[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
than this casual scan.
You may yet be trouble, rny mysterious friend.
And then again, there might not be any trouble at all.
For look at the direction in which they rode! Tensing in
sudden predatory delight, hardly believing his good
fortune, the sorcerer urged them. Further, ridejttst a Uule
further....
CASTLE OF DECEPTION
155
With a sharp crack! the mirror shattered. Alatan
sprang back in shock, dodging shards of glass. No
doubt about it: that black-dad figure was another sor-
cerer! No, no, more than that: the stranger could only
be a necromancer. No one else could have forced his
spell back on itself so powerfully.
Alatan's laugh was sharp as the glass. So, now! It had
been long and long rill he'd found an enemy worthy of
combat! Burning with eagerness,'the sorcerer sprang
to his feet. calling for his undead servants, and hurried
down to the meadow below, to the field of battle-once-
was and battle-yet-to-be.
Naitachal straightened as sharply in the saddle as
though he'd been slapped. Eyes blazing with sudden
sorcerous force, he gestured imperiously, shouting out
savage, alien Words that tore at Kevin's ears and sent
the mules shying wildly.
"Naitachal!" Lydia yelped, struggling to keep her
seat. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Reining in his own panicky, curvetting mule, the
Dark Elf said shortly, "Someone was spying on us.
Through sorcery. I turned his spell back upon him."
Eliathanis tensed. "Then it wasn't my imagination
just now. I really did sense ... something." His hand
tightened on the hilt of his sword. "Do you know who
the sorcerer is, or where?"
"Who, no. Where: nearby. But I've shattered his
scrying tool."
"That's not going to be the end of it."
"I doubt it." Naitachal glanced sharply about, a
predator hunting elusive prey. "The sooner we are
dear of this batdefield-that-was, the bettor."
And then the earth shook. Kevin's mule screamed in
terror, rearing up so violently the bardling went flying.
He twisted frantically in mid-air, landing with a jolt on
his feet, lute smacking him in the side, noting out of the
156 Mercedes Lackey ^Josepha Sherman
file:///G|/rah/Mercedes%20Lackey/Lackey,%20Me...stle%20of%20Deception%20-%20Bard's%20Tale.txt (118 of 200) [2/2/2004 1:24:47 AM]
file:///G|/rah/Mercedes%20Lackey/Lackey,%20Mercedes%20+%20Josepha%20Sherman%20-%20Castle%20of%20Deception%20-%20Bard's%20Tale.txt
corner of his eye that only Naitachal had managed to
keep his seat and staring as the meadow writhed, tear-
ing itself apart. Out of the shattered earth rose:
No. That's notpossible, his mind insisted, over and over.
Climbing up into the land of the living were the
long-dead, the skeletons of humans and Others, the
fallen victims of that now-forgotten battle returned,
fleshless skulls grinning, fleshless hands gripping
swords and axes. Sightless sockets stared blankly at the
horrified living.
Behind them, wrapped in a cloak as black as that
worn by Naitachal stood a figure who could only be the
necromancer who'd dragged them forth. All Kevin
could see of the face under the dark hood were a gray
beard proof the man at least was human and
fierce, pitiless gray eyes: sorcerous eyes. In the man's
hand a wooden staff topped with a serpentine carving
crackled with blue-white force.
To his right, the bardling heard Naitachal let out his
breath in a long hiss. "So..." the Dark Elf said softly. "I
thought as much."
He flung himself from his frantic mule, slapping it
out of the way of his magic. "Get out of here, all of you."
Eliathanis' sword glinted in his hand. "Are you mad?
We can't leave you here alone!"
"You can't fight what isn't alive! Get out of here!"
But it was already loo late. The other sorcerer thrust
out his staff, and the undead army charged.
"You shall no;!" With that, Naitachal shouted out
fierce, ugly, commanding Words in the harsh language
of sorcery, hurling his arms up in denial. The skeletal
enemy stumbled back from the force of his will but
behind them,'the human necromancer cast up his own
arms, staff raised, shouting out his own dark spell.
Kevin, near-Bard that he was, saw the psychic flames of
sorcery that blazed out from both foes, crashing
together in a shower ofblinding, blue-white sparks. He
CASTLE OF DECEPTION 157
heard Naitachal gasp at the impact, but the Dark Elf's
will held firm.
So, unfortunately, did that of the human foe.
But as the sorcerers stood locked in their savage,
silent battle, both lost their hold on the skeletal war-
riors. They, empty things that they were, followed the
only command they had received, and resumed their
interrupted charge.
"Look out!" Lydia cried. "Here they come!"
file:///G|/rah/Mercedes%20Lackey/Lackey,%20Me...stle%20of%20Deception%20-%20Bard's%20Tale.txt (119 of 200) [2/2/2004 1:24:47 AM]
file:///G|/rah/Mercedes%20Lackey/Lackey,%20Mercedes%20+%20Josepha%20Sherman%20-%20Castle%20of%20Deception%20-%20Bard's%20Tale.txt
Kevin gripped his sword as tightly as he could, trying
not to let it shake in his hand. Powers, Powers, how do you
hurt a skeleton?
All at once, the arch of sorcery vanished with a roar
of whirling air. Naitachal shouted out new Words of
command, the sound alien, hating, the essence of Dark
Elf necromancy. The Words enfolding the undead
bending them to his will. For a moment the deadly
things hesitated, caught, quivering with the strain.
Then, slowly, they turned to threaten the human
necromancer instead. His eyes widened in shock, and
for a moment Kevin thought the man was going to
break from sheer surprise. But after that startled
moment, the gray eyes blazed up in renewed fury. The
necromancer thrust out his staff with such force the
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]