L J Smith Forbidden Game 03 The Kill

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.Jenny put her hand in his.The Shadow Man lifted his lips to show long, blunt teeth like tusks.Something knocked them apart.Jenny was knocked breathless, too, startled and confused.She thought it wassome sort of attack.It was Julian.His hair was shining like lightning, like quicksilver.His whole being seemedfull of elemental energy -of frightening intensity.And his eyes were theunbelievable, luminous blue of the precise moment before dawn.He looked at Jenny for just one second, and then he turned and she could onlysee the clean purity of his profile."Go through the door!" he said."That's your way home.They won't come afteryou."He was between her and the Shadow Men.And apparently, unlike Dee, he couldinteract with them physically.At any rate, they were keeping back."Go on!" he shouted."We must have blood," the crocodile-eyed Shadow Man said."We will haveblood.""Hurry!" Julian shouted.Through the open door Jenny could see her grandfather's hallway."We have a right to a kill," the crocodile-eyed Shadow Man said.From the airhe snatched up something long and flat and incredibly ancient-looking.Hisfingers were covered in scaly skin like a dinosaur's, Jenny saw.Then sherealized what the long, flat branch must be.A runestave.Like the picture in her grandfather's journal, except that thisone was real-was more real than any object Jenny had ever seen.It was likesome of the island worlds-the ones that were brighter and moresubstantial-looking than Earth.This stave was so real that it looked alive,throbbing with raw power.There were not just single runes carved on it, but lines and lines of them,tall and needle-thin.Even though they were delicately inscribed, each strokestood out clearly.It was as if the cuts were filled with liquid diamond thatshone against the background of wood.Jenny couldn't keep looking at the runes.It was like trying to read in adream-first the details were sharp, and then the whole stave seemed to bePage 114ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlswarming with changes.The runes seemed to move before she could identifythem.That's the stave of life.If anything ever was, that's the stave of life, shethought.The voice like faraway ice bells said, "Give her tous."No," Julian said.Jenny felt movement behind her.Tom.And Dee,and Zach supporting Summer, and Audrey and Michael together.They were allgathering near her, and their way was clear to the door.But nobody startedfor it."What's happening?" Audrey whispered."You know what we can do," the tall Shadow Man with the crocodile eyes saidto Julian, and he held the runestave higher."Go through the door," Julian said, without turning."We can unmake you!" the tall one shrieked, and in that moment his voicewasn't beautiful.It was like an ice floe breaking, a cracking, smashing soundof destruction."What are they talking about?" Tom said.His quiet, level voice helped Jenny."They can cut out his name.If they cutout his name, he dies." Then she said, "Julian-""Go on!" he said.The Shadow Men were very, very angry."We have a right to a kill!""Then take it!" Julian shouted."But you won't get past me!"The thin, scaly fingers of the Shadow Man's other hand were holding a knife.It looked like bone.It glittered like frost."Come on, Jenny," Tom said, not moving."Julian-""Go on!" Julian said.The knife rose and fell.Jenny heard herself scream.She saw the slash of the blade, the way theliquid diamond spilled like blood.There was a terrible gash in the stave now,ahideous blank space.A wound.They had carved out Julian's name.Julian staggered.Jenny wrenched herself away from something that was trying to hold her andPage 115ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlfell on her knees beside him.Her thoughts were wheeling and spinning, with noorder to them.There must be something to do, some way to help.Really, she knew by his face that it was too late.The other Shadow Men were coming in a rush of darkness and freezing wind [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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