Megan Derr Dance with the Devil 1 Midnight c

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
." He bared his fangs, causing the oldwoman to cry out and recoil.Barra stepped forward to stand between Ceadda and Neirin and the old woman."We just want our friend back, ma'am.That's all.Your master was a nightwalker,too.If you hate us then you have to hate him.Let us retrieve our friend andwe'll leave well enough alone.If you stand against us, then we've no choice butto do to all of you what he's done to us.Understand?""That does explain the house," Midnight said thoughtfully."If he knew he wouldneed it again someday it makes perfect sense to leave it to those who are loyalto him and bid them keep it until his plans come to fruition.Not to mention that,as a draugr, he would be vulnerable during the day.He would need trustworthyprotectors."Though, one protector probably had difficulty standing, and the other was still anormal and at her age probably would not take well to an introduction to thenightwalker world.That meant Silas was running out of time; he must havebeen working on how to be something much like Midnight for a very long time.He must be furious that Midnight had been beneath his nose all the while, thatthe answer was there and he had always been ignorant of it.Midnightwondered if he was aware that what he wanted was right in his house and hadbeen there the whole time.He didn't think Silas knew, otherwise he would havemanaged to snatch Devlin much sooner, and likely with less flash.Slipping a hand into his pocket, Midnight curled his fingers around the runewhich he still guarded fiercely.Devlin's rune, and if Devlin had realized it wasmissing he was probably devastated.If the set was not complete, the power wasbroken.If he had found a way to use his runes to help him out of his bind, hewould not be able to use them that would upset him like nothing else.Well, they were close to finding him so very close.The old woman was silent, staring at her hands, mouth pinched with anger."Where is Silas hiding?" Neirin asked.When the old woman remained silent, Neirin repeated in a tone that brookedno argument, "Tell me where he is, now."The old woman's shoulders sagged, and she said faintly, "Check the kitchen.That is all I will tell you." She fell silent and they turned away, but as theyreached the door she spoke again, angry and wretched."You have no rightdoing this! We did nothing to you! Master Silas was a good man is a good man.So what if he wants to live forever? Better him than those nasties that ate myhusband's family, than you despicable creatures that drink blood." Her eyesflashed as she glared at Ceadda, then moved to each of them in turn."Vile, all ofyou.Master Silas was like none of you.He worked and he harmed none buthimself.""Of course you would think that," Midnight said contemptuously."You take careof him.Only a fool would mistreat those who help keep him safe and cozy in histower.You were manipulated and made to like him.He had you convinced hewas golden, the one good nightwalker amongst thousands of evil.Yet he let thatblood drinker have your daughter when he had the power to prevent it.He didnot keep your husband alive, he will not keep you alive, he will not keep yourdaughter alive.He convinced you he was good because there is nothing betterthan a willing slave.I am sorry to be so harsh, for you should be respected andcared for at your age, and no lady deserves to be so maligned.But your goodmaster is harming someone dear to me for the sake of his own life.He will kill agood man to restore his own life.He is a nightwalker, but he is not one of thegood ones.I bid you goodnight."He turned sharply and left the room, but before he could go in search of thekitchen, Barra joined him and swiftly led the way.It was tidy, as kitchens went, or so Midnight supposed.He seldom bothered togo in any of the kitchens in Devlin's homes, and had seen no others that hecould recall.Still, it was orderly, with everything neatly put away, the thingsupon which the woman had been working for dinner still carefully arranged on alarge table in the center of the room.The floor was dark tile, obviously recently swept and scrubbed clean.He feltguilty for trekking across it with his muddy boots, but not guilty enough not todo it.He could feel no magic, and surely they must feel it if Devlin and the strange,aggravating Silas were close by.Why would they be in the kitchen?It was then he saw it, just as Barra spotted the same.They moved nearly as oneto the massive table and shoved it roughly aside, heedless of the jars andcrockery that took offense to the sudden movement and fell over the side.Theyshattered on the hard tile floor, flour and spices and honey combining in a stickymess upon the recently cleaned floor, adding a sharp, not unpleasant smell tothe air.In the floor was a large, wooden trap door but when Midnight attempted totouch it he snarled in pain and snatched his hand back."Heavily spelled," Ceadda said, kneeling and muttering.Lights and colorsshimmered for a moment, displaying all the intricate work that was otherwisenot visible to any of their eyes."Impressive," he murmured, shaking his head inreluctant admiration."This must have taken him a very long time.He has thepatience of one of the long-lived; that is hard for a human.Every step of thisplan would have taken weeks or months or years.I wonder when he reallybegan to work upon it.He spent more time preparing for his death than he didliving.""That is unfortunate," Neirin said."How do we get past these wards, then?"Midnight bit back his frustration, fisting his hands to still their angry trembling,hating how helpless and pathetic he felt.Devlin was right there, only a dooraway, and he could not touch him."I do not know," Ceadda said with a grimace."I have never seen such intricatewards, and there must be wards against damn near everything here.As I said,this probably took him years, laying one piece down at a time, braiding twopieces together before laying in the third, and so on and so forth.This is thework of a genius or a madman.""Wonderful," Neirin muttered."If I ever hear someone accuse the clans ofmadness for rejecting nearly all magic, I shall be most annoyed and forced to actout in an extreme manner."Ceadda shrugged and raked a hand through his hair."I shall have to consult mybooks and see what I can do.Such magic is beyond my ability to easily break itis human magic, and I've never had cause to study that on this level.Necromancy is quite different."Barra sighed."Well, we all need rest anyway, and Midnight will not be able toremain awake much longer.Tomorrow night is soon enough to make our firstreal attempt, even if the waiting makes me sick."Midnight said nothing, merely glared angrily at the trap door hating thesorcerer, hating himself, hating everyone and everything.If he had to tear thewards apart with his own hands he would, and then he would tear the sorcererinto a thousand pieces [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Linki