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.Both hands reached down to a giant broadsword sheathed at his waist.The Paladin heaved himself upright then and freed his own broadsword just as the Mark reached him.Sword blades hammered into each other in a frightening clash of metal, the sound ringing out against thesudden stillness.The Paladin was thrust back by the heavier form of the Mark, yet kept his feet.Againthey lunged and again the swords hammered down.Back and forth across the Heart the combatantsstaggered as the broadswords rose and fell in the half light.The Paladin experienced a sudden, unfamiliar sensation.He was losing this battle.Then the Mark feinted and reversed the swing of his broadsword so that it cut downward in a sweepingmotion toward the Paladin's feet.It was a glancing blow that careened off the tarnished armor, yet itcaught the knight by surprise and knocked him sideways.He went down heavily and his weapon spunout of reach.The Mark was atop him at once.The demon's giant broadsword arced downward, and theblade caught and lodged in the Paladin's shoulder plates, wedged between the joints.Had the Markreleased the sword, it would have been the end of the Paladin.But the demon clung fast to the weapon,struggling to free it, refusing to let go.It gave the Paladin one last chance.Desperately he groped his wayup the demon's armored body, grappling for the weapons harness once more.His fingers closed about the haft of the iron-headed mace.The Paladin reared up, one hand clinging to the Mark's armored body, the other bringing up the mace.The ridged crown crashed into the helmeted death's head and the Mark shuddered.The Paladin swungthe weapon upward a second time, the whole of his strength behind the blow.The visor split wide, andthe face within was a nightmare of blood and twisted features.Silver light flared from the body of thePaladin.Once more the mace rose and fell, and the demon's head disintegrated.The Iron Mark tumbled to the earth, a shapeless mass of black metal.The Paladin rose slowly and Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlstepped away.A stillness shrouded the Heart, a mantle of hushed silence that was its own terrifyingsound.Then the wind rose with a howl, the thunder reverberated through the forest earth, the air swirledblack with shadows and gloom, and the gateway to Abaddon opened suddenly about the demons.Howling and crying, they disappeared back into the netherworld.The clearing stood empty once more.Gloom and shadows dissipated.The dawn's new light fell acrossthe Paladin as he climbed back astride his charger.The light gleamed on armor that was no longertarnished or worn, but like new.The light flared, reflecting momentarily from the knight to the medallionworn by Landover's King as he stood alone at the forefront of the dais.Then the light faded and the Paladin was gone.Ben Holiday breathed the morning air and felt the warmth of the sunlight on his body.He feltmomentarily weightless in the light clothing of Landover's King, free once more from the Paladin's armor.Time and motion thawed and quickened until all was as it had been.He was himself again.The dream, the nightmare, whichever part of both he had survived, was over.Shadowy figures stirred within the forest trees and emerged into the Heart, humans and fairies, Lordsand knights of the Greensward, and the River Master with his people of the lake country, picking theirway carefully through the debris.Ben's friends appeared from their shelter at the base of the dais, stunnedlooks on their faces.Willow was smiling."High Lord." Questor began helplessly and trailed off.Then slowly he knelt before the dais."HighLord," he whispered.Willow, Abernathy, and the kobolds knelt with him.Fillip and Sot reappeared, as if by magic, and they,too, knelt.All across the clearing the men of the Greensward and the men of fairy dropped to one knee the River Master, Kallendbor, Strehan, the Lords of the Greensward, all that had come."High Lord," they acknowledged."High Lord," he whispered back.KingIt was all pretty simple after that.Even a neophyte monarch like Ben didn't have much difficulty figuringout what to do with all those astonished subjects.He got them back on their feet and marched themdirectly to Sterling Silver for a victory feast.Things might have been tough up until this morning and theymight be tough again by tomorrow; but for the remainder of this day, at least, it looked like smoothsailing.He ferried his friends, the River Master and his immediate family, and the Lords of the Greensward andtheir retainers across in the lake skimmer and left soldiers and assorted entourage to camp along theshoreline.It took several trips to bring everyone invited across, and he made a mental note to construct abridge before the next get-together."There was a bridge in the old days, High Lord," Questor whispered surreptitiously, as if reading histhoughts, "but when the old King died, the people ceased coming to the castle, the army drifted away,and traffic eventually stopped altogether.The bridge fell into a terrible state of disrepair, boards crackedand rotted, bindings frayed, nails rusted just a large clog in the lake that reflected the sorry state of the Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlentire kingdom.I tried to salvage it with magic, High Lord, but things just didn't work out quite the way Ihad planned."He stopped rambling and trailed off.Ben's eyebrows lifted."Things?"Questor leaned closer.They were midway across the lake on their final trip."I am afraid I sank thebridge.High Lord."He peered reluctantly over the skimmer's bow.Ben peered with him.It was hard to keep from grinning,but he did.He gathered his guests in the great hall and seated them about a series of tressel tables pulled together.He worried belatedly that Sterling Silver could not find the means to feed them all, but his fears weregroundless.The castle reproduced provisions from her larder with newfound strength and determination as if she could sense the victory that had been won and there was food and drink enough foreveryone, inside and out.It was a marvelous feast a celebration in which all shared.Food and drink were consumed withrelish, toasts were exchanged and adventures recounted.There was a fellowship that transcendedlingering skepticism; there was a strange sense of renewal.One by one those gathered rose to their feet,at Questor's urging, and pledged once more their loyalty and unconditional support to Landover's newestKing."Long life, High Lord Ben Holiday," the River Master prayed."May all your future successes matchtoday's.""May you keep the magic close and use it well," Kallendbor advised, the warning in his voiceunmistakable
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Tematy
IndexWarren Adler Wojna państwa Rose 01 Wojna państwa Rose
§ Menzel Iwona W poszukiwaniu zapachu snów 01 W poszukiwaniu zapachu snów
Lachlan M D Synowie boga 01 Synowie boga (2)
Robbins Harold Handlarze snów 01 Handlarze snow
§ Rudnicka Olga (01) Zacisze 13 Zacisze 13
Reynard Sylvain Piekło Gabriela 01 Piekło Gabriela
Kalifornijska noc 01 Kalifornijska noc Adler Elizabeth
Alexandra Bracken Mroczne umysły 01 Mroczne umysły
Wielkie nic James Ellroy
Sochoń J., Platona ogląd bytu idei