[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Konrad pulled his horse up. It reared, screaming as the dead things clawed at
it. Konrad's axe slashed downward frantically, but he could not break through.
He was forced to back away, trying to control his screaming horse. Blaine had
drawn his own sword, but was hampered with Elaine so close behind him.
He used his other arm to slide her down to the ground, behind him, away from
the zombies, then kicked his horse forward into the shambling horde.
Jonathan watched it all in dawning horror. Elaine's yellow hair vanishing
behind the screen of zombies.
Had Blaine forgotten there was another alley behind this one, and alley near
where Elaine stood, alone and weaponless?
He started to turn the horse to help them. Tereza called, "We've got problems
of our own, Jonathan."
She had regained control of her voice; it was almost matter-of-fact.
He wheeled the horse back. Silvanus clung desperately with his one arm.
The shambling dead were still coming slowly down the street, but there was
something crouched in the mouth of the alley. It looked like a man, but
scuttled from shadow to shadow as if even the cold, distant moonlight hurt it.
Tereza had her sword out, trying to keep the creature in sight. A zombie
stumbled from the alley, clawing at her horse. The horse reared; Averil
screamed, clinging to Tereza's arm, crippling her sword.
The man-thing leapt. There was a shimmer of pallid skin, and it hit Tereza and
Averil, knocking them both to the ground. More dead closed in, and Jonathan
lost sight of them.
He urged his horse forward to help them. A zombie stumbled into the horse.
Hands clawed at Jonathan's leg. He kicked at it. The thing staggered backward
a few steps. Something that had once been a woman grabbed Silvanus around the
waist.
The elf's one arm jerked into Jonathan's stomach, making him gasp. A zombie
with most of its face rotted away grabbed the horse's head. The animal tried
to rear, but the zombie had been a big man. Its weight kept the horse down.
The dead closed in, pressing the shuddering horse back against the inn door.
Jonathan kicked the door. "Open! Open!"
Silvanus was pulled from the horse; only his arm around Jonathan's waist saved
him from being lost completely. Jonathan grabbed a handful of the elf's tunic,
Page 88
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
the other hand tight-gripped on the saddle horn, legs digging into the horse's
side, holding them against the pull of the dead.
Thordin and Randwulf were there, swinging blades, nearly maiming each other.
Blood fell on the snowy street. Dead flesh gave way, but dead hands still
reached for them. The horse shuddered, but did not rear. Thordin had trained
the mount himself, and that training saved them now. If it had reared, they
would have been lost, as Tereza and Averil had been.
Silvanus's fingers slipped. His hand was torn away inch by inch. The elf's
fingers bruised Jonathan's skin through the clothing. Jonathan dug his hand
into the elf's clothing.
The big zombie clawed the horse's eyes. The mount pressed against the door,
pinning Jonathan's leg.
Jonathan screamed, "Open the door!"
A blinding burst of light shot the length of the street. The zombies cowered,
hands before faces. Silvanus sat upon the road, fingers still laced in
Jonathan's clothing. The elf, weary in the brief respite, leaned his forehead
against the horse's flank.
Gersalius sat on his horse, hands enveloped in white flame. "Hurry, I cannot
hold them long." His voice echoed among the buildings, louder than it should
have been.
Tereza had hoisted Averil over her shoulder like a bag of flour, then put
their backs to the opposite wall.
She pushed through the zombies, using her body to shove them aside. Her sword
was naked in her hand, but the zombies seemed uninterested in fighting.
Thordin urged his horse toward the inn. Randwulf poked at the zombies with his
boot. The dead simply turned away, barely noticing.
Fredric spurred his mount through the zombies. The horse pushed aside the dead
as if wading through water.
"Elaine!" Blaine's frantic cry brought everyone's attention to him. He was
wheeling his horse in a frantic circle. "Elaine!"
Konrad rode a few steps into the dark beyond the dead. He called, "Elaine!"
The light was fading around Gersalius's hands, like a white-hot ember dying.
"A few minutes is all I can give you. Whatever you're going to do, do it
soon."
The zombies were looking at them now. The dead eyes stared at the living, not
eager, but patient, as if they knew all they had to do was wait.
Jonathan slid from his horse, banging on the inn door. "I am Jonathan Ambrose,
mage-finder. You sent
Tallyrand for me." No sound, no movement of the heavy door.
Gersalius had urged his horse forward, using his knees. The light was the
barest of flickers now. "My magic has done all it can. It's your turn,
mage-finder."
The dead were moving slowly, drawing closer. The rotting hands lifted, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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Konrad pulled his horse up. It reared, screaming as the dead things clawed at
it. Konrad's axe slashed downward frantically, but he could not break through.
He was forced to back away, trying to control his screaming horse. Blaine had
drawn his own sword, but was hampered with Elaine so close behind him.
He used his other arm to slide her down to the ground, behind him, away from
the zombies, then kicked his horse forward into the shambling horde.
Jonathan watched it all in dawning horror. Elaine's yellow hair vanishing
behind the screen of zombies.
Had Blaine forgotten there was another alley behind this one, and alley near
where Elaine stood, alone and weaponless?
He started to turn the horse to help them. Tereza called, "We've got problems
of our own, Jonathan."
She had regained control of her voice; it was almost matter-of-fact.
He wheeled the horse back. Silvanus clung desperately with his one arm.
The shambling dead were still coming slowly down the street, but there was
something crouched in the mouth of the alley. It looked like a man, but
scuttled from shadow to shadow as if even the cold, distant moonlight hurt it.
Tereza had her sword out, trying to keep the creature in sight. A zombie
stumbled from the alley, clawing at her horse. The horse reared; Averil
screamed, clinging to Tereza's arm, crippling her sword.
The man-thing leapt. There was a shimmer of pallid skin, and it hit Tereza and
Averil, knocking them both to the ground. More dead closed in, and Jonathan
lost sight of them.
He urged his horse forward to help them. A zombie stumbled into the horse.
Hands clawed at Jonathan's leg. He kicked at it. The thing staggered backward
a few steps. Something that had once been a woman grabbed Silvanus around the
waist.
The elf's one arm jerked into Jonathan's stomach, making him gasp. A zombie
with most of its face rotted away grabbed the horse's head. The animal tried
to rear, but the zombie had been a big man. Its weight kept the horse down.
The dead closed in, pressing the shuddering horse back against the inn door.
Jonathan kicked the door. "Open! Open!"
Silvanus was pulled from the horse; only his arm around Jonathan's waist saved
him from being lost completely. Jonathan grabbed a handful of the elf's tunic,
Page 88
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
the other hand tight-gripped on the saddle horn, legs digging into the horse's
side, holding them against the pull of the dead.
Thordin and Randwulf were there, swinging blades, nearly maiming each other.
Blood fell on the snowy street. Dead flesh gave way, but dead hands still
reached for them. The horse shuddered, but did not rear. Thordin had trained
the mount himself, and that training saved them now. If it had reared, they
would have been lost, as Tereza and Averil had been.
Silvanus's fingers slipped. His hand was torn away inch by inch. The elf's
fingers bruised Jonathan's skin through the clothing. Jonathan dug his hand
into the elf's clothing.
The big zombie clawed the horse's eyes. The mount pressed against the door,
pinning Jonathan's leg.
Jonathan screamed, "Open the door!"
A blinding burst of light shot the length of the street. The zombies cowered,
hands before faces. Silvanus sat upon the road, fingers still laced in
Jonathan's clothing. The elf, weary in the brief respite, leaned his forehead
against the horse's flank.
Gersalius sat on his horse, hands enveloped in white flame. "Hurry, I cannot
hold them long." His voice echoed among the buildings, louder than it should
have been.
Tereza had hoisted Averil over her shoulder like a bag of flour, then put
their backs to the opposite wall.
She pushed through the zombies, using her body to shove them aside. Her sword
was naked in her hand, but the zombies seemed uninterested in fighting.
Thordin urged his horse toward the inn. Randwulf poked at the zombies with his
boot. The dead simply turned away, barely noticing.
Fredric spurred his mount through the zombies. The horse pushed aside the dead
as if wading through water.
"Elaine!" Blaine's frantic cry brought everyone's attention to him. He was
wheeling his horse in a frantic circle. "Elaine!"
Konrad rode a few steps into the dark beyond the dead. He called, "Elaine!"
The light was fading around Gersalius's hands, like a white-hot ember dying.
"A few minutes is all I can give you. Whatever you're going to do, do it
soon."
The zombies were looking at them now. The dead eyes stared at the living, not
eager, but patient, as if they knew all they had to do was wait.
Jonathan slid from his horse, banging on the inn door. "I am Jonathan Ambrose,
mage-finder. You sent
Tallyrand for me." No sound, no movement of the heavy door.
Gersalius had urged his horse forward, using his knees. The light was the
barest of flickers now. "My magic has done all it can. It's your turn,
mage-finder."
The dead were moving slowly, drawing closer. The rotting hands lifted, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]