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

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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.
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people around for camouflage, and t
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Und now I vind dose two—Celestial
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Shadow's Son by Shirley Meier, S.M. Stirling and Karen Wehrstein ...

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