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."Haplo glanced at Alfred, who had flushed bright red "What's wrong with it? Isit guarded? Magic?""Nothing like that," the Hand answered, "More like a joke.""I doubt it's a joke.The Sartan don't have much of a sense of humor.""Someone did.The way out is through a maze.""A maze." Haplo repeated softly.Page 130 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlHe knew the truth then.And Marit knew at the same moment Haplo knew.Theemptiness inside her filled, filled with fear, fear that twisted and kickedinside her like a living thing.She was almost sick with it."So Samah did keep his word," Haplo said to Alfred.The Sartan nodded.His face was deathly white his expression bleak."Yes, hekept it.""He knows where we are?" Hugh the Hand demanded."He knows," Haplo said quietly."He's known all along.The Labyrinth."CHAPTER 29THE LABYRINTHTHEY LEFT THE ROOM OF WHITE MARBLE AND ITS CRYSTAL COFFINS.Following Hugh'slead, they traversed a narrow hallway carved out of gray rough-cut rock.Thecorridor sloped, straight and even, steadily downward.At its end an archeddoorway, also carved out of rock, opened into a gigantic cavern.The vault of the cavern's roof was high overhead, lost in shadows.A dull graylight, shining from a point far opposite the entrance, glistened off the wetsurfaces of huge stalactites.Stalagmites thrust up out of the cavern floor tomeet them, like teeth in a gaping mouth.Through gaps in the wet teeth a riverof black water swirled, flowing in the direction of the cheerless light.An ordinary enough cavern.Haplo looked at the arched doorway.TouchingMarit's arm, he silently called her attention to a mark scratched above it asingle Sartan rune.Marit looked at it, shuddered, leaned against the chillwall.She was shivering, her bare arms clasped tightly.Her face was averted; herhair hung over it, hiding it.Haplo knew that if he smoothed back that tangledmass of hair, touched her cheek, he'd feel tears.He didn't blame her.Once hewould have wept himself.But now he felt strangely elated.This was, afterall, where he'd intended to come all along.Marit couldn't read the Sartan rune-language, but she could read that onesigil.All Patryns could.They could read them and they had come to hate anddetest them."The First Gate," said Haplo."We stand at the very beginnings of theLabyrinth.""Labyrinth," Hugh the Hand repeated."Then I was right.That is a maze outthere." He gestured beyond the gate.Rows of stalagmites spread out into the darkness.A path, wet and sleek, ledfrom the arch into the stalagmites.Haplo could see from where he stood -thefirst fork in the path, two diverse courses, slanting left and right, eachwandering off amid rock formations that had not been naturally created, buthad been formed by magic and fear and hate.There was one right way.All others led to disaster.And they were standing atthe very first gate."I've been in a few caves in my life," the Hand continued.He gestured intothe darkness with the stem of his pipe."But nothing like this.I walked outonto the path until I came to that first fork; then I caught a glimpse ofwhere it led." He rubbed his chin.The hair was beginning to grow back on hisface and his head, a blue-black stubble that must have itched."I figured I'dbetter come back before I got myself lost.""Getting lost would have been the least of your worries," said Haplo."Thewrong turn in that maze leads to death.It was built that way on purpose.TheLabyrinth is more than a maze.It's a prison.And my child is trapped inthere."Hugh the Hand removed his pipe from his mouth, stared at Haplo."I'll bedamned."Alfred huddled in the back, as far from the arched doorway as he could get andstill remain near the group."You want to tell him about the Labyrinth,Sartan, or shall I?"Alfred looked up briefly, an expression of hurt in his eyes.Haplo saw thePage 131 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlpain, knew the reason for it, chose to ignore it.Alfred wasn't Alfredanymore.He was the enemy.No matter that they were all in this together now.Haplo needed someone to hate, needed his hate as a strong wall to lean againstfor support, or he'd fall and maybe never get up.The dog had been standing beside Haplo, near the open archway, sniffing theair and not liking what it smelled.It shook itself all over, padded toAlfred.The dog rubbed against the Sartan's leg, its plumy tail brushing backand forth slowly, gently."I understand how you feel," Alfred said.Reaching out, he gave the dog atimid pat on the head."I'm sorry."Haplo's wall of hate began to crumble; fear started climbing up over thepieces.He gritted his teeth."Damn it, Alfred, stop apologizing! I've toldyou before, it's not your fault!" The echo came bounding back at him.Your fault.your fault.your fault."I know.I will.I'm s-s-s " Alfred made a hissing sound like a spentteakettle, caught Haplo's eye, and fell silent.The Hand looked from one to the other."I don't give a damn whose fault it is.Somebody explain what's going on."Haplo shrugged."A long time ago there was a war between his people and mine.We lost and they won ""No," Alfred corrected gently, sadly, "nobody won.""At any rate, they shut us up in this prison, then went off to find prisons oftheir own.Is that how you'd put it, Alfred?"The Sartan did not answer."This prison is known as the Labyrinth.It's where I was born.It's where shewas born." He gestured at Mark."It's where our child was bom.And where ourchild lives.""If she lives," Marit muttered beneath her breath.She had regained a certain amount of control; she was no longer shaking.Butshe did not look at them.Leaning against the wall, she kept her arms claspedabout her tightly, holding herself together."It's a cruel place, filled with cruel magic that delights not only inkilling, but in killing slowly, torturing, tormenting you until death comes asa friend.* The two of us managed to escape, with the help of our lord, Xar.But many don't.Many haven't.Generations of our people have been born, havelived and died in the Labyrinth.*One of the Patryn words for "death" is, in fact, the same as the word for"friend.""And there are none of our people now living," Haplo finished quietly, "whostarted at the First Gate and made it all the way through to the end."The assassin's expression darkened."What are you saving?"Marit turned to him, anger burning her tears dry."It took our people hundredsof years to reach the Final Gate.And they did it by standing on the bodies ofthose who fell before them! A dying father points out the way ahead to hisson [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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."Haplo glanced at Alfred, who had flushed bright red "What's wrong with it? Isit guarded? Magic?""Nothing like that," the Hand answered, "More like a joke.""I doubt it's a joke.The Sartan don't have much of a sense of humor.""Someone did.The way out is through a maze.""A maze." Haplo repeated softly.Page 130 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlHe knew the truth then.And Marit knew at the same moment Haplo knew.Theemptiness inside her filled, filled with fear, fear that twisted and kickedinside her like a living thing.She was almost sick with it."So Samah did keep his word," Haplo said to Alfred.The Sartan nodded.His face was deathly white his expression bleak."Yes, hekept it.""He knows where we are?" Hugh the Hand demanded."He knows," Haplo said quietly."He's known all along.The Labyrinth."CHAPTER 29THE LABYRINTHTHEY LEFT THE ROOM OF WHITE MARBLE AND ITS CRYSTAL COFFINS.Following Hugh'slead, they traversed a narrow hallway carved out of gray rough-cut rock.Thecorridor sloped, straight and even, steadily downward.At its end an archeddoorway, also carved out of rock, opened into a gigantic cavern.The vault of the cavern's roof was high overhead, lost in shadows.A dull graylight, shining from a point far opposite the entrance, glistened off the wetsurfaces of huge stalactites.Stalagmites thrust up out of the cavern floor tomeet them, like teeth in a gaping mouth.Through gaps in the wet teeth a riverof black water swirled, flowing in the direction of the cheerless light.An ordinary enough cavern.Haplo looked at the arched doorway.TouchingMarit's arm, he silently called her attention to a mark scratched above it asingle Sartan rune.Marit looked at it, shuddered, leaned against the chillwall.She was shivering, her bare arms clasped tightly.Her face was averted; herhair hung over it, hiding it.Haplo knew that if he smoothed back that tangledmass of hair, touched her cheek, he'd feel tears.He didn't blame her.Once hewould have wept himself.But now he felt strangely elated.This was, afterall, where he'd intended to come all along.Marit couldn't read the Sartan rune-language, but she could read that onesigil.All Patryns could.They could read them and they had come to hate anddetest them."The First Gate," said Haplo."We stand at the very beginnings of theLabyrinth.""Labyrinth," Hugh the Hand repeated."Then I was right.That is a maze outthere." He gestured beyond the gate.Rows of stalagmites spread out into the darkness.A path, wet and sleek, ledfrom the arch into the stalagmites.Haplo could see from where he stood -thefirst fork in the path, two diverse courses, slanting left and right, eachwandering off amid rock formations that had not been naturally created, buthad been formed by magic and fear and hate.There was one right way.All others led to disaster.And they were standing atthe very first gate."I've been in a few caves in my life," the Hand continued.He gestured intothe darkness with the stem of his pipe."But nothing like this.I walked outonto the path until I came to that first fork; then I caught a glimpse ofwhere it led." He rubbed his chin.The hair was beginning to grow back on hisface and his head, a blue-black stubble that must have itched."I figured I'dbetter come back before I got myself lost.""Getting lost would have been the least of your worries," said Haplo."Thewrong turn in that maze leads to death.It was built that way on purpose.TheLabyrinth is more than a maze.It's a prison.And my child is trapped inthere."Hugh the Hand removed his pipe from his mouth, stared at Haplo."I'll bedamned."Alfred huddled in the back, as far from the arched doorway as he could get andstill remain near the group."You want to tell him about the Labyrinth,Sartan, or shall I?"Alfred looked up briefly, an expression of hurt in his eyes.Haplo saw thePage 131 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlpain, knew the reason for it, chose to ignore it.Alfred wasn't Alfredanymore.He was the enemy.No matter that they were all in this together now.Haplo needed someone to hate, needed his hate as a strong wall to lean againstfor support, or he'd fall and maybe never get up.The dog had been standing beside Haplo, near the open archway, sniffing theair and not liking what it smelled.It shook itself all over, padded toAlfred.The dog rubbed against the Sartan's leg, its plumy tail brushing backand forth slowly, gently."I understand how you feel," Alfred said.Reaching out, he gave the dog atimid pat on the head."I'm sorry."Haplo's wall of hate began to crumble; fear started climbing up over thepieces.He gritted his teeth."Damn it, Alfred, stop apologizing! I've toldyou before, it's not your fault!" The echo came bounding back at him.Your fault.your fault.your fault."I know.I will.I'm s-s-s " Alfred made a hissing sound like a spentteakettle, caught Haplo's eye, and fell silent.The Hand looked from one to the other."I don't give a damn whose fault it is.Somebody explain what's going on."Haplo shrugged."A long time ago there was a war between his people and mine.We lost and they won ""No," Alfred corrected gently, sadly, "nobody won.""At any rate, they shut us up in this prison, then went off to find prisons oftheir own.Is that how you'd put it, Alfred?"The Sartan did not answer."This prison is known as the Labyrinth.It's where I was born.It's where shewas born." He gestured at Mark."It's where our child was bom.And where ourchild lives.""If she lives," Marit muttered beneath her breath.She had regained a certain amount of control; she was no longer shaking.Butshe did not look at them.Leaning against the wall, she kept her arms claspedabout her tightly, holding herself together."It's a cruel place, filled with cruel magic that delights not only inkilling, but in killing slowly, torturing, tormenting you until death comes asa friend.* The two of us managed to escape, with the help of our lord, Xar.But many don't.Many haven't.Generations of our people have been born, havelived and died in the Labyrinth.*One of the Patryn words for "death" is, in fact, the same as the word for"friend.""And there are none of our people now living," Haplo finished quietly, "whostarted at the First Gate and made it all the way through to the end."The assassin's expression darkened."What are you saving?"Marit turned to him, anger burning her tears dry."It took our people hundredsof years to reach the Final Gate.And they did it by standing on the bodies ofthose who fell before them! A dying father points out the way ahead to hisson [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]