Sean Michael Playing With Fire

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.The stairs ended in ahuge black door, the wood frosted, ice forming on the stone.He put his hand on it, hissing at the cold.He knocked.The sound echoed, the hinges on the door squealing like a boar as the door opened.Theroom was huge, bare, the windows massive and open, the wind howling through the shutters."Whoa." He pulled the cloak tighter and stepped in."Zujan? You really in here?"Was the man insane? Or was this some trap to catch him in a new prison?"I said I was not to be disturbed." The voice came from a dark corner, a mass of dark cloth hiding Zujanfrom his eyes."I brought food." He walked into the room, the wind stealing his warmth, cloak flying out behind him."Leave it and go." The room was covered in scorched footprints, sigils, little piles of faeries sleeping onthe stones.It was fascinating and he looked his full as he brought the tray over to Zujan.The little sparks werelittered about Zujan, the man hidden except for the black-black eyes."Are you going to eat? Mata's intears." "Mata is in tears more often than she's not.""Yeah, well, she's right.You need to eat.I mean if you want to keep up your strength for terrorizing yoursubjects and all."Some of the faeries began to flutter."Indeed.""Look, take a bite and I can tell her you ate, okay?" He kept his eye on the faeries -- he rememberedseeing a lot of them right before the fire.Really, Zujan needed a better water delivery system if he wasgoing to set fires inside.Of course Wintras figured it would be prudent to keep that to himself.One hand, blue and skeletal, the tendons and bones visible, took a berry, the fruit freezing and burstingat the sorcerer's touch.Then a flash of heat flared, the berry melted and Zujan ate it.Okay.That? Wasn't normal."Are you alive?" he asked."As far as I know, yes.""What's wrong with your skin?" Why did he care? Why was he asking? Go.Run away.Get out ofrange.A soft giggle sounded, almost frightening."I'm cold.I am waiting for my heat to build again.""I could see your *bones*.That's not cold, that's." He shivered."Well, yeah, cold too -- you need afire in here." Another laugh, Zujan's body shaking."We had a fire.A big fire.""Yeah.Okay.Whatever." He backed off, not even sure why he was trying in the first place.Gella saidZujan always came down, besides, if he didn't, all these people were free.He was free.His family andthe outlying principalities were all free.The faeries began to shiver, gathering together, forming something that looked like a body, like a flaming,lean body.Zujan snorted, "Fickle beasts.He cannot touch you.""What are they doing?" It was fascinating, the faeries were fascinating.And a little scary.Okay, maybemore than a little."Trying to seduce you.They're bored and want to go back down.""Then why don't they?" They were kind of pretty."They cannot.They feed on me.If they move too far away, they dissolve.""Feed on you?" He took a step back away from the faeries."Their life force must come from somewhere, Pet." The faeries shivered, stepped towards him, thenback toward Zujan.He started to back toward the door, the wind howling through the room.He didn'twant to watch them do whatever they did."Thank you for the meal, Pet." Zujan stood, gaunt, terrifyingly pale and small, arms held open to thefaeries. "I'll pass that on to Mata," he murmured, continuing to watch with horrified fascination despite himself.The flashing lights descended on Zujan, the swirling lights seeming to make the sorcerer appear tiny.Hestepped forward."Zujan."Dark eyes met his, desperate, agonized.He went to Zujan, cursing himself as a fool and batted at thefaeries, pushing them away from Zujan.They dissolved as he touched them, burst into sparks.Hetouched Zujan's arm, hissing at how cold the almost translucent skin was.Zujan looked up at him, shaking, obviously frightened."Who.who are you?"The man was obviously delirious.Funny, Zujan also seemed so much smaller and non-threatening.Hereached out again, managing not to wince or pull back as his hand wrapped around the freezing arm."One of your slaves, Zujan.Come downstairs with me.Get warm.""Warm? There is no more warmth."Okay, Zujan was nuts.And living up here in this tower was not helping.He bit his lip, but knew alreadywhat he had to do.It was not in his nature to refuse help to those that needed it.He bent and pickedZujan up, heading back for the stairs.The man seemed to weigh nothing, light as a bird in his arms.Thewind picked up, screaming through the windows, making him shiver, making Zujan seem even colder.Hedidn't bother trying to shut the door behind him as he exited, just headed down the stairs as quickly as hecould.The faeries spun, trying to push against him, against Zujan."Go away," he growled, trying to push them away with his arms, hindered by his burden.An angry hissing sounded, the faeries glowing brighter, the scent of smoke stronger."Leave him alone!" He moved faster, almost falling down the stairs, getting dizzy as they went down anddown and down.Zujan was so cold.Even through both their cloaks it was like holding a block of ice inhis arms.They reached the bottom of the tower, the door slamming behind them.Zujan's eyes opened, the blackringed with icy blue.Well the man was alive.He took a breath, not having realized until now how tense he was about that.Zujan dying would free him, but arriving in Zujan's kitchen with the man in his arms and dead would likelyhave gotten him killed.He refused to consider any other possibility for why he might be happy Zujan wasstill alive."The kitchen's the warmest room in the castle." He said by way of explanation as he strode through theold halls."No.Too many people." Zujan pointed down an old hall."There's rooms.""It's cold here.You need a fire, food." He turned down the hall though.He could go for food, blankets."I'll make a fire." He got a wild grin, Zujan's eyes rolling.He wasn't sure that was a very good idea -- after all, the place had nearly burned down last time Zujanhad made one.He didn't say that though.Besides, he wasn't convinced Zujan would be able to, the frigidbody seemed so weak.He pushed through the door Zujan pointed to, the room they entered small, butclean.The fireplace was prepared, needing only to be lit, and there was more wood stacked next to it [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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