had taken years to collect burnt to ashes in an instant
When he saw what I'd done to his dragon's claw, he hurt me again. He hurt me until Arten dragged him off. "He's unconscious. Damn you, man, leave off."
I was willing to let them think me senseless. It had saved me before. But the pain had been worth it. The
dragon claw was destroyed, its magic scattered unused (though I could have brought down the building with its power) and no one would get any more benefit from Seleg's betrayal. Without the magic pouring
through me, I couldn't remember why that was important, just that it was. Sweat dripped into my eyes and I thought at first it was blood.
Jade Eyes snarled at the other mage, 'Tell the king he'll have what he wants. Tell him I can do it in a se'night." Then he hurt me again.
Men came to put me into the cell at last. They brought in food and water and set it near me. When they were gone and wouldn't see I was awake, I grabbed the carafe and drank until I noticed that the world was beginning to grow eyes in the shadows. I set the water down, though I still thirsted. The food was easier to ignore. I wondered for a minute that my skin was unmarked and not split from the allconsuming pain, but then the shadow-things began to creep out of the corners and I hid in the hole in the straw.
"You are a difficult man to find, Wardwick of Hurog."
I huddled away from the voice because it wasn't my voice. My head hurt and my lips were cracked and dry. When I closed my eyes, all I could see was the strange color of Jade Eye's irises.
"Hurogmeten."
The voice called me back from memories. It belonged to a woman, but it had a bass rumble no female tone should ever carry. I opened my eyes fearfully and saw brightly mottled fur of orange and yellow, bright eyes above finger-long fangs. Somehow the fur seemed to give a little of its light to the room and drive the shadows back to the corners where they belonged.
"Hurogmeten? How long since you've eaten?"
The Tamerlain, guardian of Aethervon's temple, sat in front of me. Another hallucination, I thought, so I
didn't answer her. She lived on the hill of Menogue in the ruins of Aethervon's temples outside the city of
Estian. She could not be in the Asylum.
Closing my eyes, I waited for her to go away. After a moment I heard the bowl they'd given me skitter across the floor as she inspected it.
"Good lad, you didn't eat tonight," she said. "Garranon said he thought you were drugged rather than magicked, and that's harder to combat."
It was the water that was dangerous; I felt very clever for knowing that much. I had sweated a great deal
earlier and now my thirst was great—but I knew the water had held as much danger for me as the wizard. I held a straw in my mouth and that had helped keep my mouth moist, but it wasn't working well
anymore.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"Wardwick," she coaxed (I could tell by the change in her voice that she was coming closer), "look at me, lad. You know me."
I pulled my eyes reluctantly away from the wall, and stared into the face of the beast. She was as large as a small northern bear, and her head looked ursine, except for the large golden eyes that were more suited to a tiger. Her thick fur covered a body that was not as bulky as a bear's nor as lithe as one of the big cats'. Her tail curled around her front paws and she purred when my eyes met hers. I thought the sound might have been meant to be reassuring.
The air suddenly felt clearer, like my thoughts, but I knew it was a continuation of my delusions, because
the guardian of the ruins of Menogue had no business in my cell.
I sat up straighter and brushed straw off my shoulders, to give myself time to think. The movement exacerbated the remnant pain that lingered after Jade Eye's rage.
"Leave me," I said. The last time I'd met her, her god, Aethervon, had taken over my sister's body and tormented Oreg. No one hurt my people if I
When he saw what I'd done to his dragon's claw, he hurt me again. He hurt me until Arten dragged him off. "He's unconscious. Damn you, man, leave off."
I was willing to let them think me senseless. It had saved me before. But the pain had been worth it. The
dragon claw was destroyed, its magic scattered unused (though I could have brought down the building with its power) and no one would get any more benefit from Seleg's betrayal. Without the magic pouring
through me, I couldn't remember why that was important, just that it was. Sweat dripped into my eyes and I thought at first it was blood.
Jade Eyes snarled at the other mage, 'Tell the king he'll have what he wants. Tell him I can do it in a se'night." Then he hurt me again.
Men came to put me into the cell at last. They brought in food and water and set it near me. When they were gone and wouldn't see I was awake, I grabbed the carafe and drank until I noticed that the world was beginning to grow eyes in the shadows. I set the water down, though I still thirsted. The food was easier to ignore. I wondered for a minute that my skin was unmarked and not split from the allconsuming pain, but then the shadow-things began to creep out of the corners and I hid in the hole in the straw.
"You are a difficult man to find, Wardwick of Hurog."
I huddled away from the voice because it wasn't my voice. My head hurt and my lips were cracked and dry. When I closed my eyes, all I could see was the strange color of Jade Eye's irises.
"Hurogmeten."
The voice called me back from memories. It belonged to a woman, but it had a bass rumble no female tone should ever carry. I opened my eyes fearfully and saw brightly mottled fur of orange and yellow, bright eyes above finger-long fangs. Somehow the fur seemed to give a little of its light to the room and drive the shadows back to the corners where they belonged.
"Hurogmeten? How long since you've eaten?"
The Tamerlain, guardian of Aethervon's temple, sat in front of me. Another hallucination, I thought, so I
didn't answer her. She lived on the hill of Menogue in the ruins of Aethervon's temples outside the city of
Estian. She could not be in the Asylum.
Closing my eyes, I waited for her to go away. After a moment I heard the bowl they'd given me skitter across the floor as she inspected it.
"Good lad, you didn't eat tonight," she said. "Garranon said he thought you were drugged rather than magicked, and that's harder to combat."
It was the water that was dangerous; I felt very clever for knowing that much. I had sweated a great deal
earlier and now my thirst was great—but I knew the water had held as much danger for me as the wizard. I held a straw in my mouth and that had helped keep my mouth moist, but it wasn't working well
anymore.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"Wardwick," she coaxed (I could tell by the change in her voice that she was coming closer), "look at me, lad. You know me."
I pulled my eyes reluctantly away from the wall, and stared into the face of the beast. She was as large as a small northern bear, and her head looked ursine, except for the large golden eyes that were more suited to a tiger. Her thick fur covered a body that was not as bulky as a bear's nor as lithe as one of the big cats'. Her tail curled around her front paws and she purred when my eyes met hers. I thought the sound might have been meant to be reassuring.
The air suddenly felt clearer, like my thoughts, but I knew it was a continuation of my delusions, because
the guardian of the ruins of Menogue had no business in my cell.
I sat up straighter and brushed straw off my shoulders, to give myself time to think. The movement exacerbated the remnant pain that lingered after Jade Eye's rage.
"Leave me," I said. The last time I'd met her, her god, Aethervon, had taken over my sister's body and tormented Oreg. No one hurt my people if I
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