Brom The Child Theif (v5.0)

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.The multitude ofbutterflies making up her body turned from white to red to black.She spreadher arms.The golden stones faded and the garden darkened.The pond itselfbegan to glow, an eerie green mist rose from its waters.The Captain felt hisskin prickle as wicked shapes boiled up along the surface and began to slitherand crawl toward the men, things with thousands of teeth and long, bonyfingers, things that wailed and moaned. Away, the Lady cried at the men, her voice booming off the towering cliffs. Lest you wish my children take you into the Mist.Lest you wish to wander foran eternity with your lost brethren.The men stopped, unsure, some looking to turn and run. Hold your place, the Reverend commanded. It s not but smoke and bluster.She has no power over God s children! And to prove this, he ran toward theLady, through the mist, leaving its flailing tendrils swirling in his wake.Heswung his staff and the Lady broke apart into a thousand black butterflies.The Captain felt himself released.He swung the ax at the apple tree, a heavy,solid blow.The blade sank into the fleshy bark and a gush of blood spurtedfrom the wound.The Lady screamed as though he d cut into her own flesh.Heswung the ax again, biting deep into the trunk.Again the Lady wailed, not acry of pain but one of sorrow, and the black butterflies fell from the air,dropping dead upon the surface of the pond.The men fanned out across the garden and began slaying the animals, crushingthe little folk beneath their boots.The water bubbled around the small island and the Captain caught sight of asilvery shape spiraling up from the depths.The Lady broke the surface nospectral illusion this time he could plainly see she was of flesh and blood, afine-boned woman with ghostly white skin and deep animal eyes.She touched himwith those eyes, those dazzlingly blue eyes, held him.She extended her armsand her voice crawled back into his head.Captain, please come home with me.Your children call for you.And suddenly he could hear them, his boys, callinghis name, calling him home. No, the Captain whispered and tore his eyes from the Lady, set his footagainst the tree, and tugged the ax free.He hefted it high and chopped,again, and then again.The white leaves falling down around him like snow.With each stroke the Lady s voice weakened, was reduced to little more thanpleading.He felt a hand on his boot.She was there, clinging to the bank,clawing at his boot, but she was frail, too weak to do more than shake him.The air filled with smoke and the crackling of fire as the men set thetrellises to flame.The pond turned red as the life blood of the tree flowedinto its waters.With a final blow, the tree surrendered to gravity, topplinginto the pond as though in slow motion.The pond lost its glow, the mist died away.The Lady floated to the tree,curled herself among its branches, clutching it like a mother would a baby. Her spell is broken! the Reverend shouted triumphantly. Bring her to me.Four men swam out.They threw a net about her and pulled her from the pond,dragged her across the mud and before the Reverend.The Reverend spied the small star hanging about her neck.He tore it away andstomped it into the mud.He ripped off the golden clasps that held her gown,dashed them against a stone. See to it she hides no other witchery, hecommanded.The men stripped her of her gown, then kicked her into the mud.Page 198ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlThe Lady raised her head, her wild animal eyes wide and haunted.She stared atthe flame devouring the flowers and bushes, at the mutilated animals, sprites,pixies, and nymphs and, finally, the Tree.A long, anguished howl escaped herthroat.The men took a step back.She climbed to her feet, naked, covered inmud, soot, and blood.She raised her hands outward, threw back her head, andwailed, and wailed; the sound echoing off the ceiling and reverberating alongevery wall and ledge.The pond rippled.The ground trembled beneath theCaptain s feet, several stones dislodged from the walls and tumbled down intothe garden. DEMON! the Reverend cried, and struck the Lady across her forehead with hisstaff.She collapsed to her knees, swaying drunkenly as blood streamed downher face.The men seized her.They lashed a rope around her neck and draggedher away, past the dead and burning carnage and out of the sanctuary.It was only then that the screaming of the maimed and wounded truly reachedthe Captain, that he became acutely aware of the acrid smell of burning flesh.He coughed and looked again at the apple tree. Done.It is done! The leavesof the tree began to wilt and turn gray before his eyes, the grass too.Bushes, vines, flowers, fruit, everywhere he looked it was the same: theplants were shriveling and withering away.As the leaves dried out, the fire spread, and the men rushed to escape.Theground rumbled again and the ledges began to crumble, a large boulder crasheddown and tumbled into the pond, sending a red wave overflowing its banks.TheCaptain leaped off the small island and splashed his way to shore.A flamingtree crashed down beside him, showering him in a storm of fire and ash.Hemade the shore and clambered his way over the bludgeoned carcasses and throughthe sparks and smoke to the cavern.He took a last glance back at the garden,now truly a vision of Hell.At last, he thought as he pushed out through thefalls.It is done at last.Chapter Twenty-FourFerryI have them, Ulfger thought.The elves had climbed up past the Hall of Kings, to the very peak of themountain, but now there was no place left for them to flee.He could seethem down on the side of the ledge where even a billy goat wouldn t dareventure clinging to the rocks against the buffeting wind.Ulfger couldn t get to them, not with his sword anyway, but he could feeltheir fear and locked on it, made them shake with it, made their teeth achewith it, could feel them weakening, slipping.White-hot pain suddenly flashed in Ulfger s head.He let out a cry.It cameagain, like someone striking his helmet. STOP! he bawled and clutched thehelmet.He fell to one knee.A tremor rumbled beneath his feet.He saw darksmoke rising from the valley.It appeared to be coming from the Haven.Ulfgerreached out with his mind, searched, but he didn t need his helmet, he sawtheir torches far below an army of Flesh-eaters marching away from the Haven. NO! he screamed [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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