[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

hair in a thick braid with an iron clasp at his neck. He carried a great deal more weight than most men, all
of it muscle.
Restless and unsettled, Chime rode slowly around the edges of the camp. She had only gone a short
distance when an odd sensation came over her, as if the mist were burning her skin. She brushed her face
and the feeling vanished. She glanced at the lieutenant closest to her, a gangly fellow a year or two older
than herself, riding to her left.  Did you feel anything hot? He tilted his head, curiosity in his blue eyes.
 Nay, Lady. It be beastly wet and cold this morning.
 That it is. The prickle of heat disquieted her. These past two days, since the Harsdown mage had
attacked, Chime had taken care to hide her gifts, making no spells. Iris and Jarid had done the same. She
felt the dark mage searching, but as long as she suppressed her gifts, his spells slid over her like hot oil.
But she couldn t hide forever. It did the army no good to bring mages who couldn t make spells.
Chime rode up a ridge shaded with straggling trees. Here in the foothills of the northwest mountains, the
soil was rocky and the plants hardier than the lush foliage of southeast Aronsdale. She guided Silvermist
to the top of the ridge and pulled the mare to a stop. Then she sat on her horse, looking over the
controlled tumult below as the two army contingents combined. She touched the gold chain around her
neck, then slid her hand down to the emerald ball at the end. She held it in her palm, turning her hand up
to the sky. Silvermist stepped restlessly beneath her and she murmured to the horse until it calmed.
Focusing through her sphere, Chime slowly built a mood spell. Emotions washed over her from the
soldiers below: tension, conviction, relief at seeing one another, and determination. At the edges of her
spell, darkness hovered. She immediately let the spell fade, before the dark mage became aware of her.
He already knew she rode through these lands, but she had no intention of giving him any handle to
grasp.
The combined forces soon moved out together. Their superb organization and ability to cooperate with
such ease spoke well of Fieldson, who had commanded this army for over two decades. It gave Chime
new insights into the general. He could have balked when Jarid put Muller in charge, but instead Fieldson
had worked tirelessly to prepare the new commander. Remorse tugged at Chime; she had been so busy
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
resenting Fieldson, she had glossed over the many fine qualities that made him a strong leader and
inspired such loyalty in his men. They rode steadily, though their progress was slowed as the land became
steeper and uneven. As the sun rose, the fog thinned, until by the late morning she could see the Tallwalks
through a haze. Foreboding continued to plague her thoughts.
Scouts ranged ahead, searching for signs of Harsdown. Iris came back to ride with Chime, and Jarid
increased their guard from four sphere-lieutenants in the traditional quadrilateral formation to six in a
hexagonal formation. The trees thinned out and had a stunted look now. They had left the meadows far
behind; only bristly patches of grass grew in cracks in the stone. The horses picked their way with care.
Riding with Iris, Chime spoke in a subdued voice.  We must use our spells to search for Harsdown.
 Aye. The shadows under Iris s eyes were darker today and lines of strain creased her face.
Chime hesitated, leery of appearing a coward.  I fear if I make a spell, the Harsdown mage will find
me.
Mercifully Iris didn t disparage her statement. She said only,  I may be able to help. Mood spells are
your forte more than mine, so you should search. But I can offer a shield as you work.
That gave Chime hope. A year ago, she probably would have made some foolish comment trying to
cover her insecurity, but that no longer seemed important. She said only,  Yes, let s try.
With a deep breath, Chime closed her eyes. It made her more aware of her exhaustion; right now she
thought she could fall asleep while sitting in the saddle. But she couldn t let her focus weaken. Grasping
the orb on the chain around her neck, she did her best to concentrate. Instead of seeking one person, she
imagined her spell as a twenty-sided sphere, emerald. Then she let it grow. Iris shielded it with a rainbow
sheen that expanded in a layer of protection, gossamer in appearance yet stronger than any spell Chime
could have summoned. A blurred sense of the warriors came to Chime, their moods blended together.
Although they felt far less of the oppressive foreboding that bothered her, many were discouraged, their
morale low. She formed a yellow spell of soothing and released it to flow across them. Although no one
consciously seemed to realize what happened, their moods lifted.
Meanwhile, her green spell continued to grow. Less then two years ago, she hadn t believed she could
make even one spell properly; now she juggled two of them, green and yellow, shaping and building
both. The rainbow film stayed with here, its colors swirling. Not only did Iris protect her spells, she also
added support, helping Chime cover more distance. Yet for all that Chime reached across the land, she
touched no more minds. Few people lived in these unfertile lands.
Chime s head began to throb. She was overextending herself. She started to release the spell but then
she sensed a distant cluster of minds. A cold determination came from them, like iron manacles. She
eased under their notice and found a mage.
Wareman.
Her heart beating hard, Chime withdrew, hidden by Iris. As her spell dissolved, she became aware of
soldiers on horses around her, and the fog that hung about the stunted vegetation in the still air. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]