Mercedes Lackey The Phoenix Endangered

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.""You could," Ancaladar said."If they moved quickly.The two southernmost cities are very closetogether.""And obviously they did," Tiercel said."And maybe everybody didn't disappear at the same time," Harrier said, sighing in frustration."Any ideawhere they're going, Ancaladar?""They do not travel in a straight line through the desert," the dragon said reprovingly."They move fromwater source to water source.We shall not know their ultimate destination for some time.""Too bad we don't have a map of all the water in the desert," Harrier said unwarily."I can't draw a complete map," Tiercel said, sounding surprised."But I can draw a fairly good one ofthe Isvai, at least."By the time Tiercel was done, Harrier had a confused picture of a large hostile desert with oases justclose enough together that a determined traveler with a shotor could manage to get from one to the nextwithout dying.To get anywhere in the Isvai involved taking a route that wove like the path of a drunkensailor from one dockside tavern to the next only not quite as straight."It is hotter there than it is here," Ancaladar said helpfully."And nobody knows their way around it or where all the water is but the Isvaieni," Tiercel said.Hedidn't say this as if it was something he knew.More as if it was something he was just now figuring out.They'd been supposed to hire Isvaieni guides, Harrier remembered, if they'd thought they were going toneed to go into the Isvai on their search.He guessed, in a manner of speaking, they had them now."When we do follow them," Harrier said, "how are we going to do it? Because we're going to have toride Ancaladar, and as far as I know, he doesn't have a saddle any more.Unless it's out theresomewhere, and you can find it," he added, pointing toward where the city had been."I'll think of something," Tiercel said."You do that," Harrier answered.FOR the next fortnight, the two of them lived a strange quiet existence on the outskirts of a city that wasno longer there.They combed through the Isvaieni camp for things they might be able to use, and soHarrier found not only the swords that had been his gift from the Telchi, but the sword that Roneida hadgiven him.He wasn't really sure what to do with Roneida's sword, but it had been the gift of a Wildmage,so he was determined to find some way to take it with them when they went.Ancaladar spent his nights hunting, and each morning he would report on the progress of the Isvaieni.Thebands of raiders were all moving southward, though none of them was moving in a direct line and few ofthem were taking the same path.After the first few days, Tiercel started trying to make a new wand from a branch of one of the naranjetrees.The first four exploded when he tried to use them, but the fifth one survived.After that, he spent hisdays wandering through the ruins of the city, picking through the debris.He didn't find Ancaladar'ssaddle possibly it was one of the many items that had been smashed and then burned in fact, after awhile, Tiercel and Harrier simply started making piles of furniture and setting fire to them.It was practiceon Harrier's part, and, he guessed, boredom on Tiercel's.But Tiercel did find in the area where the stables had been a long roll of leather strap, a small barrelof brass buckles, some rivets, and even a couple of hammers.Everything necessary to mend harness."You can't make a saddle out of that," Harrier said, looking at what Tiercel had found."No," Tiercel said."But I can make a a kind of belt to go around Ancaladar's neck.And I can holdonto that when he flies.And you can hold onto me."Harrier stared at him in disbelief."That's it? That's your plan? He's going to fly all the way up there andyou're going to hold onto a string around his neck and just hope you don't fall off?" He stared up at thesky.It looked.high."He'll catch me if I do," Tiercel said confidently."He'll catch you, too.It's all I can think of, Har."Harrier looked at Tiercel, then up at the sky again."This had better work," he muttered."I do not like it, Bonded," Ancaladar said when Tiercel explained [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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