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.Paithan's hand closed over hers."Don't!" she said in a fierce tone, elbowing him aside.She lifted her head,shook her hair around her face, and gave the strap a vicious tug."Go on.Leave me alone." Surreptitiously, when the elf wasn't looking, she wiped herhand across wet cheeks.They started on their way, disheartened, dispirited, fear driving them on.They had traversed only a few miles when they came upon the knight, lying facedown across the trail.Paithan slid from the cargan, knelt beside the man, his hand on the knight'sneck."Dead."Page 111 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlThey traveled two more cycles, pressing the weary cargans to their limit.Now,when they halted, they didn't unpack, but slept on the ground, the reins ofthe cargans wrapped around their wrists.They were giddy with exhaustion andlack of food.Their meager supplies had run out and they dared not take timeto hunt.They talked little, saving their breath, riding with slumpedshoulders, bent heads.The only thing that could rouse them was a strangesound behind them.The breaking of a tree limb would cause them to jerk up, swinging aroundfearfully in the saddle, peering into the shadows.Often the humans and theelf fell asleep while riding, swaying in the saddle until they slumpedsideways and came to themselves with a start.The dwarf, riding last, bringingup the rear, watched all with a smile.Paithan marveled at the dwarf, even as the elf's uneasiness over Drugar grew.He never appeared fatigued; he often volunteered to keep watch while theothers slept.Paithan woke from terrifying dreams in which he imagined Drugar, dagger inhand, slipping up on him as he slept.Starting awake, the elf always foundDrugar sitting patiently beneath a tree, hands folded across the beard thatfell in long curls over his stomach.Paithan might have laughed at his fear.After all, the dwarf had saved their lives.Looking back at Drugar, ridingbehind them, or glancing at him during the few times they stopped to rest, theelf saw the gleam in the watchful black eyes, eyes that seemed to be alwayswaiting, and Paithan's laughter died on his lips.Paithan was thinking about the dwarf, wondering what drove him, what terriblefuel kept such a fire burning, when Rega's shout roused him from his bleakreverie."The ferry!" She pointed at a crude sign, tacked up onto a tree trunk."Thetrail ends here.We have to go back to the-"Her voice was cut off by a horrible sound, a wail that rose from hundreds ofthroats, a collective scream."The main highway!" Paithan clutched his reins with sweating, trembling hands."The tytans have reached the main highway."The elf saw in his mind the stream of humanity, saw the giant, eyelesscreatures come upon it.He saw the people scatter, try to flee, but there wasnowhere to go on the wide-open plains, no escape.The stream would turn to ariver of blood.Rega pressed her hands against her ears."Shut up!" she was screaming over andover, tears streaming down her cheeks."Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"As if in answer, a sudden, eerie silence fell over the jungle, silence brokenonly by the not-too-distant cries of the dying."They're here," said Roland, a half-smile playing on his lips."The ferry!" Paithan gasped."The creatures may be giants, but they're nottall enough to wade the Kithni Gulf! That will stop them, for a time atleast." He spurred his cargan on.The startled animal, terrified itself, leaptforward in panic.The others followed, flying through the jungle, ducking overhanging limbs,vines slapping them in the face.Breaking out into the open, they saw ahead ofthem the sparkling, placid surface of the Kithni Gulf, a startling contrast tothe chaos erupting on the water's edge.Humans were running madly down the main highway that led to the ferry, fearstripping them of any consciousness they might have had for their fellows.Those who fell were trampled beneath pounding feet.Children were swept fromtheir parents' arms by the crush of the mob, small bodies hurled to theground.Those who stopped to try to help the fallen never rose again.Lookingfar back, on the horizon, Paithan saw the jungle moving."Paithan! Look!" Rega clutched at him, pointing.The elf shifted his gaze back to the ferry.The pier was mobbed, peoplepushing and shoving.Out in the water, the boat, overloaded, was riding tooPage 112 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmllow and sinking deeper by the minute.It would never make it across.And itwouldn't matter if it did.The other ferry boat had put out from the opposite shore.It was lined withelven archers, railbows ready, arrows pointing toward Thillia.Paithan assumedat first that the elves were coming to the aid of the humans, and his heartswelled with pride.Sir Lathan had been wrong.The elves would drive thetytans back!A human, attempting to swim the gulf, came near the boat, stretched out withhis hand for help.The elves shot him.His body slid down beneath the water and vanished.Sickened, disbelieving, Paithan saw his people turn their weapons not on thecoming tytans, but on the humans trying to flee the enemy."You bastard!"Paithan turned to see a wild-eyed man attempting to drag Roland from hissaddle.People on the highway, seeing the cargans, realized that the animalsoffered escape [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Paithan's hand closed over hers."Don't!" she said in a fierce tone, elbowing him aside.She lifted her head,shook her hair around her face, and gave the strap a vicious tug."Go on.Leave me alone." Surreptitiously, when the elf wasn't looking, she wiped herhand across wet cheeks.They started on their way, disheartened, dispirited, fear driving them on.They had traversed only a few miles when they came upon the knight, lying facedown across the trail.Paithan slid from the cargan, knelt beside the man, his hand on the knight'sneck."Dead."Page 111 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlThey traveled two more cycles, pressing the weary cargans to their limit.Now,when they halted, they didn't unpack, but slept on the ground, the reins ofthe cargans wrapped around their wrists.They were giddy with exhaustion andlack of food.Their meager supplies had run out and they dared not take timeto hunt.They talked little, saving their breath, riding with slumpedshoulders, bent heads.The only thing that could rouse them was a strangesound behind them.The breaking of a tree limb would cause them to jerk up, swinging aroundfearfully in the saddle, peering into the shadows.Often the humans and theelf fell asleep while riding, swaying in the saddle until they slumpedsideways and came to themselves with a start.The dwarf, riding last, bringingup the rear, watched all with a smile.Paithan marveled at the dwarf, even as the elf's uneasiness over Drugar grew.He never appeared fatigued; he often volunteered to keep watch while theothers slept.Paithan woke from terrifying dreams in which he imagined Drugar, dagger inhand, slipping up on him as he slept.Starting awake, the elf always foundDrugar sitting patiently beneath a tree, hands folded across the beard thatfell in long curls over his stomach.Paithan might have laughed at his fear.After all, the dwarf had saved their lives.Looking back at Drugar, ridingbehind them, or glancing at him during the few times they stopped to rest, theelf saw the gleam in the watchful black eyes, eyes that seemed to be alwayswaiting, and Paithan's laughter died on his lips.Paithan was thinking about the dwarf, wondering what drove him, what terriblefuel kept such a fire burning, when Rega's shout roused him from his bleakreverie."The ferry!" She pointed at a crude sign, tacked up onto a tree trunk."Thetrail ends here.We have to go back to the-"Her voice was cut off by a horrible sound, a wail that rose from hundreds ofthroats, a collective scream."The main highway!" Paithan clutched his reins with sweating, trembling hands."The tytans have reached the main highway."The elf saw in his mind the stream of humanity, saw the giant, eyelesscreatures come upon it.He saw the people scatter, try to flee, but there wasnowhere to go on the wide-open plains, no escape.The stream would turn to ariver of blood.Rega pressed her hands against her ears."Shut up!" she was screaming over andover, tears streaming down her cheeks."Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"As if in answer, a sudden, eerie silence fell over the jungle, silence brokenonly by the not-too-distant cries of the dying."They're here," said Roland, a half-smile playing on his lips."The ferry!" Paithan gasped."The creatures may be giants, but they're nottall enough to wade the Kithni Gulf! That will stop them, for a time atleast." He spurred his cargan on.The startled animal, terrified itself, leaptforward in panic.The others followed, flying through the jungle, ducking overhanging limbs,vines slapping them in the face.Breaking out into the open, they saw ahead ofthem the sparkling, placid surface of the Kithni Gulf, a startling contrast tothe chaos erupting on the water's edge.Humans were running madly down the main highway that led to the ferry, fearstripping them of any consciousness they might have had for their fellows.Those who fell were trampled beneath pounding feet.Children were swept fromtheir parents' arms by the crush of the mob, small bodies hurled to theground.Those who stopped to try to help the fallen never rose again.Lookingfar back, on the horizon, Paithan saw the jungle moving."Paithan! Look!" Rega clutched at him, pointing.The elf shifted his gaze back to the ferry.The pier was mobbed, peoplepushing and shoving.Out in the water, the boat, overloaded, was riding tooPage 112 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmllow and sinking deeper by the minute.It would never make it across.And itwouldn't matter if it did.The other ferry boat had put out from the opposite shore.It was lined withelven archers, railbows ready, arrows pointing toward Thillia.Paithan assumedat first that the elves were coming to the aid of the humans, and his heartswelled with pride.Sir Lathan had been wrong.The elves would drive thetytans back!A human, attempting to swim the gulf, came near the boat, stretched out withhis hand for help.The elves shot him.His body slid down beneath the water and vanished.Sickened, disbelieving, Paithan saw his people turn their weapons not on thecoming tytans, but on the humans trying to flee the enemy."You bastard!"Paithan turned to see a wild-eyed man attempting to drag Roland from hissaddle.People on the highway, seeing the cargans, realized that the animalsoffered escape [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]