Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis Ill Met by Moonlight

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.Denoriel and Harry whirled around both with hands on their swords.This was tentatively Unseleigheterritory, since Pasgen had claimed it for his own, and their presence might well be considered aninvasion that called for instant attack.And the figure who appeared in the Gate was the last person Underhill that they wanted to see."What are you doing on Unseleighe land?" Vidal roared, his hands glowing with dark power, his faceblack with rage."It is my fault, sir," Elizabeth said, before either Denoriel or Harry could answer.Denoriel put his hand out to draw Elizabeth back, but he could not touch her and knew her shield wasup.He added another layer but said nothing.Vidal had not drawn a weapon or raised his hand to castany bolts.Nonetheless, Elizabeth's warning had come too late.On the flanks of the party, Elidir and Mechain hadbeen angling toward the Dark Prince.Elidir had drawn his sword, but there was a flash of light, andsuddenly Mechain's hands were at her throat where one of Vidal's pretty glowing ribbons had fixed itself.Her breathing was not yet impeded, but Vidal could strangle her at will."And who are you, worthless mortal?" Vidal said, lip curled in disdain."Mortals are not worthless," Elizabeth snapped back, touching her left ear and murmuring, "Minnauymbil." Then louder, "But it is my fault that we are all here.Some time ago, this place was Seleighe andat that time I I somehow caused a lion to form, a very hungry lion.Now that the place has moved, I felta creature so dangerous should be removed, not allowed to prey on.on those who did not know ofthe lion's existence."Vidal smirked down at her, a superior and exceedingly haughty gaze of one who is certain he is not to begainsaid."Lion or no lion, you had no right ""Enough, Elizabeth," Denoriel said, interrupting Vidal and stepping in front of her."You cannot reasonwith this one.It is Vidal Dhu, and he has been behind all the attacks on you.He does not really careabout our being on Unseleighe territory.He only wants to be rid of all of us.Let Mechain go, Vidal.Ifyou harm her, you will not be able to escape us all.""If you harm Mechain or try that ribbon trick on me, you will die quite horribly," Harry said, drawing hisgun."I assure you I can shoot you before you can strangle her or me."Vidal laughed, but he was really very annoyed with Elizabeth.The girl had a penchant for fouling his luck.He could hardly believe in his good fortune when no one noticed his arrival.They were all intent on themists ahead of them and had not seen him.To Vidal every minute they looked away brought closer thetime when his servants would flood through the Gate to support him.Then Elizabeth had turned.Now all he could do was pretend it did not matter and play for more time.He stepped out of the Gate,sneering, "O brave and honorable denizens of the Seleighe Court, you are five to my one.Why should Inot try to even the odds? I have done your companion no harm, and will do her no harm if you do menone.It is Denoriel Siencyn Macreth Silverhair whom I owe a grudge.Denoriel, who once unfairly usedmortal magic to defeat me.What do you say, Denoriel, will you meet me here, where there is no mortalmagic? Will you vie with me in duel arcane and bid your companions to swear not to interfere?""Don't, Denno," Harry said, immediately."He'll cheat.You know he will."Denoriel gripped Harry's arm fondly and looked back at Elizabeth.She was wide-eyed and a little palebut showed no sign of panic.He swung around to Vidal and smiled slowly.Vidal had been the bettermagician when they met in Elizabeth's bedchamber over ten years ago, but Denoriel had studied magicquite earnestly for some years now.And furthermore, Vidal had been far more gravely injured in thatduel than Denoriel.The odds were good that his mind was still not altogether sound.He stared back at Vidal, coolly."I will meet you gladly, Vidal, and ask oath of my companions not tointerfere with our battle.so long as they are free to defend themselves from any of your servants orcompanions.""You see I am alone here, you puppy!" Vidal roared."Make them swear as I command!"Mechain made a choking sound.Harry raised his gun, and took a step forward, taking clear aim atVidal's body where he could hardly miss.It was enough.Vidal winced as the cold iron directed at him sent a slicing of pain across his chest, evenat that distance.The pain eroded the last of his self-restraint, and his temper escaped its bonds, whichhad been tenuous to begin with.Vidal jumped off the Gate platform and charged toward Denoriel who backed hurriedly away, thrustingElizabeth toward Harry, who lowered his gun to put a protective arm around her shoulders.The signalwas clear.As long as Vidal concentrated on Denoriel, Harry was bound not to help, and his mortalweapon was out of play.Denoriel was backing up less because he wished to avoid Vidal than because he wanted to draw Vidalto where he would not readily be able to see the others.That this took Denoriel farther from the Gate, hecared not at all.Denoriel's and Vidal's rush would have carried them into the mists, but those pulled away also, andneither hid Denoriel nor proved any barrier to the triple stream of arcane darts that flashed toward him.He paid no mind to them and they all struck his shield, flared, and disappeared.Instead, he stared fixedlyat Vidal; Vidal took that for fear, and readied his next attack, exaltation surging through his veins.While Vidal watched the course of his knives, a swift, glinting array of near-invisible ribbons of lightflashed toward him, not toward his neck and head, which would have drawn his attention, but toward hisfeet.The harmless-seeming ribbons slithered past his shield and up to his ankles where they suddenlytightened, entangling his feet, and pulling at him with a sudden jerk, so that he nearly fell.The monstrouscreature he was in the midst of evoking howled with pain as it began to dissolve before it had entirelyformed.In obedience to the last command Vidal had given it, it thrashed at Denoriel [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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