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.""And here let us rest," said Caitri."Fain would I sleep now that the night's wickedness is behind us andthe sun comes to drive away fear."Page 126 As they made themselves comfortable in the waving grasses the coillduine of the plum trees appeared,their auras fanning out in ellipses of coruscating colors, crimson and gold, that rose hundreds of feet intothe air.The luminous streamers that swept down to swathe the trees were tinted cochineal, outlined withrarefied gossamers of golden spangles.Sightless, Viviana's eyes stared through this glory. «» «» «» At its going down, the sun dragged night across the sky in its wake like a lambrequin stitched withbaubles.As if caught up in the folds of this fandangled finery, the waterhorse and swanmaiden and uriskreappeared, an unobtrusive but persistent band of bodyguards.The swan flew or walked, scoutingahead; the urisk trotted alongside.In horse-form the nygel patrolled to the rear, irresponsibly playingleapfrog with waterleapers whenever he chanced upon a forest pool.Two nights had passed since the encounter with the ganconer.Weariness had carved lines into the facesof the mortals, Tahquil and Caitri having alternately watched the unsleeping Viviana through the days.Shewould sit, her swollen hands trying to knit together the soggy sinews of bruised nettles.The courtierherself was so weak by now that she could scarcely walk.The urisk steered them a straight course by the stars as straight as could be managed over thepathless, undulating country, so densely arrayed with timber.Up knoll and down brae they went, acrossbrooks by fords or little stone bridges, through starlit glades and around thickets of old wood too denseto penetrate.All the while, Tahquil searched for the stuffs with which to concoct black or brown dye."Look for iris or waterlily," she told the waterhorse."Black walnut or sweet chestnut, bird cherry oroak."But only tall reeds and straight-backed rushes grew in the pools of Cinnarine.Soon after midnight, the nygel came bounding up in man-form, looking like a pleased puppy."Swun is thinking she has seen a stand of aiks dane by yander cleeve.""Not a coppice infested by unseelie wights, I trust.""Nay," he neighed."Is it far?""Aye, she said it was, and aff yarr track."Tahquil looked at her companions.Viviana lay on the grass, motionless, her eyes open but blank.Caitridozed beside her."They are not able to travel more than is necessary.Tully, will you stay here and watch over them while Igo? Whithiue" partially hidden in tree-shadows, the lovely wight bridled as her name was spoken "willyou guard them also?"The swanmaiden gave a soft cry.Page 127 "She agrees," the urisk translated."Guard them well," admonished Tahquil warmly."As weel as we are able," said the urisk."That is a promise, frae the baith o' us."Tahquil nodded, gripped by reluctance.While she had been speaking the nygel had unexpectedly resumed his horse-shape behind her back.Hetrotted off and she followed after him.If this is some practical joke, I'll cut off his curly tail.Past the lattices of trees the stars rolled slowly by.The night was clear, so very clear it wasextraordinary.Every leaf and blade stood out, articulated by celestial light.Even in the bosks and brakesand coverts the shadows seemed luminous."How much further?" panted Tahquil, pushing through the trees, hot and scratched and hasty.In answer, the waterhorse whickered.They emerged from an orangery to find themselves in a clearingringed by grand oaks, just as the swanmaiden had affirmed.Tahquil began to strip bark from the nearesttrunk."This must be soaked, preferably boiled," she muttered, more to herself than to the waterhorse, who wasnosing inquisitively in some undergrowth."How shall I boil it? And dye needs salt, and a mordant of rustyiron."The waterhorse neighed.She followed the upward turn of his long head.Between the branches and far off in the starrysoutheastern skies, a swirl of darkness could be glimpsed, like ink stirred into clear water.Dimly echoedthe baying of hounds.The Wild Hunt approached."Will they be able to spy us beneath these oak leaves?" cried Tahquil, panic-stricken.The horse-wight shook his head, spraying his mane like water.A seashell flew out.The black swirl hammered through the air, resolving itself into riders and hounds.Excited by theproximity of other eldritch steeds, the nygel caracoled, curvetted."Do you see? Do you see where the Hunt is headed?" screamed Tahquil, scattering strips of oak bark asshe let them fall.Above the orchards and out of them, a gaseous tower arose, a white feather of steam ormist, toward which the Hunt was making rapidly."That smoke!" she exclaimed."It is coming from precisely where we left the others.A signal! I mustreturn to them.Hold still, if you honor me.Let me jump on your back, horse."A moment later, the waterhorse dashed into the trees with the girl clinging to his back.On herneck-chain, the iron buckle and the tilhal pounded against her breastbone.Page 128 «» «» «» Caitri had been sitting with willow-crowned Viviana on the grass, dozing in the warm and perfumedhoney of the Summer's night.She was aware of the swanmaiden's vigilance in the trees and the urisk'swatchfulness by her side as he sat hugging his hairy goat-knees to his chest.She was aware of Viviana'sstillness, her pasty face, her slow, infrequent inhalations, as though she was forgetful of breathing andmust try to remember, each time, just before she was about to asphyxiate."You are so cold, Via." The little girl wrapped her arms around her friend.The fingers of the trees heldstretched between them a starry canopy from which light trickled down.The sky was remarkably lucid,so fathomless and transparent that the world might fall, spinning, into its depths.Three events then occurred simultaneously: The swan exclaimed, Viviana sat bolt upright, and the uriskjumped to his hooves."What's amiss?" squeaked Caitri, for nothing else seemed to have altered and she could see no reasonfor such unnerving behavior."Something unket this way comes," the urisk whispered.There was nowhere to hide.Presently, he added, "And has arrived.Stopper your lugs "Stuffing her fingers in her ears, Caitri swiveled her head.A slender young knight stood watching them,with long hair like waves of grief, and the face of a libidinous prince.His eyes were hungry they weretwo black wolves.Viviana's gaze, fixed on him, poured adoration from her eyes like a libation."Ask me to tear out my heart, beloved," she murmured, "and I will." But it seemed he was unaware ofher existence [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]
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.""And here let us rest," said Caitri."Fain would I sleep now that the night's wickedness is behind us andthe sun comes to drive away fear."Page 126 As they made themselves comfortable in the waving grasses the coillduine of the plum trees appeared,their auras fanning out in ellipses of coruscating colors, crimson and gold, that rose hundreds of feet intothe air.The luminous streamers that swept down to swathe the trees were tinted cochineal, outlined withrarefied gossamers of golden spangles.Sightless, Viviana's eyes stared through this glory. «» «» «» At its going down, the sun dragged night across the sky in its wake like a lambrequin stitched withbaubles.As if caught up in the folds of this fandangled finery, the waterhorse and swanmaiden and uriskreappeared, an unobtrusive but persistent band of bodyguards.The swan flew or walked, scoutingahead; the urisk trotted alongside.In horse-form the nygel patrolled to the rear, irresponsibly playingleapfrog with waterleapers whenever he chanced upon a forest pool.Two nights had passed since the encounter with the ganconer.Weariness had carved lines into the facesof the mortals, Tahquil and Caitri having alternately watched the unsleeping Viviana through the days.Shewould sit, her swollen hands trying to knit together the soggy sinews of bruised nettles.The courtierherself was so weak by now that she could scarcely walk.The urisk steered them a straight course by the stars as straight as could be managed over thepathless, undulating country, so densely arrayed with timber.Up knoll and down brae they went, acrossbrooks by fords or little stone bridges, through starlit glades and around thickets of old wood too denseto penetrate.All the while, Tahquil searched for the stuffs with which to concoct black or brown dye."Look for iris or waterlily," she told the waterhorse."Black walnut or sweet chestnut, bird cherry oroak."But only tall reeds and straight-backed rushes grew in the pools of Cinnarine.Soon after midnight, the nygel came bounding up in man-form, looking like a pleased puppy."Swun is thinking she has seen a stand of aiks dane by yander cleeve.""Not a coppice infested by unseelie wights, I trust.""Nay," he neighed."Is it far?""Aye, she said it was, and aff yarr track."Tahquil looked at her companions.Viviana lay on the grass, motionless, her eyes open but blank.Caitridozed beside her."They are not able to travel more than is necessary.Tully, will you stay here and watch over them while Igo? Whithiue" partially hidden in tree-shadows, the lovely wight bridled as her name was spoken "willyou guard them also?"The swanmaiden gave a soft cry.Page 127 "She agrees," the urisk translated."Guard them well," admonished Tahquil warmly."As weel as we are able," said the urisk."That is a promise, frae the baith o' us."Tahquil nodded, gripped by reluctance.While she had been speaking the nygel had unexpectedly resumed his horse-shape behind her back.Hetrotted off and she followed after him.If this is some practical joke, I'll cut off his curly tail.Past the lattices of trees the stars rolled slowly by.The night was clear, so very clear it wasextraordinary.Every leaf and blade stood out, articulated by celestial light.Even in the bosks and brakesand coverts the shadows seemed luminous."How much further?" panted Tahquil, pushing through the trees, hot and scratched and hasty.In answer, the waterhorse whickered.They emerged from an orangery to find themselves in a clearingringed by grand oaks, just as the swanmaiden had affirmed.Tahquil began to strip bark from the nearesttrunk."This must be soaked, preferably boiled," she muttered, more to herself than to the waterhorse, who wasnosing inquisitively in some undergrowth."How shall I boil it? And dye needs salt, and a mordant of rustyiron."The waterhorse neighed.She followed the upward turn of his long head.Between the branches and far off in the starrysoutheastern skies, a swirl of darkness could be glimpsed, like ink stirred into clear water.Dimly echoedthe baying of hounds.The Wild Hunt approached."Will they be able to spy us beneath these oak leaves?" cried Tahquil, panic-stricken.The horse-wight shook his head, spraying his mane like water.A seashell flew out.The black swirl hammered through the air, resolving itself into riders and hounds.Excited by theproximity of other eldritch steeds, the nygel caracoled, curvetted."Do you see? Do you see where the Hunt is headed?" screamed Tahquil, scattering strips of oak bark asshe let them fall.Above the orchards and out of them, a gaseous tower arose, a white feather of steam ormist, toward which the Hunt was making rapidly."That smoke!" she exclaimed."It is coming from precisely where we left the others.A signal! I mustreturn to them.Hold still, if you honor me.Let me jump on your back, horse."A moment later, the waterhorse dashed into the trees with the girl clinging to his back.On herneck-chain, the iron buckle and the tilhal pounded against her breastbone.Page 128 «» «» «» Caitri had been sitting with willow-crowned Viviana on the grass, dozing in the warm and perfumedhoney of the Summer's night.She was aware of the swanmaiden's vigilance in the trees and the urisk'swatchfulness by her side as he sat hugging his hairy goat-knees to his chest.She was aware of Viviana'sstillness, her pasty face, her slow, infrequent inhalations, as though she was forgetful of breathing andmust try to remember, each time, just before she was about to asphyxiate."You are so cold, Via." The little girl wrapped her arms around her friend.The fingers of the trees heldstretched between them a starry canopy from which light trickled down.The sky was remarkably lucid,so fathomless and transparent that the world might fall, spinning, into its depths.Three events then occurred simultaneously: The swan exclaimed, Viviana sat bolt upright, and the uriskjumped to his hooves."What's amiss?" squeaked Caitri, for nothing else seemed to have altered and she could see no reasonfor such unnerving behavior."Something unket this way comes," the urisk whispered.There was nowhere to hide.Presently, he added, "And has arrived.Stopper your lugs "Stuffing her fingers in her ears, Caitri swiveled her head.A slender young knight stood watching them,with long hair like waves of grief, and the face of a libidinous prince.His eyes were hungry they weretwo black wolves.Viviana's gaze, fixed on him, poured adoration from her eyes like a libation."Ask me to tear out my heart, beloved," she murmured, "and I will." But it seemed he was unaware ofher existence [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]