[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
children in the alcove.
Gwen nodded. " 'Twas well thou followed Elidor. Well, if thou wilt hide thee
near the porter, I think I can distract him for thee."
Rod set his palms against his buttocks and leaned back, stretching. "Okay, but
give me a minute. I'm beginning to feel it, too."
A few minutes later, he waited just outside the doorway
leading to the giant windlass that controlled the drawbridge. The porter paced the
floor inside, humming to himself trying to stay awake, probably.
Suddenly the rope that held the windlass slipped loose, and the ratchet chattered
as the great drum began to turn.
The porter shouted and leaped for the crank-handle.
Rod leaped for the porter, plucked off his helmet, and clubbed him.
A few minutes later, he rejoined Gwen. "All secure. I take it I should run back
there and drop the bridge."
"Aye, and raise the portcullis. Yet attend a moment." She turned to Magnus.
"Son?"
Magnus was gazing off into space. A few seconds later, he relaxed and turned to
her. "The sentries on the towers are asleep."
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Gwen nodded at Rod.
He sighed, and trudged back to the windlass. Being a telepath must certainly
save a lot of hiking.
The portcullis rose, the drawbridge fell, and Rod almost did, too. He straightened
up, aching in every joint; it was getting to be a long day.
"My lord?" Gwen's head poked around the doorway. "Wilt thou join us?"
"Coming," he grumbled, and shuffled toward the doorway. How could she still
look so fresh and cheery?
They went across the drawbridge, as fast as Geoffrey and Rod could manage.
Fifty feet from the castle, Gwen stopped the party, and shooed them into the
shadow of a big rock. She ducked her head around it, staring back at the castle.
Curious, Rod peeked around the other side. * He saw the drawbridge slowly rise.
Startled, he darted a glance at Gwen. A wrinkle showed between her eyebrows;
her lower lip was caught between her teeth. She was showing the strain and so
she should! That slab of wood had to weigh half a ton!
Cordelia was watching alertly, glancing from Gwen to the drawbridge and back.
Finally, Gwen nodded, and Cordelia's face screwed up tight for a second. Then
Gwen relaxed with a
sigh. "Well done; thou hast indeed secured the winch. Now slip the ratchet on
the portcullis, sweeting yet not altogether; thou dost not wish it to come a-
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Stasheff, Christopher - Warlock 04 - The Warlock Unlocked (v1.0) (html).html
crashing down."
Cordelia frowned darkly for a few minutes, staring at the castle; then Rod heard
a muted, deep-toned clang. Cordelia looked up at her mother, and nodded. " Tis
down."
"Well done." Gwen patted Cordelia's shoulder, and the little girl beamed. Mama
turned to Magnus. "Now wake the sentries, that they may think they've only
dozed, and that nothing is amiss."
Magnus gazed off into space a moment it was a long moment, for he was tiring
then looked up at Gwen and nodded.
"Well enough." Gwen nodded, satisfied. " 'Twill be at least an hour ere the
others awake, and we'll be long gone; let them search." She turned to Rod. "Yet
we had best lose no time."
"Agreed," Rod affirmed. "Make sure the sentries are looking the other way for a
few minutes, will you? Otherwise, they can't help seeing us on this slope."
"Hmf." Gwen frowned. "I had forgot that. Well& " She held the frown for a few
minutes, then nodded. "They think they hear voices calling, towards the north.
Lose no time."
Rod nodded, and darted out across the slope, swinging Geoffrey up to his
shoulders. The family followed. A hundred yards farther on and fifty feet lower,
they stopped, panting, in the shade of a huge oak tree, sentinel for a crop of
woodland.
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Stasheff, Christopher - Warlock 04 - The Warlock Unlocked (v1.0) (html).html
"Whither away?" Gwen demanded.
Rod caught his breath and pointed southwest. "That way, toward the grove
where we came in. After all that talk about the High Warlock's holdout in the
northeast, they'll expect us to head for him. They won't think we've got any
reason for going back."
"Have we?"
Rod shrugged. "Not that I know of except that I don't
like travelling in totally unfamiliar territory at night, especially when I'm on the
run."
Gwen nodded. " Tis as wise a course as aught else. Follow Father, children."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Father Al clung to the broomstick for dear life, knuckles white and forearms
aching with the strain. At first, flight on so slender a craft had been a heady,
delightful thing, almost like flying under his own power; but the sun had risen,
and he'd happened to glance down. The world whizzed by below, treetops
reaching up to snag at his robe. His stomach had turned over, then done its best
to shinny up his backbone to safety. Since then, the ride had been a qualified
nightmare. He just hoped the tears in his eyes were due only to the wind.
"Yon, "the girl called back to him, "ahead, andbelow!"
He craned his neck to see over her shoulder. About a hundred meters ahead, a
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Stasheff, Christopher - Warlock 04 - The Warlock Unlocked (v1.0) (html).html
large cottage nestled within a grove, a half-timbered house with a thatched roof,
and two outbuildings behind it. Then the ground was rushing up at them, and
Father Al clung to the broomstick as he clung to his hope of Heaven,
commanding his body to relax. His body didn't listen. The world rolled upward
past them, then suddenly rolled back down. He clamped his jaw and swallowed,
hard, just barely managing to keep his stomach from using his tongue as a
springboard.
Then, incredibly, they had stopped, and solid earth jarred upward against his
soles.
"We are come." The witch-girl smiled back at him over her shoulder. Then her
brows knit in concern. "Art thou well?"
"Oh, most excellent! Or I will be, soon." Father Al swung his leg over the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl ocenkijessi.opx.pl
children in the alcove.
Gwen nodded. " 'Twas well thou followed Elidor. Well, if thou wilt hide thee
near the porter, I think I can distract him for thee."
Rod set his palms against his buttocks and leaned back, stretching. "Okay, but
give me a minute. I'm beginning to feel it, too."
A few minutes later, he waited just outside the doorway
leading to the giant windlass that controlled the drawbridge. The porter paced the
floor inside, humming to himself trying to stay awake, probably.
Suddenly the rope that held the windlass slipped loose, and the ratchet chattered
as the great drum began to turn.
The porter shouted and leaped for the crank-handle.
Rod leaped for the porter, plucked off his helmet, and clubbed him.
A few minutes later, he rejoined Gwen. "All secure. I take it I should run back
there and drop the bridge."
"Aye, and raise the portcullis. Yet attend a moment." She turned to Magnus.
"Son?"
Magnus was gazing off into space. A few seconds later, he relaxed and turned to
her. "The sentries on the towers are asleep."
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20krui...20Warlock%2004%20-%20The%20Warlock%20Unlocked.html (176 of 356)20-2-2006 21:35:38
Stasheff, Christopher - Warlock 04 - The Warlock Unlocked (v1.0) (html).html
Gwen nodded at Rod.
He sighed, and trudged back to the windlass. Being a telepath must certainly
save a lot of hiking.
The portcullis rose, the drawbridge fell, and Rod almost did, too. He straightened
up, aching in every joint; it was getting to be a long day.
"My lord?" Gwen's head poked around the doorway. "Wilt thou join us?"
"Coming," he grumbled, and shuffled toward the doorway. How could she still
look so fresh and cheery?
They went across the drawbridge, as fast as Geoffrey and Rod could manage.
Fifty feet from the castle, Gwen stopped the party, and shooed them into the
shadow of a big rock. She ducked her head around it, staring back at the castle.
Curious, Rod peeked around the other side. * He saw the drawbridge slowly rise.
Startled, he darted a glance at Gwen. A wrinkle showed between her eyebrows;
her lower lip was caught between her teeth. She was showing the strain and so
she should! That slab of wood had to weigh half a ton!
Cordelia was watching alertly, glancing from Gwen to the drawbridge and back.
Finally, Gwen nodded, and Cordelia's face screwed up tight for a second. Then
Gwen relaxed with a
sigh. "Well done; thou hast indeed secured the winch. Now slip the ratchet on
the portcullis, sweeting yet not altogether; thou dost not wish it to come a-
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20krui...20Warlock%2004%20-%20The%20Warlock%20Unlocked.html (177 of 356)20-2-2006 21:35:38
Stasheff, Christopher - Warlock 04 - The Warlock Unlocked (v1.0) (html).html
crashing down."
Cordelia frowned darkly for a few minutes, staring at the castle; then Rod heard
a muted, deep-toned clang. Cordelia looked up at her mother, and nodded. " Tis
down."
"Well done." Gwen patted Cordelia's shoulder, and the little girl beamed. Mama
turned to Magnus. "Now wake the sentries, that they may think they've only
dozed, and that nothing is amiss."
Magnus gazed off into space a moment it was a long moment, for he was tiring
then looked up at Gwen and nodded.
"Well enough." Gwen nodded, satisfied. " 'Twill be at least an hour ere the
others awake, and we'll be long gone; let them search." She turned to Rod. "Yet
we had best lose no time."
"Agreed," Rod affirmed. "Make sure the sentries are looking the other way for a
few minutes, will you? Otherwise, they can't help seeing us on this slope."
"Hmf." Gwen frowned. "I had forgot that. Well& " She held the frown for a few
minutes, then nodded. "They think they hear voices calling, towards the north.
Lose no time."
Rod nodded, and darted out across the slope, swinging Geoffrey up to his
shoulders. The family followed. A hundred yards farther on and fifty feet lower,
they stopped, panting, in the shade of a huge oak tree, sentinel for a crop of
woodland.
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20krui...20Warlock%2004%20-%20The%20Warlock%20Unlocked.html (178 of 356)20-2-2006 21:35:38
Stasheff, Christopher - Warlock 04 - The Warlock Unlocked (v1.0) (html).html
"Whither away?" Gwen demanded.
Rod caught his breath and pointed southwest. "That way, toward the grove
where we came in. After all that talk about the High Warlock's holdout in the
northeast, they'll expect us to head for him. They won't think we've got any
reason for going back."
"Have we?"
Rod shrugged. "Not that I know of except that I don't
like travelling in totally unfamiliar territory at night, especially when I'm on the
run."
Gwen nodded. " Tis as wise a course as aught else. Follow Father, children."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Father Al clung to the broomstick for dear life, knuckles white and forearms
aching with the strain. At first, flight on so slender a craft had been a heady,
delightful thing, almost like flying under his own power; but the sun had risen,
and he'd happened to glance down. The world whizzed by below, treetops
reaching up to snag at his robe. His stomach had turned over, then done its best
to shinny up his backbone to safety. Since then, the ride had been a qualified
nightmare. He just hoped the tears in his eyes were due only to the wind.
"Yon, "the girl called back to him, "ahead, andbelow!"
He craned his neck to see over her shoulder. About a hundred meters ahead, a
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20krui...20Warlock%2004%20-%20The%20Warlock%20Unlocked.html (179 of 356)20-2-2006 21:35:38
Stasheff, Christopher - Warlock 04 - The Warlock Unlocked (v1.0) (html).html
large cottage nestled within a grove, a half-timbered house with a thatched roof,
and two outbuildings behind it. Then the ground was rushing up at them, and
Father Al clung to the broomstick as he clung to his hope of Heaven,
commanding his body to relax. His body didn't listen. The world rolled upward
past them, then suddenly rolled back down. He clamped his jaw and swallowed,
hard, just barely managing to keep his stomach from using his tongue as a
springboard.
Then, incredibly, they had stopped, and solid earth jarred upward against his
soles.
"We are come." The witch-girl smiled back at him over her shoulder. Then her
brows knit in concern. "Art thou well?"
"Oh, most excellent! Or I will be, soon." Father Al swung his leg over the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]