[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
evicted. No human inhabitants. He found a fairly level space and dragged Trav there.
Trav had long since fainted, so after checking his pulse, Bishop allowed him to sleep.
He piled the rest of their belongings around them, rolled up in his blanket and stretched
out next to Trav to sleep.
55
Anny Cook
Chapter Seven
The faint rumble of thunder woke Wrenna late in the night. She wriggled around in
the bed, trying in vain to find that elusive comfortable position and finally got up and
padded over to the window. It wasn t raining in Lost Market but far off on the other
side of the river and training fields, she could see the flickers of lightning. A muffled
whimper at the bedroom door drew her attention away from the window. Cocking her
head to one side, she listened intently.
Wrenna, come now!
The mental voice a strange, unfamiliar one startled Wrenna. Who is this? she
demanded in bafflement.
Harmony! Dinti!
Wrenna rushed over to the door and flung it open. An enormous pale gold long-
haired creature sat on its haunches in the hallway, waving its feathery tail in agitation.
Mama had once commented that the dintis resembled salukis, a breed of out-valley dog,
except that their hair was much longer. Harmony s presence puzzled Wrenna as dintis
rarely spoke to humans and then only to the human they selected to bond with. Why
are you here?
You are my human, Wrenna. We will talk of that later. Now you must come with me. Your
mate is in the valley and he is hurt. Harmony s firm explanation left no room for protest. I
have already informed Dai of his injuries.
Hurrying back to her bed, Wrenna slipped off her sleeping shift and put on a dark
green meerlim. She snatched a shawl and low boots from the chest under the window
and rejoined Harmony in the hall, unsurprised to find her parents and Llyon and Tyger
waiting. Where is he, Harmony?
Circle five. Harmony turned away, loping down the dark hall. Come.
Where are we going, Wrenna? Papa asked softly.
Harmony the dinti says that Traveller is at pledging circle five and he s hurt.
Abruptly, she realized that her parents shouldn t even be in Lost Market. When did
you get back from Dai s Retreat?
Late, Papa replied curtly and impatiently motioned for her to lead the way.
Circle five was the pledging circle and cave that was located down past Silence
Brown s house. Fortunately, that meant that the path leading to the circle was mostly
smooth and flat. Mama rarely traveled beyond the village for one simple reason she
was blind. Wrenna didn t want to think about the reason the path conditions were
important because she didn t want to ask why Mama was accompanying them. Her
56
Traveller s Refuge
presence with the little group was so unusual that Wrenna was afraid it meant that
Traveller s condition was far more serious than Harmony had indicated.
Daybreak dawned over the valley as they made their way quietly down the wide
path. Near the edge of the village, Mali and Jonas, warrior-healers from the village
summoned by Dai, joined them. The small group continued on, each of them
wondering what new changes the latest newcomer would bring.
* * * * *
When Bishop woke, a very old, smallish blue man was leaning over Traveller. He
had both hands spread out over him and was slowly moving them along Trav s body as
though he could see through the skin with them. The man noticed that he was awake
and nodded to him. Your friend is badly hurt, he announced. I ve called for help to
move him.
Who are you? Bish asked in puzzlement. He had never seen anything like the
strange man. His long silver hair, arranged in a multitude of small braids, each finished
with a jeweled clasp, pooled around his knees as he knelt next to Trav. When he moved,
the clasps clinked together like a delicate wind chime. Bishop squinted in the cave s dim
light, unwilling to accept the hint of fangs and delicately pointed ears he could swear
the little man had. His face reminded Bish of a withered apple, except for those bright,
twinkling green eyes. They brought to mind bird eyes. The little old man had some sort
of cloth wrapped around his lower body and soft leather sandals.
I am Dai.
Uh-huh. And who are you when you re home, Die? Bish s brows rose in query.
I am Dai. A healer. He looked directly at Bishop. Your friend is in need of a
healer. His head came up as he heard people approaching. Good. Help has arrived
and soon your friend will be more comfortable.
Shoving the blanket away, Bish clambered to his feet. No one was going to move
Trav until he talked to somebody that made more sense. Several people appeared on
the pathway behind the waterfall shielding the cave, carrying bright light wands and all
talking at once. When they saw Bish, the babble stopped abruptly as though cut with a
knife.
The oldest man in the group tilted his head to one side, smiled widely revealing
definite pointed fangs and said calmly, Hello, Bishop. Fancy meeting you here.
Bish knew that voice though he hadn t heard it in many years. He sat down so
suddenly he would have bruises on his backside for a week. He shook his head very
slowly and then just stared. Baron. His eyes grew round with shock as he really
looked at him. Baron s black hair, shot through with silver streaks now, was arranged
like the old man s hair. He wore the same soft skirt-like garment with matching vest
and the soft sandals. And in the light of the wands they carried, his skin was
indisputably blue. Almost absently, Bishop noted the gently pointed ears, pierced and
decorated with multiple gold rings. After a minute, he realized that he was opening and
57
Anny Cook
closing his mouth like a goldfish but no sound was coming out. He tried again but it
came out as a hoarse croak. Baron.
Merlyn came and squatted down next to him, with his arm across his shoulder.
Bish, I m glad to see you. He gestured for the others to come closer. This is part of
my family. Llyon. Tyger. Two tall young men with blinding red hair arranged in tight
twists on top of their heads. Wrenna. A tiny young woman with locks the color of
glorious sunrise streaming down her back. And two men from our village, Jonas and
Mali. And you remember Jade, don t you? Yes, he remembered Jade but she looked
quite different with her glowing auburn hair bound up in some kind of braided coronet
arrangement sprinkled with tiny jewels. He had never seen her when her hair was this
neat. And they were all blue&
After scrutinizing the strange group, Bish turned to face his brother, Baron, why
have you never let us know that you were okay?
Merlyn stood and helped his brother to his feet. That s a long story, Bish, and we ll
have plenty of time to tell it later. Why don t we get this man settled and then we can
talk. He looked down at Trav with faint smile. Well, he certainly looks like Dancer.
Bishop was finding the entire encounter stranger by the second. How do you
know Dancer?
Llyon and Dai worked with quiet haste to stabilize Traveller while Wrenna knelt
near his head. Suddenly, she slumped over with her head resting on his shoulder. Tyger
jumped to pull her away but Dai shook his head. Leave her, Ty. They re in rapport and
it s better if they re touching.
More confused than ever, Bishop turned to his brother and demanded, What s
going on? What is she doing?
Merlyn took his arm, turning him away from the group working on Trav. Wrenna
is his mate. She s helping them stabilize him by linking with him mind to mind. You
needn t worry about him. We certainly wouldn t want to have to face Dancer if
something happened to Traveller!
You didn t answer me before. How do you know Dancer?
A small smile crept across his face as Merlyn replied proudly, He s my bond-son.
Observing the panicked look on Bish s face, he suggested kindly, Look! You re very
tired and your friend needs immediate attention. Come with us and I assure you that
we will explain everything as soon as possible. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl ocenkijessi.opx.pl
evicted. No human inhabitants. He found a fairly level space and dragged Trav there.
Trav had long since fainted, so after checking his pulse, Bishop allowed him to sleep.
He piled the rest of their belongings around them, rolled up in his blanket and stretched
out next to Trav to sleep.
55
Anny Cook
Chapter Seven
The faint rumble of thunder woke Wrenna late in the night. She wriggled around in
the bed, trying in vain to find that elusive comfortable position and finally got up and
padded over to the window. It wasn t raining in Lost Market but far off on the other
side of the river and training fields, she could see the flickers of lightning. A muffled
whimper at the bedroom door drew her attention away from the window. Cocking her
head to one side, she listened intently.
Wrenna, come now!
The mental voice a strange, unfamiliar one startled Wrenna. Who is this? she
demanded in bafflement.
Harmony! Dinti!
Wrenna rushed over to the door and flung it open. An enormous pale gold long-
haired creature sat on its haunches in the hallway, waving its feathery tail in agitation.
Mama had once commented that the dintis resembled salukis, a breed of out-valley dog,
except that their hair was much longer. Harmony s presence puzzled Wrenna as dintis
rarely spoke to humans and then only to the human they selected to bond with. Why
are you here?
You are my human, Wrenna. We will talk of that later. Now you must come with me. Your
mate is in the valley and he is hurt. Harmony s firm explanation left no room for protest. I
have already informed Dai of his injuries.
Hurrying back to her bed, Wrenna slipped off her sleeping shift and put on a dark
green meerlim. She snatched a shawl and low boots from the chest under the window
and rejoined Harmony in the hall, unsurprised to find her parents and Llyon and Tyger
waiting. Where is he, Harmony?
Circle five. Harmony turned away, loping down the dark hall. Come.
Where are we going, Wrenna? Papa asked softly.
Harmony the dinti says that Traveller is at pledging circle five and he s hurt.
Abruptly, she realized that her parents shouldn t even be in Lost Market. When did
you get back from Dai s Retreat?
Late, Papa replied curtly and impatiently motioned for her to lead the way.
Circle five was the pledging circle and cave that was located down past Silence
Brown s house. Fortunately, that meant that the path leading to the circle was mostly
smooth and flat. Mama rarely traveled beyond the village for one simple reason she
was blind. Wrenna didn t want to think about the reason the path conditions were
important because she didn t want to ask why Mama was accompanying them. Her
56
Traveller s Refuge
presence with the little group was so unusual that Wrenna was afraid it meant that
Traveller s condition was far more serious than Harmony had indicated.
Daybreak dawned over the valley as they made their way quietly down the wide
path. Near the edge of the village, Mali and Jonas, warrior-healers from the village
summoned by Dai, joined them. The small group continued on, each of them
wondering what new changes the latest newcomer would bring.
* * * * *
When Bishop woke, a very old, smallish blue man was leaning over Traveller. He
had both hands spread out over him and was slowly moving them along Trav s body as
though he could see through the skin with them. The man noticed that he was awake
and nodded to him. Your friend is badly hurt, he announced. I ve called for help to
move him.
Who are you? Bish asked in puzzlement. He had never seen anything like the
strange man. His long silver hair, arranged in a multitude of small braids, each finished
with a jeweled clasp, pooled around his knees as he knelt next to Trav. When he moved,
the clasps clinked together like a delicate wind chime. Bishop squinted in the cave s dim
light, unwilling to accept the hint of fangs and delicately pointed ears he could swear
the little man had. His face reminded Bish of a withered apple, except for those bright,
twinkling green eyes. They brought to mind bird eyes. The little old man had some sort
of cloth wrapped around his lower body and soft leather sandals.
I am Dai.
Uh-huh. And who are you when you re home, Die? Bish s brows rose in query.
I am Dai. A healer. He looked directly at Bishop. Your friend is in need of a
healer. His head came up as he heard people approaching. Good. Help has arrived
and soon your friend will be more comfortable.
Shoving the blanket away, Bish clambered to his feet. No one was going to move
Trav until he talked to somebody that made more sense. Several people appeared on
the pathway behind the waterfall shielding the cave, carrying bright light wands and all
talking at once. When they saw Bish, the babble stopped abruptly as though cut with a
knife.
The oldest man in the group tilted his head to one side, smiled widely revealing
definite pointed fangs and said calmly, Hello, Bishop. Fancy meeting you here.
Bish knew that voice though he hadn t heard it in many years. He sat down so
suddenly he would have bruises on his backside for a week. He shook his head very
slowly and then just stared. Baron. His eyes grew round with shock as he really
looked at him. Baron s black hair, shot through with silver streaks now, was arranged
like the old man s hair. He wore the same soft skirt-like garment with matching vest
and the soft sandals. And in the light of the wands they carried, his skin was
indisputably blue. Almost absently, Bishop noted the gently pointed ears, pierced and
decorated with multiple gold rings. After a minute, he realized that he was opening and
57
Anny Cook
closing his mouth like a goldfish but no sound was coming out. He tried again but it
came out as a hoarse croak. Baron.
Merlyn came and squatted down next to him, with his arm across his shoulder.
Bish, I m glad to see you. He gestured for the others to come closer. This is part of
my family. Llyon. Tyger. Two tall young men with blinding red hair arranged in tight
twists on top of their heads. Wrenna. A tiny young woman with locks the color of
glorious sunrise streaming down her back. And two men from our village, Jonas and
Mali. And you remember Jade, don t you? Yes, he remembered Jade but she looked
quite different with her glowing auburn hair bound up in some kind of braided coronet
arrangement sprinkled with tiny jewels. He had never seen her when her hair was this
neat. And they were all blue&
After scrutinizing the strange group, Bish turned to face his brother, Baron, why
have you never let us know that you were okay?
Merlyn stood and helped his brother to his feet. That s a long story, Bish, and we ll
have plenty of time to tell it later. Why don t we get this man settled and then we can
talk. He looked down at Trav with faint smile. Well, he certainly looks like Dancer.
Bishop was finding the entire encounter stranger by the second. How do you
know Dancer?
Llyon and Dai worked with quiet haste to stabilize Traveller while Wrenna knelt
near his head. Suddenly, she slumped over with her head resting on his shoulder. Tyger
jumped to pull her away but Dai shook his head. Leave her, Ty. They re in rapport and
it s better if they re touching.
More confused than ever, Bishop turned to his brother and demanded, What s
going on? What is she doing?
Merlyn took his arm, turning him away from the group working on Trav. Wrenna
is his mate. She s helping them stabilize him by linking with him mind to mind. You
needn t worry about him. We certainly wouldn t want to have to face Dancer if
something happened to Traveller!
You didn t answer me before. How do you know Dancer?
A small smile crept across his face as Merlyn replied proudly, He s my bond-son.
Observing the panicked look on Bish s face, he suggested kindly, Look! You re very
tired and your friend needs immediate attention. Come with us and I assure you that
we will explain everything as soon as possible. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]