, she swayed and fell to her knees.
He crouched beside her and clutched her shoulders. "Wendy, what's going on?"
She trembled. "Something doesn't want us here. I & I think whoever hid the Tear in
this mountain, they put something here to guard it. And now it's coming for us. It's very
close." She hugged herself. "Zander& I'm scared." Her voice emerged small and shaky.
She hated the sound of it, but she couldn't help herself; at the touch of that dark power, all
her strength had fled. Whatever was coming toward them, it was evil. There was no other
word for it. Evil and very, very strong.
"Don't be afraid." His hands tightened on her shoulders. "I won't let anything happen
to you. I swear it."
"You don't understand. We can't fight it. We have to run."
"There's nowhere to run." He stood and drew his sword. "We have no choice. We
must fight."
A low rumble, like thunder, drifted from the doorway at the room's end. A pair of
green, glowing eyes appeared in the blackness beyond. Wendy gasped as a huge, four-
legged shape strode out of the darkness. The thing was vaguely cat-shaped, but it had no
flesh, no definite form. It was like shadow made solid, as if all the darkness in the room [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]