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.Their plan was to halt for the night at a hill crowned with rowans, where the serving-men would set uppavilions.Zimmuth was to weave a tight wall of spells about the encampment to keep it safe during thelong hours of darkness, the most dangerous time.After noon the sky darkened with unusual rapidity.The sun became obscured behind a wall of sombergray clouds; its location could only be guessed.Judging by the deepening dusk, it must have been startingto slide toward the horizon when the road began to twist back on itself, climbing steeply."We have reached Longbarrow Ridge," announced Callidus, pushing back his talium-lined visor."On aclear day, the Hill of Rowans can be seen from the summit.Once we have crossed the ridge, we shall beless then an hour's ride from the hill.I'll warrant we'll be there by nightfall."As he spoke, a heartbeat awoke out of the southeast.It was an urgent, syncopated throbbing, deep and dire, the supple-wristed thudding of polished woodagainst goat-hide stretched over a resounding concavity.The voice of Isse Tower was broadcasting awarning."The drums!" exclaimed Ustorix echoingly from within his helm."The drums of alarm!"Page 127 The riders urged forward their horses, hearkening to the compelling rhythm, their pulses rousing to itsthrill.The trees thinned and gave way to stunted vegetation.Emerging at the top of a bald ridge, the riderswere able to command an unobstructed view.Under clear skies, they might have been able to see thelandscape for miles around.There they reined in, by mutual agreement.Not a word had been spoken, but the presentiment wasalmost palpable.Why were the drums being sounded? What had the distant Tower watchmen seen?Fear had begun to overtake them all, and they looked to the north from whence, unaccountably, the fearemanated.Something unseelie was coming.Swiftly, it was coming.The evening darkened.Low thunderclouds completely covered the sky like a blanket, from horizon tohorizon, and a thick gray mist roiled up from the hollows of the land.Even the sea, so close at hand, washidden.By now it seemed to the riders that they stood on an island in an ocean of fog, with a heavyceiling pressing down on their heads and threatening to crush them.They all faced north, straining theireyes to pierce the thickening murk.From that direction came a certainty of sheer horror that envelopedthem like some oppressive mantle.Their limbs weighed so heavily they could scarcely move a muscle.Itwas onerous, in that ghastly miasma, even to think of lifting a hand to guide the horses toward shelter.Anunnatural lethargy pinned the riders to the ridge-top.Their terror increased as sounds approached along the roof of the sky a baying and yammering, adeep thunder, the crazed hallooing, the berserk screaming of carnivorous horses like the screech of metalripped asunder.A denser cloud ballooned out of the rest and raced straight toward the watchers.Bursting from its depths loomed the shapes of fire-eyed hounds and dark riders on mounts that snortedflame.Ahead of them plunged their leader a thing shaped like a man.Yet it was no true man.It was a darkness with two sunken sumps for eyes; and, not worn as a helm would be worn, butgrowing from the head, magnificent when gracing a stag, yet obscene on this human parody theappalling tines, a pair of wide skull-claws, the antlers.At the instant these apparitions appeared, Ustorix screamed and launched himself sideways off his horse.In panic, Callidus's steed reared and threw its rider.Zimmuth's mount bolted downhill, followed by thefour packhorses.His henchman spurred after him.The Hunt galloped right over the heads of theremaining four riders and receded in the direction of Isse Tower, invisible somewhere in the mist, twentymiles away.The two men of the stables cursed softly, calming their horses.Rohain's mount shivered beneath her,slippery with the sweat of terror.Leaning over its neck, she murmured into its ear.Keat Featherstonespoke rapidly to his three companions."Isse Tower is in dire peril.My lady, forgive us.We are obliged to leave you and return to the aid of ourcomrades in the Tower.Our lords remain hereabouts they will guard you.""I give you leave, Featherstone and Pennyrigg.Wind be with you.""And with you, lady.We must ride hard.Let those follow who will!"Page 128 Without further ado, the two stablemen leapt away down the hill at a great pace.Clanking, the armor-plated lords lurched on foot after their chargers, whistling and calling.Theydisappeared down the north side of the ridge, leaving the two damsels alone."Well, Viviana," said Rohain.She was dazed and reeling from shock after witnessing such appallingvisitations, and was alarmed by their unexpected abandonment."Well, Viviana, it seems our guardiansare otherwise occupied." She mustered her thoughts."Meanwhile, mayhap we can help our hosts.I votewe follow those who ride to the Tower's aid."Viviana seemed to shrink."These things." she said in a low voice."These things that hunt through thesky.""We are pinched between a sword and a spear, as the saying goes," said Rohain."The Tower isbeleaguered, for sure, but it is well-manned and fortified.Would you rather we camped on this hillwaiting for the Wild Hunt to fly over our heads on its return journey? Or that we continue on to thehaunted caldera, two ladies unguarded and alone?""Marry," said Viviana in weary disgust, "this is a sorry state of affairs.That Ustorix is a craven bumblerand no mistake.First he falls from his horse in his terror, then he runs away, leaving us vulnerable.Somuch for his vaunted boldness and chivalry.""Will you return with me to the House of the Stormriders?""I am loath to do so, m'lady, but we have little choice."They cast one glance over their shoulders in the direction of the horizon where Huntingtowers broodedunseen, unconquered.Then, pointing the heads of their steeds back toward the stronghold of the SeventhHouse, they set off at a gallop. «» «» «» Below the hill, the road dived back under its roof of trees.The dank wall of mist and the obscuringvegetation afforded no view of the Tower to Rohain and Viviana as they rode.The sonorous pattern ofthe drums continued on for a while, then ceased abruptly, leaving a calm broken only by the hammeringof iron-shod hooves on wet clay and leaf-mold.The pale vapors drew back among the trees and frayed to invisibility.A wind brooming through theupper atmosphere swept most of the dirty clouds away to the west [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]
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.Their plan was to halt for the night at a hill crowned with rowans, where the serving-men would set uppavilions.Zimmuth was to weave a tight wall of spells about the encampment to keep it safe during thelong hours of darkness, the most dangerous time.After noon the sky darkened with unusual rapidity.The sun became obscured behind a wall of sombergray clouds; its location could only be guessed.Judging by the deepening dusk, it must have been startingto slide toward the horizon when the road began to twist back on itself, climbing steeply."We have reached Longbarrow Ridge," announced Callidus, pushing back his talium-lined visor."On aclear day, the Hill of Rowans can be seen from the summit.Once we have crossed the ridge, we shall beless then an hour's ride from the hill.I'll warrant we'll be there by nightfall."As he spoke, a heartbeat awoke out of the southeast.It was an urgent, syncopated throbbing, deep and dire, the supple-wristed thudding of polished woodagainst goat-hide stretched over a resounding concavity.The voice of Isse Tower was broadcasting awarning."The drums!" exclaimed Ustorix echoingly from within his helm."The drums of alarm!"Page 127 The riders urged forward their horses, hearkening to the compelling rhythm, their pulses rousing to itsthrill.The trees thinned and gave way to stunted vegetation.Emerging at the top of a bald ridge, the riderswere able to command an unobstructed view.Under clear skies, they might have been able to see thelandscape for miles around.There they reined in, by mutual agreement.Not a word had been spoken, but the presentiment wasalmost palpable.Why were the drums being sounded? What had the distant Tower watchmen seen?Fear had begun to overtake them all, and they looked to the north from whence, unaccountably, the fearemanated.Something unseelie was coming.Swiftly, it was coming.The evening darkened.Low thunderclouds completely covered the sky like a blanket, from horizon tohorizon, and a thick gray mist roiled up from the hollows of the land.Even the sea, so close at hand, washidden.By now it seemed to the riders that they stood on an island in an ocean of fog, with a heavyceiling pressing down on their heads and threatening to crush them.They all faced north, straining theireyes to pierce the thickening murk.From that direction came a certainty of sheer horror that envelopedthem like some oppressive mantle.Their limbs weighed so heavily they could scarcely move a muscle.Itwas onerous, in that ghastly miasma, even to think of lifting a hand to guide the horses toward shelter.Anunnatural lethargy pinned the riders to the ridge-top.Their terror increased as sounds approached along the roof of the sky a baying and yammering, adeep thunder, the crazed hallooing, the berserk screaming of carnivorous horses like the screech of metalripped asunder.A denser cloud ballooned out of the rest and raced straight toward the watchers.Bursting from its depths loomed the shapes of fire-eyed hounds and dark riders on mounts that snortedflame.Ahead of them plunged their leader a thing shaped like a man.Yet it was no true man.It was a darkness with two sunken sumps for eyes; and, not worn as a helm would be worn, butgrowing from the head, magnificent when gracing a stag, yet obscene on this human parody theappalling tines, a pair of wide skull-claws, the antlers.At the instant these apparitions appeared, Ustorix screamed and launched himself sideways off his horse.In panic, Callidus's steed reared and threw its rider.Zimmuth's mount bolted downhill, followed by thefour packhorses.His henchman spurred after him.The Hunt galloped right over the heads of theremaining four riders and receded in the direction of Isse Tower, invisible somewhere in the mist, twentymiles away.The two men of the stables cursed softly, calming their horses.Rohain's mount shivered beneath her,slippery with the sweat of terror.Leaning over its neck, she murmured into its ear.Keat Featherstonespoke rapidly to his three companions."Isse Tower is in dire peril.My lady, forgive us.We are obliged to leave you and return to the aid of ourcomrades in the Tower.Our lords remain hereabouts they will guard you.""I give you leave, Featherstone and Pennyrigg.Wind be with you.""And with you, lady.We must ride hard.Let those follow who will!"Page 128 Without further ado, the two stablemen leapt away down the hill at a great pace.Clanking, the armor-plated lords lurched on foot after their chargers, whistling and calling.Theydisappeared down the north side of the ridge, leaving the two damsels alone."Well, Viviana," said Rohain.She was dazed and reeling from shock after witnessing such appallingvisitations, and was alarmed by their unexpected abandonment."Well, Viviana, it seems our guardiansare otherwise occupied." She mustered her thoughts."Meanwhile, mayhap we can help our hosts.I votewe follow those who ride to the Tower's aid."Viviana seemed to shrink."These things." she said in a low voice."These things that hunt through thesky.""We are pinched between a sword and a spear, as the saying goes," said Rohain."The Tower isbeleaguered, for sure, but it is well-manned and fortified.Would you rather we camped on this hillwaiting for the Wild Hunt to fly over our heads on its return journey? Or that we continue on to thehaunted caldera, two ladies unguarded and alone?""Marry," said Viviana in weary disgust, "this is a sorry state of affairs.That Ustorix is a craven bumblerand no mistake.First he falls from his horse in his terror, then he runs away, leaving us vulnerable.Somuch for his vaunted boldness and chivalry.""Will you return with me to the House of the Stormriders?""I am loath to do so, m'lady, but we have little choice."They cast one glance over their shoulders in the direction of the horizon where Huntingtowers broodedunseen, unconquered.Then, pointing the heads of their steeds back toward the stronghold of the SeventhHouse, they set off at a gallop. «» «» «» Below the hill, the road dived back under its roof of trees.The dank wall of mist and the obscuringvegetation afforded no view of the Tower to Rohain and Viviana as they rode.The sonorous pattern ofthe drums continued on for a while, then ceased abruptly, leaving a calm broken only by the hammeringof iron-shod hooves on wet clay and leaf-mold.The pale vapors drew back among the trees and frayed to invisibility.A wind brooming through theupper atmosphere swept most of the dirty clouds away to the west [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]