[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
out to sea, as Gherid had instructed.
A wave broke over the boat, soaking her. She scooped the water out of the hull
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THE LAST OF THE WILDS
with magic. The rain was so thick now she could barely see the other end of the
vessel. There was nothing for her to do but endure. She could not raise the sail in
these conditions. She could not see where she was, let alone find her destination,
or return to the mainland.
She cursed again as another wave nearly toppled the boat. The wind sounded
like an inhuman voice. She could not help feeling a twinge of superstitious fear.
Perhaps she should not be cursing the god of the sea.
Why not? He can t harm me, she thought. He s dead. Like all the old gods. Well,
all but the Circle. Could it be that one of the remaining five had learned to
influence the sea? Was one playing with it right now?
The thought was not comforting. If the gods were causing this, what purpose did
they have? Were they aware of her? Were they trying to stop her reaching her
destination? She clung to the rudder. Though rain and cloud lay thick between
herself and the sun, a thin gray light struggled through to her. Suddenly the light
failed and she moved into shadow. She looked around, holding back a growing
dread. When she saw the source of the shadow her heart froze. Something tall
and dark loomed over her.
Fear melted away as she realized what it was.
The Stack!
Through sheer luck, the boat had been driven by the storm to the very place she
wanted to be. Now, however, the current was drawing her away from it. Casting
about, she considered the oars clipped to the sides of the boat.
No. They ll be of no use. I was lucky the sea didn t throw the boat against the
Stack. Even if I manage to row closer, I can t tie up the boat. It ll be dashed to
pieces. This calls for magic, and a lot of concentration.
Drawing in a good deal of magic, she sent it out around the boat. She would
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THE LAST OF THE WILDS
have to act quickly once she had hold of the vessel or the next wave would wash
right over her.
Lift.
Her stomach sank as the boat soared upward, carrying her with it. She stared
ahead, where she knew the Stack stood, now hidden by the rain.
Forward.
It was not a smooth ride. Moving the boat demanded the unwavering focus of
her mind. Every gust of wind or shift in her thoughts caused the boat to tilt or
sink. Even her relief at seeing the Stack emerge from the rain caused the boat s
movement to waver.
Closer.
She stopped when she could see the rocky surface before her.
Higher.
The sound of the churning waves crashing against the rocks diminished as she
lifted the boat up. Tufts of hardy sea grass appeared, growing in cracks and
nooks, then a blanket of it became visible. She had reached the top of the Stack.
Forward.
She moved the boat over the sea grass, then, several paces from the cliff edge,
lowered it to the ground.
There was no time to feel relief. The wind threatened to toss the boat back off.
Jumping out, she removed her belongings, turned it over, rammed pegs into the
ground and lashed the vessel to them.
When she was sure it was secure, she straightened and looked around. It was
possible she had just landed on a promontory of the coast and not the Stack the
boy had described. Leaving the boat, she walked carefully to the edge. The sea
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THE LAST OF THE WILDS
below was hidden by the dense rain.
She marked her position by pulling up three handfuls of grass to reveal the pale
sandy soil beneath, then she paced around the edge. After fifty paces, she found
the uprooted grass. To be sure she hadn t encountered a natural repetition of her
marker, she walked away from the edge. The boat appeared, and she nodded to
herself.
I ll know this is the Stack the boy described if I find the cave.
She walked around the cliff edge again, looking for the beginning of the
staircase that led down to the cave, but found no sign of it. After the fifth circuit
of the island, she gave up and returned to the boat.
Sitting down, she drew enough magic to form a shield against the rain. Her
clothes were soaked and heavy. She channelled a little more magic to warm and
dry herself. As the water misted out of her clothes and hair she shivered.
This had better not be one of those three-day storms, she thought. If it goes for
more than a few more hours, I will try to find that staircase again.
And if she didn t find it? She would have to stay and wait the storm out. Even if
she used magic to keep the boat afloat and propel it through the water, she still
had no way of knowing which direction to go to return to the coast.
With a resigned sigh, she opened her bag and brought out some dried fruit to
chew on while she waited.
Early morning sunlight set the membrane walls of the bower glowing. Auraya
looked around the little house and sighed with pleasure. It was good to be back
in Si.
Why does this place feel like home? she asked herself. I feel better today than I
have for months. And I had no nightmares last night, she realized. She felt as if
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THE LAST OF THE WILDS
she had left a lot of troubling things behind her. Nightmares. The hospice. I
hadn t realized how much the hospice was bothering me.
She thought back to her previous stay in Si. She d always woken up feeling good
here. But was that because of my dream links with Leiard? she suddenly thought.
Leiard. Did she imagine that the pang of hurt that always came at the thought of
Leiard was weaker? He seemed a part of someone else s life now. Perhaps soon
she would feel nothing at all.
:I hope not, a familiar voice spoke into her mind. It would be terrible indeed for
you to feel nothing. Neither joy nor sorrow. Neither pleasure nor pain.
I meant feel nothing about Leiard, she told Chaia. You know that.
:You will always feel something in regard to him. lime will dull the pain. There is
nothing that eases it as well as immersing oneself in new feelings.
Yes, she thought. New challenges. Like getting these Pentadrians out of Si.
:That wasn t what I had in mind.
She smiled crookedly. I thought not. But as they say: work before pleasure.
:I ll hold you to that.
His presence abruptly vanished. Auraya shook her head. Sometimes she did not
understand Chaia, but then he was a god and she wasn t. She rose and moved to
the hanging that covered the bower entrance.
Owaya fly?
She looked back at Mischief, who had decided one of the baskets hanging from
the bower roof was an acceptable sleeping place. Only his nose was visible over
the lip.
Yes. Auraya fly alone. To a dangerous meeting. Mischief stay here. Safe.
Mischief considered this for a long moment, then his nose withdrew from sight. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl ocenkijessi.opx.pl
out to sea, as Gherid had instructed.
A wave broke over the boat, soaking her. She scooped the water out of the hull
file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/Canavan,%20Trudi%20-%20...02%20-%20The%20Last%20of%20the%20Wilds%20(v1).htm (303 of 637)28-12-2006 12:46:31
THE LAST OF THE WILDS
with magic. The rain was so thick now she could barely see the other end of the
vessel. There was nothing for her to do but endure. She could not raise the sail in
these conditions. She could not see where she was, let alone find her destination,
or return to the mainland.
She cursed again as another wave nearly toppled the boat. The wind sounded
like an inhuman voice. She could not help feeling a twinge of superstitious fear.
Perhaps she should not be cursing the god of the sea.
Why not? He can t harm me, she thought. He s dead. Like all the old gods. Well,
all but the Circle. Could it be that one of the remaining five had learned to
influence the sea? Was one playing with it right now?
The thought was not comforting. If the gods were causing this, what purpose did
they have? Were they aware of her? Were they trying to stop her reaching her
destination? She clung to the rudder. Though rain and cloud lay thick between
herself and the sun, a thin gray light struggled through to her. Suddenly the light
failed and she moved into shadow. She looked around, holding back a growing
dread. When she saw the source of the shadow her heart froze. Something tall
and dark loomed over her.
Fear melted away as she realized what it was.
The Stack!
Through sheer luck, the boat had been driven by the storm to the very place she
wanted to be. Now, however, the current was drawing her away from it. Casting
about, she considered the oars clipped to the sides of the boat.
No. They ll be of no use. I was lucky the sea didn t throw the boat against the
Stack. Even if I manage to row closer, I can t tie up the boat. It ll be dashed to
pieces. This calls for magic, and a lot of concentration.
Drawing in a good deal of magic, she sent it out around the boat. She would
file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/Canavan,%20Trudi%20-%20...02%20-%20The%20Last%20of%20the%20Wilds%20(v1).htm (304 of 637)28-12-2006 12:46:31
THE LAST OF THE WILDS
have to act quickly once she had hold of the vessel or the next wave would wash
right over her.
Lift.
Her stomach sank as the boat soared upward, carrying her with it. She stared
ahead, where she knew the Stack stood, now hidden by the rain.
Forward.
It was not a smooth ride. Moving the boat demanded the unwavering focus of
her mind. Every gust of wind or shift in her thoughts caused the boat to tilt or
sink. Even her relief at seeing the Stack emerge from the rain caused the boat s
movement to waver.
Closer.
She stopped when she could see the rocky surface before her.
Higher.
The sound of the churning waves crashing against the rocks diminished as she
lifted the boat up. Tufts of hardy sea grass appeared, growing in cracks and
nooks, then a blanket of it became visible. She had reached the top of the Stack.
Forward.
She moved the boat over the sea grass, then, several paces from the cliff edge,
lowered it to the ground.
There was no time to feel relief. The wind threatened to toss the boat back off.
Jumping out, she removed her belongings, turned it over, rammed pegs into the
ground and lashed the vessel to them.
When she was sure it was secure, she straightened and looked around. It was
possible she had just landed on a promontory of the coast and not the Stack the
boy had described. Leaving the boat, she walked carefully to the edge. The sea
file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/Canavan,%20Trudi%20-%20...02%20-%20The%20Last%20of%20the%20Wilds%20(v1).htm (305 of 637)28-12-2006 12:46:31
THE LAST OF THE WILDS
below was hidden by the dense rain.
She marked her position by pulling up three handfuls of grass to reveal the pale
sandy soil beneath, then she paced around the edge. After fifty paces, she found
the uprooted grass. To be sure she hadn t encountered a natural repetition of her
marker, she walked away from the edge. The boat appeared, and she nodded to
herself.
I ll know this is the Stack the boy described if I find the cave.
She walked around the cliff edge again, looking for the beginning of the
staircase that led down to the cave, but found no sign of it. After the fifth circuit
of the island, she gave up and returned to the boat.
Sitting down, she drew enough magic to form a shield against the rain. Her
clothes were soaked and heavy. She channelled a little more magic to warm and
dry herself. As the water misted out of her clothes and hair she shivered.
This had better not be one of those three-day storms, she thought. If it goes for
more than a few more hours, I will try to find that staircase again.
And if she didn t find it? She would have to stay and wait the storm out. Even if
she used magic to keep the boat afloat and propel it through the water, she still
had no way of knowing which direction to go to return to the coast.
With a resigned sigh, she opened her bag and brought out some dried fruit to
chew on while she waited.
Early morning sunlight set the membrane walls of the bower glowing. Auraya
looked around the little house and sighed with pleasure. It was good to be back
in Si.
Why does this place feel like home? she asked herself. I feel better today than I
have for months. And I had no nightmares last night, she realized. She felt as if
file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/Canavan,%20Trudi%20-%20...02%20-%20The%20Last%20of%20the%20Wilds%20(v1).htm (306 of 637)28-12-2006 12:46:31
THE LAST OF THE WILDS
she had left a lot of troubling things behind her. Nightmares. The hospice. I
hadn t realized how much the hospice was bothering me.
She thought back to her previous stay in Si. She d always woken up feeling good
here. But was that because of my dream links with Leiard? she suddenly thought.
Leiard. Did she imagine that the pang of hurt that always came at the thought of
Leiard was weaker? He seemed a part of someone else s life now. Perhaps soon
she would feel nothing at all.
:I hope not, a familiar voice spoke into her mind. It would be terrible indeed for
you to feel nothing. Neither joy nor sorrow. Neither pleasure nor pain.
I meant feel nothing about Leiard, she told Chaia. You know that.
:You will always feel something in regard to him. lime will dull the pain. There is
nothing that eases it as well as immersing oneself in new feelings.
Yes, she thought. New challenges. Like getting these Pentadrians out of Si.
:That wasn t what I had in mind.
She smiled crookedly. I thought not. But as they say: work before pleasure.
:I ll hold you to that.
His presence abruptly vanished. Auraya shook her head. Sometimes she did not
understand Chaia, but then he was a god and she wasn t. She rose and moved to
the hanging that covered the bower entrance.
Owaya fly?
She looked back at Mischief, who had decided one of the baskets hanging from
the bower roof was an acceptable sleeping place. Only his nose was visible over
the lip.
Yes. Auraya fly alone. To a dangerous meeting. Mischief stay here. Safe.
Mischief considered this for a long moment, then his nose withdrew from sight. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]