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."That? Pooh! That won't be any problem," said Tas cheerfully."Just follow me."He walked up to the nearest group of people, several guilds-men, who fanned themselves, moppedsweating foreheads, spoke together in low, excited tones, pausing to ask everyone who passed,"What news?""Excuse me," Tasslehoff said loudly.He plucked one of the guildsmen by his long, flowing sleeve."My friends and I are trying to-""Kender!" the man yelled.Grabbing his money pouch with one hand, a jeweled pendant he wore around his neck with the other, he jumped about three steps backward.This man bumped heavily into the backside of another man, who was talking with another group.That man, turning and seeing Tas, clutched his own money pouch and took three hasty steps back.Soon people were shoving and jostling and elbowing each other out of the way."Thank you," said Tasslehoff politely and moved forward- Palin and Usha hastening fast behind-until he hit the next section of human wall, where his shrill "Excuse me!" started the entire process all over again.Thus the three made their way through the mob far more easily and much faster than they hadexpected.The fact that their passing was accompanied with sharp orders to "Keep clear!" and repeated cries of "Hey! Give that back!" and the occasional scuffle were minor nuisances, not to be considered.Most of the people were huddled near the city wall or gathered around the commercial docks, nearwhere the shore boats were ferrying ashore the crew and passengers from the big ships floating atanchor at the harbor's entrance.Once they reached the water's edge, the crowd thinned out.Warning flags had been hoisted, hung limp above the harbormaster's office.The sailors had no needof them, however.They could see for themselves that no sane person would put out to sea thistroubled morning.Usha was not a sailor.She knew nothing of warning flags, would have paid them little heed if shehad.She was going home.She would find out the truth-whatever it was, however terrible it was.Her fear seemed to enhance her senses, sharpen her sight, for she found her sailboat readily, though it was jammed in among many, many others."There!" She pointed.Palin eyed it dubiously."It seems awfully small.""It will hold the three of us.""I mean.small.to venture into the sea."He gazed out across the water.Not even a breath of wind blew down at the harbor.Waves caused bythe movement of ships lapped sluggishly beneath the docks.No sea birds skimmed the water'ssurface or fought over the fish heads and tails.No clouds massed in the sky, though the flash offorked lightning, the rumble and boom of thunder from the east, was constant.The strange andominous red glow spanned the horizon, was reflected in the water.Palin shook his head."There's no wind.We can't row all that distance back to your homeland.We'll have to find some other way.""No, we won't," Usha replied, tugging him along."The boat is magical, remember? It will take me home, Palin.It will take me home," she repeated softly."Usha," Palin said, pulling on her hand, slowing her eager progress, "Usha."She saw on his face, heard in the tone of his voice what he was about to say.It was like looking in a mirror, her own fear reflecting back to her."I'll be all right," she said."I have you with me."Holding fast to his hand, she walked out onto the dock, heading for her boat.Usha climbed down into the vessel, began to inspect it, to make certain it was still in seaworthycondition.Palin and Tas remained topside, baking in the sun, ready to cast off the ropes when it was time to leave.Several people glanced at them curiously, but no one said anything to them, probablyfiguring they were making the craft snug to weather the storm, never guessing they were planningto set sail.Palin wondered if people would try to stop them, what he would do, how he would handle thatsituation should it arise.They had to take this route, much as he disliked sailing into that fire-red sky.What Usha had saidwas right.The magical boat would return to its homeland.There was no other way, since no oneelse knew where the Irda homeland was, not even the members of the Conclave.Dragons might, butthey were fighting their own battles."I'm quite a sailor myself," Tas announced, sitting on the dock, swinging his legs and peering down into the sea, trying to catch sight of some fish."Hint wasn't.Flint hated water.He never could really understand why it was around.'Reorx gave us ale,' Flint used to say.'You'd think he would'vestopped there, when he'd got it right.' I tried to point out that you couldn't very well sail a boat on ale.Well, you probably could, but the foam would be inconvenient.Flint maintained that boats wereaccursed inventions anyway.'Course, this may have been because he almost drowned in one.Didyou ever hear the story about how Flint almost drowned? It was one day when your father-""Let's not talk about drowning," Palin said."Or my father."Danger would be coming to the Inn of the Last Home.Caramon had gone back to warn thetownspeople of Solace, to make them ready, to do what he could to protect them against whateverhorrors they might face."Does my father know what I will be doing?" Palin had questioned his uncle, almost the last words the two had spoken together."Where I'm going?""He knows," Raistlin had replied."What did he say?" Palin had asked uneasily.Raistlin had almost smiled."That, when this was over, he and your mother would expect you home to dinner."Palin thought this over, was pleased.His father knew the danger his son would be facing and,instead of trying to deter him (as Caramon would have done in the old days), he was letting his sonknow that his parents had faith in him, that they believed in him and knew he would do his best.A small hand was tugging at his sleeve.Palin looked down.Tas was standing right beside him."Palin," Tas said in a whisper."I'm afraid Usha's going to be unhappy once she gets to her home, after what we heard the gods say about it.""Yes, Tas," Palin said quietly."She will be very unhappy.""Shouldn't we tell her now? Sort of.prepare her?"Palin looked down at Usha, who was working busily, stowing away gear, making room for the extratwo people who would be going with her."She knows, Tas," he said."She already knows."Bertrem, panicked, and the other monks, working frantically to save the books, the history of theworld.Save them for what? There might be no one left around to read them.We are sailing to an island ofdeath, perhaps sailing toward our own deaths."Well, we're off!" Tasslehoff announced cheerily
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Tematy
IndexChristin Lovell [Vamp Chronic Hit the Road Jack (epub)
Zelazny, Roger The Second Chronicles of Amber 05 Prince of Chaos
Nicole Williams The Patrick Chronicles 01 Fissure (v5.0)
Savannah Russe The Darkwing Chronicles 02 Past Redemption
Savannah Russe The Darkwing Chronicles 01 Beyond The Pale Całoœć
Russe Savannah The Darkwing Chronicles 01 Beyond The Pale
Elizabeth Vaughan Chronicles Of The Warlands 01 Warprize
Chroniques de San Francisco Armistead Maupin
Wolverton Dave Gwiezdne wojny Uczeń Jedi Narodziny Mocy
Alexandre Dumas Le comte de Monte Cristo tome3