[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
"Fylo, hurry!" Agis called.
The giant opened his eyes, then thrust out a shaky hand and grabbed the
noble's rope off the trestle. When he tried to pull the noble to him, however,
the rope went taut against its anchor, almost unbalancing him. With an angry
growl, Fylo threw himself away from the pit, giving the line in his hand an
angry jerk. Agis heard the clatter of stone, then the railing to which the
rope was tied broke away. Fylo tumbled back and flailed his arms wildly in an.
attempt to keep his balance.
The rope slipped from the giant's grasp, and Agis sailed away. He crashed to
the enclosure's granite floor a short distance away, rolled more times than he
Page 137
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
could count, and came to a stop against a crystal wall. Despite the sharp
pangs throbbing through his broken arm, Tithian's satchel remained clutched
firmly in his good hand.
Somehow, he had even managed to keep the mouth pointed in the general
direction of the crystal pit.
Wyan came streaking down on Agis. The disembodied head clamped his teeth
firmly onto the edge of the satchel mouth, then began trying to tear the sack
free.
* * * * *
"Wyan!" gasped Sacha.
"I can see who it is," Tithian snarled. "Tell him not to move!"
Like Sacha, the king was staring at the sallow-skinned head that had just
emerged from the gray mists ahead. It was visible only from the upper lip to
the brow, as if it were peering at them through a narrow opening. More
importantly, at least to Tithian's way of thinking, it had appeared straight
ahead -which suggested he was still flying in the right direction.
Sometime earlier, a stream of mystic energy had begun to pour from the Dark
Lens. Tithian had started to fly in the same direction as the flow, hoping it
would lead him to the exit. As hard as he had flapped his wings, however, he
never seemed to reach the end of the glimmering beam. He had almost stopped
following it, fearing that the effort was as pointless as every other attempt
he had made to escape this place.
Then the beam had flickered several times, and now here was Wyan, peering in
at them. It could only mean they were approaching the exit. Tithian beat his
wings harder, dragging the lens and Sacha through the Gray as fast as he
could.
"Wyan, can you see us?" Tithian asked.
Who?
the head replied. Instead of speaking, he used the Way to ask his question.
"Tithian and Sacha, you fool!" Sacha snapped. "We're in the sack."
I thought so, he answered.
Come out.
"We're trying!" Tithian yelled.
In spite of the king's best efforts, he and Sacha appeared to be no closer to
Wyan than they had a few moments earlier.
Hurry! I can't fight him much longer, the head replied.
"Who are you fighting?" Tithian demanded. "What's happening?"
Agis has the bag, Wyan reported.
I've got a bite on it, and I'm trying to pull it away, but he has a tight
grip. And
Fylo will be coming over to help him soon.
"Then get us out of here," Tithian ordered.
How?
demanded Wyan.
The way this fight is going, I'll be joining you.
"No!" Tithian and Sacha screamed the word at the same time.
"Whatever happens, don't let him push you in here. We'll all be stuck," the
king added.
What do you want me to do!
the head demanded.
The king thought for a moment, then said, "Before I got trapped in here, I
heard the
Shadow Viper's catapults.
Is it still dustworthy, and is the crew still alive?"
Probably, replied Wyan.
Page 138
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Mag'r's been very busy since the battle ended. I don't think sinking the ship
would have been a priority for him.
Tithian smiled, then ran his liver-spotted fingers over the serpent-headed
dagger in his belt. "Good," he said.
"Make sure Agis sees them before he leaves, Wyan."
And?
"That's all," answered the king. "Agis will do the rest for us."
*****
Wyan suddenly released his hold on the satchel. "You win," he said, backing
away. "We've got to get out of here."
"What?" Agis demanded. "You're giving up?"
"Not now," the head acknowledged. "After the way Fylo screamed when I bit his
throat, we don't have long before the Joorsh arrive. Now be still, and I'll
bite you free." Wyan floated over to Agis's side and began gnawing on the
rope.
When the line slackened, the noble began to untwine himself. "That's enough,"
he said.
Wyan drifted away, waiting patiently while the noble untied his legs and
stood.
"Don't come too close," Agis said. "I don't trust your change of heart."
"Of course not. You know me better than that," sneered the head. "But it will
be easier to take the satchel from you than from the giants."
"Don't be too sure of that," Agis replied.
Fylo came over to join them. The giant looked only a little better than he had
a short time ago, though he had apparently recovered enough of his balance to
stand on his own. "What now, friend?" he asked.
"We leave," Agis answered, glaring at Wyan suspiciously.
"I'm the least of your troubles," sneered the head, looking away.
Agis followed the head's gaze and saw that Mag'r's young assistant, Beort, had
finally tracked down his master.
The youth stood in the gateway, staring at Agis and the others.
"Where's Sachem Mag'r?" he demanded.
"Not here." Fylo shrugged and looked around the compound.
The boy pointed at Agis. "He must be here. That's his prisoner."
Fylo seemed at a loss to answer, so Agis spoke up. "The sachem told him to
watch me."
The youth scowled at Fylo, then asked, "Who are you, ugly?"
"Me Fylo," the half-breed answered, his tone sharp.
"I've never heard of any Fylo-"
The youth let his sentence trail off and backed out the gate, his eyes going
wide. Fylo tore a crystal from the wall and started to hurl it after him.
"No! He's just a child," Agis yelled. "Besides, attacking him outside the
compound would raise the alarm anyway. Just pick me up, and let's get out of
here."
The giant did as asked and limped out the gate. Once they were outside, the
noble saw Beort scrambling toward the far end of the compound, where Chief
Nuta continued to expound on the evils of keeping the Oracle past the proper
time. The young giant was screaming for help,, and Joorsh warriors were
already turning to see what was wrong.
"Where go?" Fylo asked, his eyes searching the citadel for a likely escape
route.
"In your condition, there's only one way out of here," said Wyan. "You'll have
to go through the gate."
Fylo's eyes went wide. "Sachem Mag'r smart," he objected. "Put guards there."
"Wyan's right," Agis said. "Neither one of us is in any condition to be
climbing over walls or down cliffs. I'll tell you how to get past the guards
on our way."
By the time they reached the path descending into the courtyard, Chief Nuta
Page 139
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
was leading a dozen giants after them. The pursuers were still near the back
of the citadel, but their angry shouts echoed throughout Castle Feral. In
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]