[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.It is there that we can enter the Backroads.And no, most people don't see them."Jak shook his head, obviously still confused.Cale too was uncertain.He had never in all his travels heard of anything resembling the phenomenon Magadon was describing.Perhaps comprehending the nature of the Hidden Paths had something to do with Magadon's psionic abilities.He suspected Magadon's careful choice of the phrase, "our perception of the world," went to the core of the issue."Where do they come from?" Cale asked.The guide scratched his nose and shook his head."The Hidden Paths are part of the nature of creation, Erevis.They did not come from anything.They just are and have always been."Cale digested that."And one leads to Skullport?" he asked at last.Magadon nodded and said, "They lead everywhere." Riven took a long draw on his pipe."How did you come to know about these things?" the assassin asked.Magadon gave his best Drasek Riven sneer and tapped his temple."I looked for them, Drasek.And I'm willing to see." Hisvoice grew colder when he said to the assassin, "It's surprising the things you can see when you're willing." Riven offered his own sneer in return.Cale doubted that it was that simple.Still, Magadon had not yet led them astray; he knew he could trust the guide and his judgment."You mentioned a guardian?" he said."Indeed.The fey keep the Crossroads, and each Crossroad has a single guardian.We'll have to bargain our way past.Sometimes the guardians are.temperamental.""What in the Nine Hells does that mean?" Jak asked."You'll see," Magadon replied.Cale took his cloak from the peg on which it hung and said, "I can only teleport us at night.Gather your gear.We leave as soon as we're equipped.""Can you teleport with a boat too?" the guide askedCale."We'll need a boat.Big enough for the four of us." Cale nodded."A boat?" Jak asked.Magadon grinned, a feral smile, and said, "You'll see." "You say that a lot," Jak said.Cale looked to Jak and said, "Little man, can you get us a boat at this hour?"Jak exhaled a cloud of smoke, snapped his fingers, and snuffed his pipe."Easy.You'll see," he said, smiling at Mags."Meet me at the docks in a half hour."CHAPTER 11: RUNNING THE RIVEREven by night, Starmantle's harbor bustled with activity.Laborers and ships' crews-some composed of humans, some not—unloaded crates of cargo by torchlight and glowball and stacked them high.Cale could imagine the illicit contents of many of the crates.Starmantle traded in vice as much as legitimate goods, the same as any other city of the Inner Sea.The shouts of the sailors carried along the shore through the salt-tinged night air.Laughter, smoke, torchlight, and shouts carried from the open windows of the many dockside taverns.Pedestrians walked the wharves in small groups: revelers, sailors, whores, pimps, and worse.Cale felt at home there in the night, surrounded by sin.He stood with Jak, Riven, and Magadon onthe rocky shore of an out-of-the-way inlet, down the shoreline and east of Starmantle's main harbor.Small wooden piers and docks, large enough only for small fishing craft, dotted the shoreline there.Jak led them to one such pier, a rickety wooden construct that extended a long dagger toss into the bay.There, tethered with thick hemp rope, several small rowboats floated in the gently lapping water.The breeze off the sea smelled fresh and clean.As he had when he'd been aboard Foamrider, Cale felt the water pull at his spirit."That's it," Jak said and gestured at one of the rowboats near them, "on the left side of the dock."Cale eyed the boat doubtfully.Even with his limited exposure to the sea, he could see it was a creaky tub, with rusty fittings, splintering oars, and no less than ten seasons of wear on its hull.Worn fishing nets lay piled aft.A coiled rope affixed to a rusty anchor lay fore.On the positive side, the boat was big enough that they could all fit in it.It also appeared to float.sort of."Did you pay for that, Fleet?" Riven asked."Of course I paid for it, Zhent.If Cale wanted it stolen, he'd have asked you to get it."Riven gave a hard smile and replied, "No.He would have asked me to do it if he wanted the owner dead and the boat burned to ash.And after selling you that, the owner deserves no less.""It floats," Jak grumbled."Now let's just get in the damned thing.""I'll row," Magadon said.They all walked down the wood-planked pier.Jak lowered himself into the small boat and took a seat on the rear bench.Still sneering, Riven hopped into the boat and sat beside the halfling.Jak scooted away from him and looked in the opposite direction.Before getting in, Cale asked Magadon, "Are you sure this is going to do? We're not going to be on the open sea, are we?""This will do," replied the guide.He nodded for Cale to get in."And we won't be on the sea at all."Cale nodded, climbed into the boat, and sat fore.Magadon, after unmooring the small craft from the pier, came last and sat on the middle bench, facing aft toward Jak and Riven.The guide took the oars and over his back, Magadon said to Cale, "Allow me to get a feel for it before you.move us."Cale replied, "You say when you're ready."As Magadon rowed them out into the bay, Cale looked up into the clear night sky, alit with stars [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

zanotowane.pl

doc.pisz.pl

pdf.pisz.pl

listy-do-eda.opx.pl