Odnośniki
- Indeks
- Gordon Dickson Dragon 02 The Dragon Knight (v1.4)
- Gordon Dickson Dragon 07 The Dragon and the Gnarly King (v1.2) (lit)
- Lyn Hamilton [Archeological Mystery 01] The Xibalba Murders (v1.0) [lit]
- Lynn Abbey Chronicles Of Athas 04 Cinnabar Shadows (v1)
- Harry Turtledove Crosstime 04 The Disunited States of America (v1.0)
- LE Modesitt Eschbach 03 Ghost of the White Nights (v1.0)
- Gordon Dickson Childe 01 Dorsai (v1.1)
- Loius L'Amour Reilly's_Luck_v1.5_(BD)
- Vonnegut, Kurt Breakfast Of Champions v1.0
- Linda Farstein AC 02 Likely to Die (v1.5)
- zanotowane.pl
- doc.pisz.pl
- pdf.pisz.pl
- anapro.xlx.pl
to the doors of the Temple of Reckoning, they seemed to be doing fine.
Jareth was waiting in the great hall. "I knew you'd return," he said. He
nodded at Camille and Morio. "You are welcome, of course, but this isn't going
to be pleasant. Are you sure you want to watch? You may find out more than you
ever wanted to know about what happened to your sister, Camille."
Camille looked at me. "I said I'll stand by you, and I will, if you want me
there. You shouldn't have to carry this alone. We're family, and whatever
happened to you, happened to all of us."
I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "I've worked so hard to hide what Dredge did
to me, to protect you and Delilah and Father. I guess& it's time to let go of
my secrets."
Jareth nodded. "Come with me then. All of you. We'll be working outside of
time. You'll make it home shortly before first light." He led us through a
different door than I'd taken when I first arrived at the temple. We scurried
down hall after hall until we came to a darkened room so large I couldn't see
the other side. The ceiling and walls were black, and the only furniture was
in the center a long narrow dais draped in an indigo cloth, with pillows on
the floor surrounding the platform.
He motioned for me to stand in front of the dais. Camille and Morio stood off
to one side. "We don't have time for the usual rituals and rites that happen
before an awakening, but I must ask you this. Do you come here of your own
free will, to learn to control your own power and sever the chains that bind
you to your sire's bidding?"
I swallowed the fear that rose. "I do so affirm."
"Will you surrender yourself to my hands, knowing that I will lead you into
the darkness?"
The words hung heavy on my tongue. I didn't want to say them, but found them
slipping between my lips of their own accord. "I surrender to you."
"Then take your place on the dais, Menolly." Jareth indicated for me to lay
down on my back. When I'd done so, he pulled out silver cuffs that were lined
with velvet. "These won't touch your skin, so they won't hurt, but you won't
be able to break them."
I stared at the cuffs in horror. Silver, a blessing to the Fae, was bane to a
vampire. Wincing, I held out my arms and he fastened them around my wrists.
Nothing. They were well cushioned, like he'd said. He produced a second pair
and fastened them around my ankles, then helped me lay back so that my head
was on a small pillow. After I was in place, Jareth held up a blindfold and
slowly covered my eyes.
I could hear Camille and Morio talking to him in low tones.
"Are you sure she'll be okay?" Morio was saying.
"I make no guarantees, but I believe Menolly is strong enough to make it
through the rite. If she's to have any hope of confronting her sire, she must
master her fear. She must rid herself of the chains he forged between them. Do
you understand?"
Camille's voice broke in. "It makes perfect sense, but listen to me, Monk. If
you hurt her in any way that isn't part of the ritual, if you try to fuck her
up, I'll rip out your heart and feed it to a Corpse Talker. Do you understand
me?"
There was a brief pause, then, "You make yourself perfectly clear, Daughter of
the Moon." Jareth busied himself at something. The sound of blood trickling
Page 96
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
into a goblet reached my ears. The fragrance filled the room, metallic and
brilliant and beautiful. Then a bell chimed three times and I sensed him
circling around the table, widdershins, going against the sun.
"Once I begin, we must finish. You understand this? There's no stopping, or
the energy could backfire." Jareth was standing near my head.
I let out a shudder. "This whole trip isn't going quite the way I expected.
Get on with it."
Angel of glory, angel of blood,
rise to meet your maker.
Angel of glory, angel of blood,
rise to confront your sire.
Angel of glory, angel of blood,
rise to reclaim what is yours.
Angel of glory, angel of blood,
return to the time you were newly born.
He was circling the table, his voice drifting on a stiff breeze that had
suddenly sprung up to sweep through the room. The energy shifted and I felt
myself drifting lower, my consciousness lulled by the cadence of his speech,
by the rhythm of his heartbeat.
Surrender your expectations. Surrender your doubts.
Surrender your fears. Surrender your strengths.
Surrender your anger. Surrender your control.
Three drops of blood splashed on my forehead, their scent enticing me. Even
though I'd drank just a few hours earlier, the thirst rose and I found myself
ravenous. I jerked against the cuffs, wanting to be free to go and hunt. I
can't, I thought, I can't leave. I can't just go traipsing off in search of
fresh blood on the city streets.
Creature of the night, demon of the blood,
Turn back the clock, turn back the minutes
and hours and years.
Return to the night you were born anew.
Return to the night of your siring.
Three more drops, but this time he placed them against my lips, pressing
gently with his fingers. I forced myself to keep from biting the warm flesh as
he withdrew his hand.
My tongue snaked out and before I could stop myself, I licked the blood off my
lips.
"Holy crap!" A searing flame ran through me and I convulsed against the
chains. For a moment, I thought I'd been staked, but as the pain subsided I
realized it was magic, carried within the blood I'd just tasted. I had barely
digested this thought when I began to tumble, spiraling away from my body,
away from the room, away from the table and Jareth and my sister and Morio.
"What the ?"
I stopped as I landed on a hard surface. As I opened my eyes, I realized I was
back in the cavern where Dredge had taken me after he caught me. And he was [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]