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."You truly could arrange it?""Why not? Pyras Autorian is my friend, no less than you."More, actually, Hezass thought.He was Szass Tam's confederate, or to be honest about it, his underling.Pyras Autorian was purely and simply the lich's puppet, a docile dunce who did exactly and only what his master told him to do, which suddenly seemed like quite an admirable quality, since it meant there was no doubt Szass Tam could deliver on his offer."What must I do," Hezass asked, "to start all this gold cascading down from the heights?""Quite possibly nothing, but here's what I'll require if it turns out I need anything at all… "* * * * *Tammith's fingers dug into Bareris's neck as if she'd acquired an ogre's strength.Her mouth opened to reveal canine teeth lengthening into fangs.She started to drag him down.He tried to plead with her, but her fingers cut off his wind and denied him his voice.He punched her in the face, but the blow just made her snarl.It didn't stun her or loosen her grip on him.At last he recalled a trick one of his former comrades, a warrior monk of Ilmater and an expert wrestler, had taught him.Supposedly a man could use it to break free of any stranglehold, no matter how strong his opponent.He swept his arm in the requisite circular motion and just managed to knock her hand away, though a flash of pain told him it had taken some of his skin along with it, lodged beneath her nails.She immediately grabbed for him again, but he threw himself back beyond her reach.He scrambled to his feet and so did she."Don't you know me?" he wheezed."It's Bareris."She glided forward, but not straight toward him.She was maneuvering to interpose herself between him and the door.He drew his sword."Stop.I don't want to hurt you, but you have to keep away."Rather to his surprise, she did stop.A master sword smith had forged and enchanted the blade, giving it the ability to cut foes largely impervious to common weapons, and perhaps the creature Tammith had become could sense the threat of the magic bound in the steel."That's good," Bareris said."Now look at me.I know you recognize me.You and I-"Her body exploded into smaller, darker shapes.Astonished, he froze for an instant as the bats hurtled at him.His fear screamed at him to cut at the flying creatures.He yanked off his cloak and flailed at them with it instead, fighting to fend them off while he sang.Something jabbed his arm and then the top of his head.Bats were lighting on him and biting him despite his efforts to keep them away.He struggled to ignore the pain and horror of it lest they disrupt the precise articulation the spell required.The bats abruptly spun away from him as if a whirlwind had caught them.In fact, they were suffering the effects of the same charm that had repelled the enormous fleas.It was supposed to work on any sort of vermin, and apparently even creatures like these were susceptible.The bats swirled together and became Tammith once more.Her fangs shortened into normal-looking teeth, and her face twisted in anguish."I'm sorry!" she whispered."I'm sorry."He inferred that his magic had done what his punch could not: Shock her out of her predatory frenzy and restore her to something approximating sanity.He sheathed his blade, put his cloak back on, extended his hand, and stepped toward her."It's all right," he said.She recoiled."Stay away! I don't want to hurt you.""Then you won't.""I will.Even though I… fed on poor Yuldra already.Something about who you are, what we are to each other, makes it worse.Don't you understand what's happened to me?"He realized he was reluctant to say the word "vampire," as if speaking it aloud would seal the curse for eternity."I have some idea, but what magic can do, it can undo.People say the holiest priests even know rituals to… restore the dead to life.We just have to get you away from here, and then we'll find the help you need."She shook her head."No one can help me, and even if somebody could, I'm not able to go to him.I'm more of a slave now than I was before Xingax changed me.He chained my mind, bound me to serve the wizards and their cause.""Maybe I can at least do something about that.It wouldn't be the first enchantment I've broken with a song.""You can't break this one.Get away from here while you still can.""No.I won't leave without you."She glared at him."Why not? You abandoned me before."Her sudden anger shocked him."That's not true.I left Bezantur to make us a future.""Well, this is the one you made for me.""That isn't so.I'm going to save you.Just trust-"A voice sounded from overhead: "What are you doing in here?"Bareris looked up to behold the most grotesque creature he'd ever seen.Riding on the back of what appeared to be a zombie hill giant, the thing looked like a man-sized, festering, and grossly malformed infant or fetus.He surmised that it could only be Xingax, "the whelp."Bareris reminded himself that he was still wearing a red robe and still cloaked in an enchantment devised to quell suspicion and inspire good will in others.In addition to that, Xingax was squinting down at him as if the mismatched eyes in his lopsided face didn't see particularly well.Perhaps this encounter needn't be disastrous.The bard lowered his gaze once more.He hoped Xingax would take it for a gesture of respect, or a natural human response to profound ugliness, and not an attempt to keep the creature from getting a better look at an unfamiliar face."I was just curious to see what you'd made of the slave.""Do I know you?"A bead of sweat oozed down Bareris's brow.He wished he knew the proper attitude to assume.Was Xingax a servant, something a supposed Red Wizard should treat with the same arrogance he showed to most creatures, or did the abomination expect a degree of deference?"I'm new.So far, I'm just performing routine tasks.Creating zombies and the like.""I see.What's your name?""Toriak Kakanos.""Well, Toriak, let's have a decent look at your face, so I'll know you in the future [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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