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.That night Bane asked the voice of thefeather amulet, the soft and whispering voice that often spoke to him duringthe night, to explain why his parents didn't love him.The voice told him the truth.Stephen and Anne weren't his real parents.Banewas just using them for a while.His true father was a powerful mysteriarch.His true father dwelt in a splendid castle in a fabulous realm.His truefather was proud of his son, and the day would come when he would call his sonhome and they would be together always.The last part of the sentence was Bane's addition, not I will be the one whois truly ruling the Mid Realm.Letting go of the blanket, the boy grasped hold of the feather amulet he worePage 205 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlaround his neck and jerked hard on the leather thong.It would not break.Angrily, using words he'd picked up from the stableboy, Bane pulled at itagain-harder-and succeeded only in hurting himself.Tears came to his eyes atlast, tears of pain and frustration.Sitting up in bed, he pulled and tugged,and finally, after costing himself more pain by getting the thong tangled inhis hair, managed to drag it up over and off his head.Alfred was passing down the hallway, searching for his own bedchamber in theconfusing, forbidding palace."Limbeck is falling under the sway of the mysteriarch.I can see the bloodyconflict into which the Gegs will be drawn! Thousands will die, and forwhat-to gain an evil man control of the world! I should stop it, but how? Whatcan I do alone? Or maybe I shouldn't stop it.After all, it was attempting tocontrol what should have been left alone that brought tragedy on us all.Andthen there is Haplo.I know for certain who he is, but, again, what can I do?Should I do anything? I don't know! I don't know! Why was I left by myself? Isit a mistake, or am I supposed to be doing something? And if so, what?"The chamberlain, in his aimless ramblings, found himself near Bane's door.Hisinner turmoil made the dark and shadowy hall swim before his eyes.Pausinguntil his vision cleared, wishing desperately his thoughts would do the same,Alfred heard the rustle of bedclothes and the child's voice crying andcursing.Glancing up and down the hall to make certain he was not seen, Alfredraised two fingers on his right hand and traced the sign of a sigil on thedoor.The wood seemed to disappear at his command, and he could see through itas if it were not there.Bane hurled the amulet into a corner of the room."No one loves me and I'mglad of it! I don't love them.I hate them, all of them!"The boy flung himself down onto the bed, buried his head in the pillow.Alfreddrew a deep and shaking breath.At last! It had happened at last, and justwhen his heart was despairing.Now was the time to draw the boy back from the edge of Sinistrad's pit.Alfredstepped forward, forgetting the door, and narrowly missed bumping right intoit, for the spell he had cast had not removed it, merely let him see throughit.The chamberlain caught himself and, at the same time, thought: No, not me.What am I? A servant, nothing more.His mother.Yes, his mother!Bane heard a sound in his room and promptly shut his eyes and froze.He hadthe blanket pulled over his head, and he hastily dried his tears with a quickflick of his hand.Was it Sinistrad, coming to say he'd changed his mind?"Bane?" The voice was soft and gentle, his mother's.The boy pretended to be sleeping.What does she want? he wondered.Do I wantto talk to her? Yes, he decided, hearing once again his father's words, Ithink I do want to speak to mother.All my life people have used me to getwhat they wanted.Now I'm going to start using them.Blinking sleepily, Bane raised a tousled head from the depth of the blankets.Iridal had materialized inside his room and was standing at the foot of hisbed.Light slowly began to illuminate her, shining from within, and casting awarm and lovely radiance over the boy.The rest of the room remained indarkness.Looking at his mother, Bane knew, from the pitying expression thatswept over her face, that she saw he had been crying.This was good.Onceagain he drew on his arsenal."Oh, my child!" His mother came to him.Sitting down on the bed, Iridal slidher arm around him and drew him close, soothing him with her hand.A feeling of exquisite warmth enveloped the boy.Nestling into that comfortingarm, he said to himself: I've given father what he wants.Now it's her turn.What does she want of me?Nothing, apparently.Iridal wept over him and murmured incoherently about howmuch she had missed him and how she had longed for him to be with her.ThisPage 206 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlgave the boy an idea."Mother," he said, looking up at her with tear-drenched blue eyes, "I want tobe with you! But father says he's going to send me away!""Send you away! Where? Why?""Back to the Mid Realm, back to those people who don't love me!" He caughthold of her hand and hugged it tightly."I want to stay with you! You andfather!""Yes," Iridal murmured.Drawing Bane close, she kissed him on the forehead."Yes.a family.Like I've always dreamed.Maybe there is a chance.Maybe Ican't save him, but his own child.Surely he could not betray such innocentlove and trust.This hand"-she kissed the child's fingers, bathing them withtears-"this hand might lead him away from the dark path he walks."Bane didn't understand.All paths were one to him, neither dark nor light, allleading straight to the same goal-people doing what he wanted them to do."You'll talk to father," he said, squirming out of her grasp, feeling that,after all, kissing and hugging might get to be a nuisance."Yes, I'll talk to him tomorrow.""Thank you, mama." Bane yawned."You should be sleeping," Iridal said, rising."Good night, my son." Shegently drew the blanket up snug around him and, leaning down, kissed hischeek."Good night."The magical radiance began to fade from her face.She raised her hands andclosed her eyes, concentrating, and disappeared from his room.Bane grinned into the darkness.He had no idea what kind of influence hismother might be able to exert; he could only judge by Queen Anne, who hadgenerally been able to get what she wanted from Stephen.But if this didn't work, there was always the other plan.In order to makethat plan work, he would have to give away for free something he guessed wasof inestimable value.He would be circumspect, of course, but his father wassmart.Sinistrad might guess and rob him of it.Still, spend nothing, gainnothing.Likely, he wouldn't have to give it up.Not yet.He wouldn't be sent away.Mama would see to that.Gleefully Bane kicked off the smothering covers.CHAPTER 52CASTLE SINISTER, HIGH REALMTHE FOLLOWING MORNING, IRIDAL ENTERED HER HUSBAND'S STUDY.SHE FOUND HERson there with Sinistrad, the two of them seated at her husband's writingdesk, poring over drawings made by Bane.The dog, lying at her son's feet,lifted its head when it saw her, its tail thumping the floor.Iridal paused a moment in the doorway.All her fantasies had come true.Lovingfather, adoring son; Sinistrad patiently devoting his time to Bane, studyingwhatever the boy had done with an assumed gravity that was quite endearing.Inthat instant, seeing the skullcapped head bent so near the fair-haired one,hearing the murmur of the voices-one young and one old- caught up in theexcitement of what she could only think was some childish project of herson's, Iridal forgave Sinistrad everything.Her years of terror and sufferingshe would gladly erase, banish from her memory, if only he would grant herthis.Stepping forward almost shyly-it had been many years since she had set foot inher husband's sanctum-Iridal tried to speak but couldn't find her voice.Thechoked sound caught the attention of both son and father, however.One lookedup at her with a radiant, charming smile.The other appeared annoyed
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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
Kochański Krzysztof Drzwi do piekła
Clancy Tom Jack Ryan 03 Polowanie na Czerwony PaÂździernik