of cold-blooded, isnât it?> Tobias asked.
<
Assassinate?!
> I yelled.
I said bitterly.
Tobias said.
Tobias said nothing for a while. he said at last.
Tobias said.
Tobias said bitterly.
I ran then. I ran and ran and ran.
It was miles to the secret place where I would find Visser Three. I wanted to run the whole way, to run away from my own fear by heading straight toward it.
Itâs what Elfangor would have done. Elfangor, the great hero.
Elfangor would live on in everyoneâs memory as the perfect warrior. The shining prince. If I was lucky, someday people would say,
I would get points for that. People would say I had done well in the end. Others would say,
And still others would say,
I ran and ran till my chest ached from breathing the heavy air of Earth. I ran through dried leaves and rustling pine needles. I jumped fallen, rotting logs, and skirted patches of brambles. I ran past trees that did not speak, like the trees of my own world.
Each time I pictured being face-to-face with Visser Three, I went even faster, trying to outrun the fear.
I was far from any human homes now. Far from human roads. Deep within the forest. Old forest full of shadows and gloom.
But at last I saw the sun shining on green grass, just ahead. A meadow. Right where Eslinâs note had said it would be.
I stopped running and gasped for breath. I leaned against a tree and tried to recover my wind. My legs were shaking from a mixture of exhaustion and fear.
The meadow was beautiful. Green grass and tiny flowers in yellow and purple. I would have liked to feed there myself.
I crept toward the meadowâs edge, always keeping within the shadow of the trees. I saw nothing unusual. No Bug fighters. No Hork-Bajir. No Visser Three.
Just the wildlife of Earth: two deer grazing. Squirrels racing up and down the trunks of trees. A skunk waddling boldly past.
It would be an hour before the time
<
Assassinate?!
> I yelled.
Tobias said.
Tobias said nothing for a while. he said at last.
Tobias said.
I ran then. I ran and ran and ran.
It was miles to the secret place where I would find Visser Three. I wanted to run the whole way, to run away from my own fear by heading straight toward it.
Itâs what Elfangor would have done. Elfangor, the great hero.
Elfangor would live on in everyoneâs memory as the perfect warrior. The shining prince. If I was lucky, someday people would say,
I would get points for that. People would say I had done well in the end. Others would say,
And still others would say,
I ran and ran till my chest ached from breathing the heavy air of Earth. I ran through dried leaves and rustling pine needles. I jumped fallen, rotting logs, and skirted patches of brambles. I ran past trees that did not speak, like the trees of my own world.
Each time I pictured being face-to-face with Visser Three, I went even faster, trying to outrun the fear.
I was far from any human homes now. Far from human roads. Deep within the forest. Old forest full of shadows and gloom.
But at last I saw the sun shining on green grass, just ahead. A meadow. Right where Eslinâs note had said it would be.
I stopped running and gasped for breath. I leaned against a tree and tried to recover my wind. My legs were shaking from a mixture of exhaustion and fear.
The meadow was beautiful. Green grass and tiny flowers in yellow and purple. I would have liked to feed there myself.
I crept toward the meadowâs edge, always keeping within the shadow of the trees. I saw nothing unusual. No Bug fighters. No Hork-Bajir. No Visser Three.
Just the wildlife of Earth: two deer grazing. Squirrels racing up and down the trunks of trees. A skunk waddling boldly past.
It would be an hour before the time
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