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. Nodding distractedly, she reached for the ribbon and turned. Martigay. When she turned back, Dye saluted her with two fingers.Apparentlystill rattled, she hit her forehead with her fist then turned again to make her exit.* * * * *Dye was still awake when his guards tried to stop the man forging into his tent.Snatching his steel from the baldric on the chair beside his cot, Dye was out of bed andcrouched, steel in hand, as the intruder fought his way in past the guards.It was thegirl s friend, he realized, as his guards struggled with the man just inside the tent sopening. Where is she? Palleden demanded. Release him, the king commanded his guards. Leave us. Palleden straightened his rumpled sleeves as he glared at the king. Where is she? Join me in a drink, soldier? After pulling his doeskins up his legs, Dye steppedtoward the table and picked up a jar. Where s Captain Martigay? Dye glared at the man s blatant display of disrespect. Watch yourself, soldier. Listen, My Lord.I don t have time to dick with you.Tell me where she is. Dye s eyes narrowed on the man in angry disbelief. You can dismiss me tomorrow, flog me tomorrow, hang me tomorrow if you like.Tell me, tonight, where she is. She s at the mine.Guarding one of the drifts. Inside the mine? Pall turned toward the door, then turned back. How long hasshe been in there? Dye s stomach clenched with a sudden, sick foreboding. The day and the night. Write me an order of release.Now. Folding his arms stubbornly, Dye stared at his soldier.Pall returned his look with a cold blaze of fury. When Martigay was a child, hestarted, his voice like a razor, she woke to screams in the night.She was raised on theside of a cliff.Her family made their home in a cave.It s not unusual in the south. Something was in the cave, some kind of animal, tearing her family apart.Shespent that long, terrifying night hunched inside the legs of a stool, staring into theblackness, waiting her turn at death while the monster fed on her family.She could hearits jaws working, rending at flesh and bone.She could feel the creature s breath, hot onthe forearm that covered her eyes just before it picked up the stool and tried to shakeher out, then threw the stool across the room. 81 Madison HayesDye s stomach tightened into a knot, recalling the long, evil scar ripping down theback of her arm. What was it? he asked, reaching for his linen jerkin. Probably a Koshiak, or something like it.She never saw it.She waited alonethrough the night.What she saw in the dawning was worse than anything she d fearedin the night. Wrenching the jerkin over his head, Dye yanked his vest up to follow. She s afraid she s terrified of the dark. Fuck. The king shrugged his baldric over his shoulder and dropped into his chairas he shoved his feet into his boots. Are you going to write that release? I ll go myself, he grunted, yanking at his boots. You can t do that! Pall burst out. You ll& she ll& she d not want you to know. She didn t mind my thinking she was afraid of heights. She what? The girl pretended she was afraid of heights. That& then that would be different! Why? Because she isn t! Grabbing his cloak, the king strode toward the tent s opening. You re coming withme, he said curtly.Normally he would have ordered his horse to be harnessed by one of his men, butDye didn t have the patience to stand idle and watch someone else fumble in the dark,struggling to do what he could easily accomplish with the aid of his Westerman eyes. Take the chestnut, he told Pall, thrusting a halter into his hands then reaching forhis own. How did she survive? he asked, pulling the halter up the horse s face. Yousaid she was only a child when she lost her family.What did she do? What any child would do, Pall answered, fumbling in the dark. Headeddownhill until she found a river and followed it downstream.Upon reaching a smallfarm, she offered herself and the people took her.She got lucky they were nice people.Worked her hard, from the sounds of it, but& it could have been worse. Reaching for a saddle, Dye shoved it at Pall before grabbing his own. How aboutwhen she s riding at night? he grunted. She s all right if she s in a crowd, with someone else, Pall answered, yanking onthe girth rope. When she s alone, she counts on her horse for company and to warnher of any danger. And that s why she keeps a lamp burning all night? Pall shook his head. An open flame is too dangerous in a small tent.She has aglow stone. She has a glow stone, Dye repeated, wonderingly.82 Dye s Kingdom: Wanting It ForeverPall nodded. You can imagine how long it took her to save up for that.Ten hoursexposure to the sun will deliver almost that length of light come dark.It s the only wayshe manages to get through the night. I ve never seen it on her belt. Pall shook his head. She hangs it on her saddle to recharge.The rest of the time shewears it around her neck and tucks it inside her jerkin. What does she do on overcast days? When the stone doesn t have a chance torecharge, he asked, stooping to release the horses hobbles.When Pall didn t answer right away, Dye cut a sharp glance up at his sergeant. Isleep with her, he confessed.With one knee on the ground, Dye s hand froze on the hobble twist as he stared atPall.Pall frowned down at him. It isn t easy, he admitted in a low mutter. I d like toget between her legs as much as, he looked at the king and hesitated, & the next guy.But so far she won t have me. And if she did? If she gave me half a chance, I d not waste it, My Lord. * * * * *Pounding into the mine s camp at a thundering gallop, Dye was dismountingbefore his horse had come to a complete stop.Dye hit the ground at a run. Is the girlinside? Sir? The startled soldier standing guard at the mine s portal hurried to attention. Captain Martigay.Where is she? The soldier gave his superior a blank look and Dye grabbed the man by theshoulders as he jerked him forward. Is Captain Martigay inside the mine? My Lord! Yes, sir.She& she had orders, the man sputtered. Shit! Bring a torch, he shouted at Pall. Martigay! he shouted as he ducked to enterthe mine s mouth.Racing along the mine s rough, rutted track, Dye hurtled through dank, gleamingcorridors hacked out of jagged rock.Knowing in exactly which drift he d find Martigay,his night vision guided him unerringly toward the correct turning [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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. Nodding distractedly, she reached for the ribbon and turned. Martigay. When she turned back, Dye saluted her with two fingers.Apparentlystill rattled, she hit her forehead with her fist then turned again to make her exit.* * * * *Dye was still awake when his guards tried to stop the man forging into his tent.Snatching his steel from the baldric on the chair beside his cot, Dye was out of bed andcrouched, steel in hand, as the intruder fought his way in past the guards.It was thegirl s friend, he realized, as his guards struggled with the man just inside the tent sopening. Where is she? Palleden demanded. Release him, the king commanded his guards. Leave us. Palleden straightened his rumpled sleeves as he glared at the king. Where is she? Join me in a drink, soldier? After pulling his doeskins up his legs, Dye steppedtoward the table and picked up a jar. Where s Captain Martigay? Dye glared at the man s blatant display of disrespect. Watch yourself, soldier. Listen, My Lord.I don t have time to dick with you.Tell me where she is. Dye s eyes narrowed on the man in angry disbelief. You can dismiss me tomorrow, flog me tomorrow, hang me tomorrow if you like.Tell me, tonight, where she is. She s at the mine.Guarding one of the drifts. Inside the mine? Pall turned toward the door, then turned back. How long hasshe been in there? Dye s stomach clenched with a sudden, sick foreboding. The day and the night. Write me an order of release.Now. Folding his arms stubbornly, Dye stared at his soldier.Pall returned his look with a cold blaze of fury. When Martigay was a child, hestarted, his voice like a razor, she woke to screams in the night.She was raised on theside of a cliff.Her family made their home in a cave.It s not unusual in the south. Something was in the cave, some kind of animal, tearing her family apart.Shespent that long, terrifying night hunched inside the legs of a stool, staring into theblackness, waiting her turn at death while the monster fed on her family.She could hearits jaws working, rending at flesh and bone.She could feel the creature s breath, hot onthe forearm that covered her eyes just before it picked up the stool and tried to shakeher out, then threw the stool across the room. 81 Madison HayesDye s stomach tightened into a knot, recalling the long, evil scar ripping down theback of her arm. What was it? he asked, reaching for his linen jerkin. Probably a Koshiak, or something like it.She never saw it.She waited alonethrough the night.What she saw in the dawning was worse than anything she d fearedin the night. Wrenching the jerkin over his head, Dye yanked his vest up to follow. She s afraid she s terrified of the dark. Fuck. The king shrugged his baldric over his shoulder and dropped into his chairas he shoved his feet into his boots. Are you going to write that release? I ll go myself, he grunted, yanking at his boots. You can t do that! Pall burst out. You ll& she ll& she d not want you to know. She didn t mind my thinking she was afraid of heights. She what? The girl pretended she was afraid of heights. That& then that would be different! Why? Because she isn t! Grabbing his cloak, the king strode toward the tent s opening. You re coming withme, he said curtly.Normally he would have ordered his horse to be harnessed by one of his men, butDye didn t have the patience to stand idle and watch someone else fumble in the dark,struggling to do what he could easily accomplish with the aid of his Westerman eyes. Take the chestnut, he told Pall, thrusting a halter into his hands then reaching forhis own. How did she survive? he asked, pulling the halter up the horse s face. Yousaid she was only a child when she lost her family.What did she do? What any child would do, Pall answered, fumbling in the dark. Headeddownhill until she found a river and followed it downstream.Upon reaching a smallfarm, she offered herself and the people took her.She got lucky they were nice people.Worked her hard, from the sounds of it, but& it could have been worse. Reaching for a saddle, Dye shoved it at Pall before grabbing his own. How aboutwhen she s riding at night? he grunted. She s all right if she s in a crowd, with someone else, Pall answered, yanking onthe girth rope. When she s alone, she counts on her horse for company and to warnher of any danger. And that s why she keeps a lamp burning all night? Pall shook his head. An open flame is too dangerous in a small tent.She has aglow stone. She has a glow stone, Dye repeated, wonderingly.82 Dye s Kingdom: Wanting It ForeverPall nodded. You can imagine how long it took her to save up for that.Ten hoursexposure to the sun will deliver almost that length of light come dark.It s the only wayshe manages to get through the night. I ve never seen it on her belt. Pall shook his head. She hangs it on her saddle to recharge.The rest of the time shewears it around her neck and tucks it inside her jerkin. What does she do on overcast days? When the stone doesn t have a chance torecharge, he asked, stooping to release the horses hobbles.When Pall didn t answer right away, Dye cut a sharp glance up at his sergeant. Isleep with her, he confessed.With one knee on the ground, Dye s hand froze on the hobble twist as he stared atPall.Pall frowned down at him. It isn t easy, he admitted in a low mutter. I d like toget between her legs as much as, he looked at the king and hesitated, & the next guy.But so far she won t have me. And if she did? If she gave me half a chance, I d not waste it, My Lord. * * * * *Pounding into the mine s camp at a thundering gallop, Dye was dismountingbefore his horse had come to a complete stop.Dye hit the ground at a run. Is the girlinside? Sir? The startled soldier standing guard at the mine s portal hurried to attention. Captain Martigay.Where is she? The soldier gave his superior a blank look and Dye grabbed the man by theshoulders as he jerked him forward. Is Captain Martigay inside the mine? My Lord! Yes, sir.She& she had orders, the man sputtered. Shit! Bring a torch, he shouted at Pall. Martigay! he shouted as he ducked to enterthe mine s mouth.Racing along the mine s rough, rutted track, Dye hurtled through dank, gleamingcorridors hacked out of jagged rock.Knowing in exactly which drift he d find Martigay,his night vision guided him unerringly toward the correct turning [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]