with his bare hands and yank his daughter free, but the moment his fingers brushed the outer casing a surge of psychic energy, as painful as it was powerful, shot up his arms and into his brain, hurling him backward as if he'd tried to scale an electric fence.
As he shook his head to clear it, Fido moved to stand between him and the bed. The seraphim's arms were outspread, his chin lowered in what Palmer recognized as a protective stance.
Palmer's legs were wobblier than a newborn colt's and his nose was dripping blood, but he was unharmed. 'Damn you!
Stand aside!' he snapped as he got to his feet.
Fido did not offer to move.
'She's hurt! I've got to help her!'
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com ) Fido's arms wavered for a second, then lowered.
Palmer stepped forward.
The second blast kicked him into the hall. His goatee and hair were singed. Without using his hands, Fido closed the door to Lethe's bedroom.
It took Palmer a few seconds, but he somehow managed to get to his feet. His nose was still bleeding and his ears rang as if he'd been sitting on top of an air-raid siren. He staggered down the hall, propping his shoulder against the wall to keep from falling.
Sonja was still asleep. Her skin felt strangely dry and cool under his hands, like that of a reptile.
'Sonja!'
She moved sluggishly, brushing at him with her left hand as if he was a bothersome insect intruding on her sleep. She mumbled something under her breath, then rolled over, pulling the sheet over her head. Trying not to let the panic overwhelm him, Palmer took a deep breath and stepped back from the bed, focusing himself long enough to fashion a heavy-wattage thought bolt. Then he threw it at her head.
Sonja!
The thought bolt bowed Sonja's body upward as if she'd been juiced with a car battery. Her eyes flew open and she sat up like a knife blade. The hair on her head stood on end and crackled like static on a radio. When he reached out to grab her naked shoulder she drew back and hissed at him.
'Sonja! Sonja - it's me! Something's happened!'
Sonja blinked and lifted a hand to her brow. 'Something's happened to Lethe?'
'How'd you know that?'
Sonja slid out of the bed and began pulling on her clothes.
'I had a dream she told me goodbye.'
She followed Palmer back up the hall, listening to him recount what had happened earlier. The door to Lethe's room was still closed. She tried the door; it wasn't locked.
'It's probably safe to go in. Fido would never let anything hurt Lethe, so whatever you were planning to do was probably interpreted as dangerous to her.'
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com )
'I was going to get her out of that... that thing?
Sonja gave Palmer a hard look. 'Bill, just shut up and let me handle this, okay?'
The door opened effortlessly. Sonja stepped inside, Palmer following her. Fido still stood on guard, shuffling from one foot to the other, watching them intently with his golden eyes. Sonja held up her hands, palms outward, smiling nervously.
Being in such close proximity to the seraphim was actively unpleasant - it felt as if she'd been dipped in honey and placed on top of an anthill.
'We don't want to hurt Lethe, Fido. We know you won't allow that. We're not going to touch her, Fido--'
'Like hell we aren't!'
'Shut up, Palmer! Don't mind him, Fido. He's just scared. 'He thinks something bad has happened, and he just wants to
help Lethe.'
The seraphim continued rocking back and forth, its head wavering like that of someone suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Sonja turned back to Palmer and grabbed his arm above the elbow, squeezing it until he grimaced. "Bill, I want you to promise me that you won't do anything stupid, like try and touch Lethe. You got off lucky the first two times, but if you try it again Fido will burn your brain like bacon in the pan, do you
As he shook his head to clear it, Fido moved to stand between him and the bed. The seraphim's arms were outspread, his chin lowered in what Palmer recognized as a protective stance.
Palmer's legs were wobblier than a newborn colt's and his nose was dripping blood, but he was unharmed. 'Damn you!
Stand aside!' he snapped as he got to his feet.
Fido did not offer to move.
'She's hurt! I've got to help her!'
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com ) Fido's arms wavered for a second, then lowered.
Palmer stepped forward.
The second blast kicked him into the hall. His goatee and hair were singed. Without using his hands, Fido closed the door to Lethe's bedroom.
It took Palmer a few seconds, but he somehow managed to get to his feet. His nose was still bleeding and his ears rang as if he'd been sitting on top of an air-raid siren. He staggered down the hall, propping his shoulder against the wall to keep from falling.
Sonja was still asleep. Her skin felt strangely dry and cool under his hands, like that of a reptile.
'Sonja!'
She moved sluggishly, brushing at him with her left hand as if he was a bothersome insect intruding on her sleep. She mumbled something under her breath, then rolled over, pulling the sheet over her head. Trying not to let the panic overwhelm him, Palmer took a deep breath and stepped back from the bed, focusing himself long enough to fashion a heavy-wattage thought bolt. Then he threw it at her head.
Sonja!
The thought bolt bowed Sonja's body upward as if she'd been juiced with a car battery. Her eyes flew open and she sat up like a knife blade. The hair on her head stood on end and crackled like static on a radio. When he reached out to grab her naked shoulder she drew back and hissed at him.
'Sonja! Sonja - it's me! Something's happened!'
Sonja blinked and lifted a hand to her brow. 'Something's happened to Lethe?'
'How'd you know that?'
Sonja slid out of the bed and began pulling on her clothes.
'I had a dream she told me goodbye.'
She followed Palmer back up the hall, listening to him recount what had happened earlier. The door to Lethe's room was still closed. She tried the door; it wasn't locked.
'It's probably safe to go in. Fido would never let anything hurt Lethe, so whatever you were planning to do was probably interpreted as dangerous to her.'
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com )
'I was going to get her out of that... that thing?
Sonja gave Palmer a hard look. 'Bill, just shut up and let me handle this, okay?'
The door opened effortlessly. Sonja stepped inside, Palmer following her. Fido still stood on guard, shuffling from one foot to the other, watching them intently with his golden eyes. Sonja held up her hands, palms outward, smiling nervously.
Being in such close proximity to the seraphim was actively unpleasant - it felt as if she'd been dipped in honey and placed on top of an anthill.
'We don't want to hurt Lethe, Fido. We know you won't allow that. We're not going to touch her, Fido--'
'Like hell we aren't!'
'Shut up, Palmer! Don't mind him, Fido. He's just scared. 'He thinks something bad has happened, and he just wants to
help Lethe.'
The seraphim continued rocking back and forth, its head wavering like that of someone suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Sonja turned back to Palmer and grabbed his arm above the elbow, squeezing it until he grimaced. "Bill, I want you to promise me that you won't do anything stupid, like try and touch Lethe. You got off lucky the first two times, but if you try it again Fido will burn your brain like bacon in the pan, do you
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