Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html fight off all three of them . "Don't be afraid of what you see," she hissed to the boy in Arkan, quickly. "It's just to scare them." She took a quick breath, summoned hermanrauq- demon. The boy tore his hand away from her ankle, shrieked and curled into a ball.One breath, two… hold… hold … tearing pain and a green flare behind her eyes. The image steadied, giggled and pawed. They cringed back a step; the spearman threw, saw his spear go through the thing and into the grass behind, heard it hiss. They ran screaming. Megan let the image go, tested her headache, her fatigue.I have to sit down. Now . The boy was still curled up, whimpering, "Tikas, matron, Tikas, Rasas—it's Hayel, it's Hayel. Tikas." Megan knelt beside him, put a gloved hand on his shoulder. "Rasas? Lixand?" He jerked away from her, blue eyes staring—blue eyes!? "Where'd it go? Where is it?" "Gone," she said. "You aren't Rasas! I saved you because I thought you were him. Is he one of these dead ones?" "No! He's gone, he got kidnapped, ages ago! I'm his best friend, we pretended we were brothers! Who are you?" "His mother. You mean he's not in the house?" The boy shook his head. "He never came back?" He nodded. In the city. Somewhere. What will I do, run through the streets of a city of a million dying people, shouting my son's and my love's names? I haven't a hope in Halya of finding him. Or outside? I'll never know. Chevenga. You said no sack. I should have killed you. Maybe I still will. "Strip off the satin and jewels, they make you a prize. Hide. This should settle in a day or two." She rubbed her hands across her face, looked up at the sky, darkened with smoke, as if it were evening. No; itwas getting on to evening.If Shkai'ra is alive, with Lixand, they'll come here . Sova would, too. Uncertainty; always, uncertainty.Best I stay . The boy stared, mouth wide open. "His mother!?" She looked down to where he sat on the grass. "Dah, his mother. He was taken from me by an Arkan, eight years ago." Several screams came from the main house. "Look, if you want you can hang around with me for a bit. I'll make sure nobody parts your… hair or decides to rape you to death."He may be Arkan, but he's just a boy, a little younger than my Lixand. And his best friend . Grief and fear came back roaring; she shook them away. The child needed her. "And you can tell me about my son, sometime." The boy stood up, and pressed closer, as if sheltering behind her. "He's my best friend and I'm his. He's the nicest person in the world, except maybe Tikas, but then Tikas uses the whip. He has black eyes like onyxes and a profile like a line of clear flame."Some poet's line , she thought.Poet child-raper . "He's really good at dancing, he does solos now. Master's thinking of entering him in the City Diadem boys' dance…"
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html As if that will ever happen, now. "What's your name?" she said, putting an arm around his shoulders, steering him away from the slaughtered party-goers. She had the urge to save someone. "Ardas," he whispered. "Slave of House Temonen. They're all dead. I hope he isn't. He's the nicest person in all Arko and I miss him." "Well, Ardas, you aren't a slave anymore, and I hope my son isn't dead as well. I miss him, too." With effort she smiled at the boy. "I think we'd better find an unburned outbuilding, the gardener's or groom's house, and defend it from all comers, hey? I have a daughter who'll be showing up here, soon as the fighting's done." The boy silently nodded, eyes wide with fear, and followed, sticking close, as if to a parent. They camped in the gardener's house, a cottage with a false tower built onto one corner. When Sova came, bone-bruised so badly she couldn't walk, only ride, Megan left the two of them to see that the cottage didn't get torched, and went up-cliff to collect all their things back at the camp. Thelefaeti were all held by Alliance, now; saying briskly it was official business got her winched up, and back down. Her headache faded, hunger grew. It was pitch dark by the time she got back to the cottage, seeing her way by firelight.Even with the lake right there, flinging buckets would be like spitting into a furnace . Yet the fires stayed scattered, the whole City had not gone up, so far; in the great pit, there was little wind. The pony walked docilely with her.Thirstyliedown , like all animals, accepting things as they came. Sova had got a blackrock fire going, brewing tea and re-heating stew from yesterday, filling the room with mouth-watering smells.Though she should be lying down . "Zhymata, part of a century of Yeolis took over the main house. We should be pretty safe." "All right. Thank you, Sovee." You said no sack, Chevenga, Imperturbable, Infallible. I want to see you again. Tomorrow, Gold-bottom. Maybe I'll kill you, and let your minions kill me. Maybe I'll just tear some gold off you with my claws, you lying bastard… She stored away the anger. The boy was wearing one of her tunics now, belted in at the waist, his jewels all hidden inside somewhere. She turned to him. "Well, Ardas, my son's best friend, what are we going to do with you?" His blue eyes went wide, blinking, white all around. "I… I thought I was yours now." "I don't keep slaves. As far as I'm concerned, everything you had, jewels and all, is yours." That didn't make the boy's eyes any less wide. "Zhymata." Sova's voice, switching to Zak, held a touch of reproach. "He's only, what, eight, nine? And cut loose, everyone responsible for him dead. He's never been anything but a slave. He told me. We can't just send him out onto the street." Megan looked up from where she'd sat to pull off her boots.What kind of person does she think I am ? "Of course not." She switched back to Arkan, turned to the boy. "I was thinking of finding a good orphanage, once things settle down." "No!" The boy's cry was full of terror. "No. Please." He gripped the edge of the chair, leaning forward as if to run, but with nowhere to run to, blue eyes huge.
Page 1 and 2:
Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M.
Page 3 and 4:
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converte
Page 5 and 6:
Page 7 and 8:
Page 9 and 10:
Page 11 and 12:
Page 13 and 14:
Page 15 and 16:
Page 17 and 18:
Page 19 and 20:
Page 21 and 22:
Page 23 and 24:
Page 25 and 26:
people around for camouflage, and t
Page 27 and 28:
Page 29 and 30:
Page 31 and 32:
Page 33 and 34:
Page 35 and 36:
Page 37 and 38:
Page 39 and 40:
Page 41 and 42:
Page 43 and 44:
Page 45 and 46:
Page 47 and 48:
Und now I vind dose two—Celestial
Page 49 and 50:
Page 51 and 52:
Page 53 and 54:
Page 55 and 56:
Page 57 and 58:
Page 59 and 60:
Page 61 and 62:
Page 63 and 64:
Page 65 and 66:
Page 67 and 68:
Page 69 and 70:
Page 71 and 72:
Page 73 and 74:
Page 75 and 76:
Page 77 and 78:
X Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conver
Page 79 and 80:
Page 81 and 82:
Page 83 and 84:
Page 85 and 86:
Page 87 and 88:
Page 89 and 90:
Page 91 and 92:
Page 93 and 94:
Page 95 and 96:
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
Page 101 and 102:
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
wounded only in the carts on march,
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143 and 144:
Page 145 and 146:
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161 and 162: Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converte
Page 191 and 192: — Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv
Page 211: Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converte
show all

Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?