[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
She indicated the kwavin he was balancing on his shoulder. "Keep always the
sun off your selves."
"We'll be careful." Though he spoke with assurance, Oskar had not the
slightest idea what she was talking about.
Those villagers not presently engaged in purposeful work had assembled to see
the strangers on their way. Some smiled, a few wore expressions of concern,
and many waved. But only with one hand, for the others were occupied in
holding tight to the ingeniously decorated shades that now were everywhere in
evidence, shielding them from the rising morning sun.
Admiring the deft pattern that had been woven into it, Oskar toted his own
screen effortlessly, balancing it on his left shoulder as he led the way out
of the village. Against their own judgment, Princess Ourie's advisers had
drawn the foolhardy travelers a map showing the easiest route to the Kingdom
of Green. This help notwithstanding, they would still have to find a way
safely across the Great Rift.
He could hear Mamakitty and Cocoa chatting behind him. Cezer and Samm
discussed what they were likely to find in the next kingdom while Taj happily
inspected each new plant or creature they encountered. The songster had
developed an inexplicable interest in biology.
As soon as they were out of sight of the village, Cezer promptly tossed his
shade into the nearest bush. Mamakitty eyed him disapprovingly. "Useful or
not, that was a gift."
"Fssst, a useless one." Spreading his arms wide, the swordsman danced a small
circle, soaking up the rays of the early morning sun. "Look at me--I'm dying
of sunstroke!" He lowered his arms. "You lug the ridiculous-looking things
around if you want to. I've got better things to do with my hands." Cocoa
immediately moved to the other side of Mamakitty.
As the morning wore on, Cezer suffered no apparent ill effects from traveling
without one of the Slevish's skillfully woven kwavins. Nor did any harm befall
him all the rest of that day or night and on into the following morning. Oskar
was beginning to wonder if the undefined danger of which Ourie had spoken so
sincerely was a threat only to the Slevish and the other permanent denizens of
this land. At that very thought, a sharp yelp from the cat-man caused him to
halt and whirl.
Cezer was lying off to the side of the trail they had been following, writhing
and convulsing in the pale yellow grass. A dark rope was wrapped around his
neck. His teeth were clenched and his expression distorted. So tight was the
black stripe around his throat that he could not even utter a curse.
Being the closest to him, Oskar and Taj arrived simultaneously at his side,
only to see that the sooty material clamped around his neck was not a rope but
a shadowy arm. This was attached, a stunned Oskar saw, to a shadowy shoulder,
which in turn emerged from a shadowy torso topped by a shadowy face utterly
devoid of expression, as well as anything with which to give birth to an
expression. Cezer was caught in the murderous, unyielding grasp not of a
Page 90
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
shadowy form, but of a shadow itself.
His shadow.
"Look out!" The two men barely had time to jump aside as Samm arrived. The
head of his immense axe preceded him by a second or two, descending in a
violent arc that caused the entrapped Cezer's eyes to bulge wider than ever.
As the axe head slammed into the earth with a muffled boom, a slight shudder
passed through the shadow-shape, as if it were a ripple of pond water racing
away from a cast stone. Quickly regaining its discrete outline and former
strength, it resumed its lethal pressure on the struggling Cezer's imprisoned
windpipe.
Oskar drew his sword, only to find himself pushed aside by Mamakitty. Uttering
a primordial growl, she leaped at her friend's traitorous shadow. She never
reached it. At the same time she left her feet, she also cast her kwavin
aside. Thus liberated, her own shadow (and it was unmistakably hers, Oskar was
able to note even in the frenzy of the moment) reached out with both arms and
tackled her around the ankles. Hitting the ground short of her objective, she
rolled onto her back, clawing at the opaque shape. Not only was she unable to
reach Cezer, she now found herself locked in a battle with the spasmodic,
twitching attempts of her own shadow to slip its supple, dark fingers around
her unprotected neck.
Frantic thoughts rushing to and fro within him, Oskar beckoned for Cocoa and
Taj to stay back. "Samm, over there! Never mind your weapon--just stand over
there!" He pointed to a spot on the ground.
"What?" For a snake, Samm was exceptionally bright. It was not his fault that
all serpents are notoriously slow on the uptake. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl freetocraft.keep.pl
She indicated the kwavin he was balancing on his shoulder. "Keep always the
sun off your selves."
"We'll be careful." Though he spoke with assurance, Oskar had not the
slightest idea what she was talking about.
Those villagers not presently engaged in purposeful work had assembled to see
the strangers on their way. Some smiled, a few wore expressions of concern,
and many waved. But only with one hand, for the others were occupied in
holding tight to the ingeniously decorated shades that now were everywhere in
evidence, shielding them from the rising morning sun.
Admiring the deft pattern that had been woven into it, Oskar toted his own
screen effortlessly, balancing it on his left shoulder as he led the way out
of the village. Against their own judgment, Princess Ourie's advisers had
drawn the foolhardy travelers a map showing the easiest route to the Kingdom
of Green. This help notwithstanding, they would still have to find a way
safely across the Great Rift.
He could hear Mamakitty and Cocoa chatting behind him. Cezer and Samm
discussed what they were likely to find in the next kingdom while Taj happily
inspected each new plant or creature they encountered. The songster had
developed an inexplicable interest in biology.
As soon as they were out of sight of the village, Cezer promptly tossed his
shade into the nearest bush. Mamakitty eyed him disapprovingly. "Useful or
not, that was a gift."
"Fssst, a useless one." Spreading his arms wide, the swordsman danced a small
circle, soaking up the rays of the early morning sun. "Look at me--I'm dying
of sunstroke!" He lowered his arms. "You lug the ridiculous-looking things
around if you want to. I've got better things to do with my hands." Cocoa
immediately moved to the other side of Mamakitty.
As the morning wore on, Cezer suffered no apparent ill effects from traveling
without one of the Slevish's skillfully woven kwavins. Nor did any harm befall
him all the rest of that day or night and on into the following morning. Oskar
was beginning to wonder if the undefined danger of which Ourie had spoken so
sincerely was a threat only to the Slevish and the other permanent denizens of
this land. At that very thought, a sharp yelp from the cat-man caused him to
halt and whirl.
Cezer was lying off to the side of the trail they had been following, writhing
and convulsing in the pale yellow grass. A dark rope was wrapped around his
neck. His teeth were clenched and his expression distorted. So tight was the
black stripe around his throat that he could not even utter a curse.
Being the closest to him, Oskar and Taj arrived simultaneously at his side,
only to see that the sooty material clamped around his neck was not a rope but
a shadowy arm. This was attached, a stunned Oskar saw, to a shadowy shoulder,
which in turn emerged from a shadowy torso topped by a shadowy face utterly
devoid of expression, as well as anything with which to give birth to an
expression. Cezer was caught in the murderous, unyielding grasp not of a
Page 90
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
shadowy form, but of a shadow itself.
His shadow.
"Look out!" The two men barely had time to jump aside as Samm arrived. The
head of his immense axe preceded him by a second or two, descending in a
violent arc that caused the entrapped Cezer's eyes to bulge wider than ever.
As the axe head slammed into the earth with a muffled boom, a slight shudder
passed through the shadow-shape, as if it were a ripple of pond water racing
away from a cast stone. Quickly regaining its discrete outline and former
strength, it resumed its lethal pressure on the struggling Cezer's imprisoned
windpipe.
Oskar drew his sword, only to find himself pushed aside by Mamakitty. Uttering
a primordial growl, she leaped at her friend's traitorous shadow. She never
reached it. At the same time she left her feet, she also cast her kwavin
aside. Thus liberated, her own shadow (and it was unmistakably hers, Oskar was
able to note even in the frenzy of the moment) reached out with both arms and
tackled her around the ankles. Hitting the ground short of her objective, she
rolled onto her back, clawing at the opaque shape. Not only was she unable to
reach Cezer, she now found herself locked in a battle with the spasmodic,
twitching attempts of her own shadow to slip its supple, dark fingers around
her unprotected neck.
Frantic thoughts rushing to and fro within him, Oskar beckoned for Cocoa and
Taj to stay back. "Samm, over there! Never mind your weapon--just stand over
there!" He pointed to a spot on the ground.
"What?" For a snake, Samm was exceptionally bright. It was not his fault that
all serpents are notoriously slow on the uptake. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]