[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
obstructed any attempt to organize them.
"What are you talking about?" he gurgled.
"You want to run don't you?" the woman murmured. The coldness
disappeared. Her voice was now almost enticing. "But you won't. You want to
know more about me, don't you?"
Ryson managed a nod.
"I see your thoughts in your face. You think I'm a vampire, or a dream.
Maybe I'm both. You no longer know what's real. I can help you with that. I
can give you the answers to everything you ever wished to know."
Ryson could not lift the growing fog which swirled about his every
thought. The woman seemed to inch forward, but he was not certain.
"So many things you have seen and felt." The woman continued with a
soothing, knowing voice. "So many things with no answers. You want those
answers, you need those answers."
Again, Ryson nodded. His tongue was as heavy and as confused as his
thoughts. His ability to speak had left him.
The woman was indeed closer to him now. The fire was no longer between
them. It was behind her and even her coat was now hidden to him by the
shadows. Her eyes, however, remained visible even as they sparkled with the
warmth of spring.
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"I can end your confusion; bring to you the knowledge of what you so
desire. Isn't that what you've always wanted? A delver's dream come true? And
there is no emptiness in my promise. You know that. I speak the truth. Give
yourself over to me and you will know more than you have ever known."
The words rang crisp and clear in Ryson's ears. He heard them, understood
them. Every syllable she spoke cut through the fog, cut through the confusion.
Yet both remained after the echo of her words died away. He could not order
his own thoughts, or make his own decisions or judgments. Her words were so
simple, so profoundly true. He could not help but accept everything she said,
simply because she said them.
He stood still, captivated by the eyes which somehow stood out from the
darkness. No other movement detracted his attention. She also appeared to
stand motionless, even as she crept closer.
She now stood within arms reach. The bewitching words ceased to flow from
her lips. All encompassing silence. The birds, the insects, all sounds of the
surrounding forest and hills halted. Even the crackling of the fire died away.
Was it the cloud in his head which blocked out the sound, or did even fire
obey the command of the vampire?
Ryson stood in no condition to consider the question. The heaviness of
the moment drowned out nearly all consciousness. He slouched, but remained on
his feet, and continued staring into the emerald eyes.
She was on him. She held him with the same grip as she held the tracker,
pulled him toward her with the same force. Her eyes remained locked with his
as she pulled him closer, and he could not resist her.
Ryson was not even certain what was happening. The fog rolled through his
mind even when her nails cut into his own shoulder, just as they broke the
skin of the tracker. He did not feel the pain. He did not feel fear, until she
turned her eyes to his bare throat. With the break in the stare, a small
degree of the confusion and the fog lifted. He knew where he was and what was
about to happen. He felt the piercing pain in his upper arms from her grip.
The small hole in the blanketing fog gave way at first to a scream of
fear. Then, miraculously, his delver instincts rushed through the gap. He was
aware he was in great danger. He needed to save himself.
Instinctively, his fingers found the handle of the Sword of Decree. As
his hand encircled the hilt, all confusion and doubt evaporated, cast away
like the outgoing tide. A certainty - a sharp purpose and understanding filled
his mind. This was no dream and he was not insane. He could feel the energies
of the sword rise through his arm. He even felt the energies that filled the
air. He sensed their impurities, the taint given to them by the sphere, but he
acknowledged their presence. The sphere was real, the goblins were real, the
shag was real, even this vampire was real. And he knew now how to deal with
her.
It was at that moment that delver swiftness saved his life, saved his
soul. His right arm free, except for at the shoulder, he pulled at the hilt
with all the speed he could muster. The blade came free of its sheath and
stood boldly out in the night air.
Just as the vampire was about to sink her teeth into her second victim,
she howled in pain. She released her hold on the delver and stumbled away.
Ryson Acumen held the sword proudly and showed not the slightest sign of
Page 172
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
surprise. The firelight, as well as the distant starlight, radiated off the
sword with magnified brilliance. The campsite was as bright asnoon day, and
the beams of light burned the revealed skin of the vampire.
"Vampires hate the light, don't they?" Ryson growled with anger. In this
one encounter, he would learn to hate vampires over all the other creatures of
the dark. He loathed having his mind controlled, despised the powers to
confuse and entice with false hopes. He cursed them. He cursed the vampire and
would never forget what she had been able to do to him. In that moment, he
wanted revenge. "Fire can't harm you, but this light can. It's not just fire,
it's the starlight magnified. It's as harmful to you as the sun."
The woman, now hunched over but still on her feet, did not reply. She
made a quick break for the darkness and the safety of the trees. Her speed was
surprising, but no match for the delver's.
He cut her off with ease and again held the sword to her face. "You're
not getting away."
She hissed. Her face was now clear to him, revealed by the light of the
sword. Pasty grey skin clung closely to her skull. The eyes, which were now
more grey than green, retracted into her sockets. Long eyelashes, a petite
nose, and blood red lips gave the sorrowful feeling that she attempted to
appear more feminine than the rest of her face would allow. That same face now
contained two scorch marks, one on each cheek.
Ryson looked back into her eyes. He bore down into them as he challenged
her to take control of his thoughts once more. Whether with this sword or
without it, he vowed never to lose such a battle of wills in the future. He
was unprepared for this first meeting. It would never, ever happen again.
The woman still wished only to escape. She tried to turn and run in the
opposite direction. Again, she found the delver swooping down in her path.
Angered further by the vampires attempts to run, Ryson jabbed at her arm
with the point of his sword. It barely touched her, did not even break the
skin, but she screamed in agony. The brown coat smoked at the point of
contact. She dropped to the ground in a heap, rolled to her knees and pleaded
for him to let her alone.
Ryson did not hesitate in his reply. "I can only do that if you swear on
what is left of your soul that you will not harm another living creature
again."
Her head shot up in anguish, surprise. "I can not do that!" If she had
been able, tears would have been streaming down her burnt cheeks, but she had
lost that ability. "I have no control over what I am!"
"But you must honor such a promise." Ryson did not know how he knew that,
but he did. "You will swear to me by the last remnants of your soul, or I will
not let you go."
"You would kill me? I know you delver, I have felt your thoughts. You can
not kill me." It was more of a plea than a statement.
"It won't be me that ends your life, I will let the sun take care of
that. I will only keep you here until you swear." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl wyciskamy.pev.pl
obstructed any attempt to organize them.
"What are you talking about?" he gurgled.
"You want to run don't you?" the woman murmured. The coldness
disappeared. Her voice was now almost enticing. "But you won't. You want to
know more about me, don't you?"
Ryson managed a nod.
"I see your thoughts in your face. You think I'm a vampire, or a dream.
Maybe I'm both. You no longer know what's real. I can help you with that. I
can give you the answers to everything you ever wished to know."
Ryson could not lift the growing fog which swirled about his every
thought. The woman seemed to inch forward, but he was not certain.
"So many things you have seen and felt." The woman continued with a
soothing, knowing voice. "So many things with no answers. You want those
answers, you need those answers."
Again, Ryson nodded. His tongue was as heavy and as confused as his
thoughts. His ability to speak had left him.
The woman was indeed closer to him now. The fire was no longer between
them. It was behind her and even her coat was now hidden to him by the
shadows. Her eyes, however, remained visible even as they sparkled with the
warmth of spring.
Page 171
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"I can end your confusion; bring to you the knowledge of what you so
desire. Isn't that what you've always wanted? A delver's dream come true? And
there is no emptiness in my promise. You know that. I speak the truth. Give
yourself over to me and you will know more than you have ever known."
The words rang crisp and clear in Ryson's ears. He heard them, understood
them. Every syllable she spoke cut through the fog, cut through the confusion.
Yet both remained after the echo of her words died away. He could not order
his own thoughts, or make his own decisions or judgments. Her words were so
simple, so profoundly true. He could not help but accept everything she said,
simply because she said them.
He stood still, captivated by the eyes which somehow stood out from the
darkness. No other movement detracted his attention. She also appeared to
stand motionless, even as she crept closer.
She now stood within arms reach. The bewitching words ceased to flow from
her lips. All encompassing silence. The birds, the insects, all sounds of the
surrounding forest and hills halted. Even the crackling of the fire died away.
Was it the cloud in his head which blocked out the sound, or did even fire
obey the command of the vampire?
Ryson stood in no condition to consider the question. The heaviness of
the moment drowned out nearly all consciousness. He slouched, but remained on
his feet, and continued staring into the emerald eyes.
She was on him. She held him with the same grip as she held the tracker,
pulled him toward her with the same force. Her eyes remained locked with his
as she pulled him closer, and he could not resist her.
Ryson was not even certain what was happening. The fog rolled through his
mind even when her nails cut into his own shoulder, just as they broke the
skin of the tracker. He did not feel the pain. He did not feel fear, until she
turned her eyes to his bare throat. With the break in the stare, a small
degree of the confusion and the fog lifted. He knew where he was and what was
about to happen. He felt the piercing pain in his upper arms from her grip.
The small hole in the blanketing fog gave way at first to a scream of
fear. Then, miraculously, his delver instincts rushed through the gap. He was
aware he was in great danger. He needed to save himself.
Instinctively, his fingers found the handle of the Sword of Decree. As
his hand encircled the hilt, all confusion and doubt evaporated, cast away
like the outgoing tide. A certainty - a sharp purpose and understanding filled
his mind. This was no dream and he was not insane. He could feel the energies
of the sword rise through his arm. He even felt the energies that filled the
air. He sensed their impurities, the taint given to them by the sphere, but he
acknowledged their presence. The sphere was real, the goblins were real, the
shag was real, even this vampire was real. And he knew now how to deal with
her.
It was at that moment that delver swiftness saved his life, saved his
soul. His right arm free, except for at the shoulder, he pulled at the hilt
with all the speed he could muster. The blade came free of its sheath and
stood boldly out in the night air.
Just as the vampire was about to sink her teeth into her second victim,
she howled in pain. She released her hold on the delver and stumbled away.
Ryson Acumen held the sword proudly and showed not the slightest sign of
Page 172
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
surprise. The firelight, as well as the distant starlight, radiated off the
sword with magnified brilliance. The campsite was as bright asnoon day, and
the beams of light burned the revealed skin of the vampire.
"Vampires hate the light, don't they?" Ryson growled with anger. In this
one encounter, he would learn to hate vampires over all the other creatures of
the dark. He loathed having his mind controlled, despised the powers to
confuse and entice with false hopes. He cursed them. He cursed the vampire and
would never forget what she had been able to do to him. In that moment, he
wanted revenge. "Fire can't harm you, but this light can. It's not just fire,
it's the starlight magnified. It's as harmful to you as the sun."
The woman, now hunched over but still on her feet, did not reply. She
made a quick break for the darkness and the safety of the trees. Her speed was
surprising, but no match for the delver's.
He cut her off with ease and again held the sword to her face. "You're
not getting away."
She hissed. Her face was now clear to him, revealed by the light of the
sword. Pasty grey skin clung closely to her skull. The eyes, which were now
more grey than green, retracted into her sockets. Long eyelashes, a petite
nose, and blood red lips gave the sorrowful feeling that she attempted to
appear more feminine than the rest of her face would allow. That same face now
contained two scorch marks, one on each cheek.
Ryson looked back into her eyes. He bore down into them as he challenged
her to take control of his thoughts once more. Whether with this sword or
without it, he vowed never to lose such a battle of wills in the future. He
was unprepared for this first meeting. It would never, ever happen again.
The woman still wished only to escape. She tried to turn and run in the
opposite direction. Again, she found the delver swooping down in her path.
Angered further by the vampires attempts to run, Ryson jabbed at her arm
with the point of his sword. It barely touched her, did not even break the
skin, but she screamed in agony. The brown coat smoked at the point of
contact. She dropped to the ground in a heap, rolled to her knees and pleaded
for him to let her alone.
Ryson did not hesitate in his reply. "I can only do that if you swear on
what is left of your soul that you will not harm another living creature
again."
Her head shot up in anguish, surprise. "I can not do that!" If she had
been able, tears would have been streaming down her burnt cheeks, but she had
lost that ability. "I have no control over what I am!"
"But you must honor such a promise." Ryson did not know how he knew that,
but he did. "You will swear to me by the last remnants of your soul, or I will
not let you go."
"You would kill me? I know you delver, I have felt your thoughts. You can
not kill me." It was more of a plea than a statement.
"It won't be me that ends your life, I will let the sun take care of
that. I will only keep you here until you swear." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]