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.I don’t know what’s gonna happen when—”As if in answer, a deep tremor shook the entire city.Tendrils of yellow-white light raced through the walls, floor and ceiling, leaving trails of crimson fire in their wake.The wave of light passed them, and power washed over Cynthia in a palpable wave of heat.A deep rumble sounded from below.“Edan!” she said, fighting a rising panic.She clutched Feldrin’s arm with hysterical fervor.“Hurry, Feldrin! It’s Akrotia! Edan’s bringing it to life.”“Bloody hells!” Feldrin rushed as best he could, but his gait was less than easy, and it was anything but a gentle ride.Every time the sword transfixing Cynthia’s torso was jostled, waves of agony shot through her chest.Every breath brought new pain, and blood trickled steadily down the blade to drip off the hilt, leaving a crimson trail in their wake.“Hang on, lass,” he said, struggling up another stair, his face contorting into a mask of strain.Cynthia prayed that they both could endure until they could reach help.≈Mouse shot out of the tiny vent tube into the open sky, anguished tears streaming down his face.Cynthia and Feldrin and the baby and everything he loved were gone, trapped in this stupid floating city.He was alone, his mistress drowned, his world crumbling around him.They’d come here to save Cynthia’s baby, and instead had lost everything.A streak of fire swept past him, close enough to singe, and it snapped his morbid reverie.Flicker swooped around in an arc and stopped before him, hovering, studying him with her bright yellow-orange eyes.She chirped something, but he had never been able to understand her.He looked into her coppery features and he saw his own anguish mirrored there.She pointed at the city below, and clutched her hands to her breast, and he understood; she was alone, her master gone, her heart broken.Mouse clutched his own hands over his heart and nodded, tears streaking his face.Flicker peered at him again, and held up a hand.He longed to take it, but he knew it would burn him.He backed away, his fear of her fire overwhelming his desire for companionship.Flicker frowned and looked at her own hand, at the incandescent glow of her skin, and recognition dawned in her eyes.She scrunched her face in concentration, and her fire diminished, her hair dwindling to a bare candle flame, her skin dulling to a tawny golden-brown, her wings a bare smolder.She raised her hand again, and smiled.He’d seen her like this before, when she had sat upon Edan’s shoulder before he became a pyromage.She hadn’t burned him then, so perhaps she wouldn’t burn him now.He held very still, and her hand neared his face.He felt its warmth, then her palm brushed his cheek.It was very warm, even hot, but not burning.Then she leaned forward, very carefully, and kissed him.He stared into the embers of her smoldering eyes—so close, so hot—and smiled at her.Maybe they weren’t so alone after all.A distant roar like crashing surf drew their attention, and he gaped as a pillar of smoke and fire climbed into the sky above the harbor.“Eep!” he cried, glancing back at her and pointing.“Eek!” she agreed with a nod.They parted and flew toward the harbor to investigate, though Mouse had a sinking suspicion that he knew what was burning.≈Cynthia felt the power growing, even as her own consciousness faded—Edan’s power, now Akrotia’s power, multiplied a thousand fold.She forced down weakness and nausea, unsure if they were due to the pain, blood loss, or the oppressive, sweltering pressure of fire magic building all around them.The gray stone began to glow dull red, the spider web of arcane patterns within intensifying through the spectrum from orange to yellow to white.A gust of blistering-hot wind tore through the corridor, ruffling their clothes and hair as Feldrin climbed the last stair.“Almost there, lass,” he gasped between breaths, his chest drenched with sweat, his face streaming and flushed.Cynthia would have said, “Good,” but she hadn’t the breath [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.I don’t know what’s gonna happen when—”As if in answer, a deep tremor shook the entire city.Tendrils of yellow-white light raced through the walls, floor and ceiling, leaving trails of crimson fire in their wake.The wave of light passed them, and power washed over Cynthia in a palpable wave of heat.A deep rumble sounded from below.“Edan!” she said, fighting a rising panic.She clutched Feldrin’s arm with hysterical fervor.“Hurry, Feldrin! It’s Akrotia! Edan’s bringing it to life.”“Bloody hells!” Feldrin rushed as best he could, but his gait was less than easy, and it was anything but a gentle ride.Every time the sword transfixing Cynthia’s torso was jostled, waves of agony shot through her chest.Every breath brought new pain, and blood trickled steadily down the blade to drip off the hilt, leaving a crimson trail in their wake.“Hang on, lass,” he said, struggling up another stair, his face contorting into a mask of strain.Cynthia prayed that they both could endure until they could reach help.≈Mouse shot out of the tiny vent tube into the open sky, anguished tears streaming down his face.Cynthia and Feldrin and the baby and everything he loved were gone, trapped in this stupid floating city.He was alone, his mistress drowned, his world crumbling around him.They’d come here to save Cynthia’s baby, and instead had lost everything.A streak of fire swept past him, close enough to singe, and it snapped his morbid reverie.Flicker swooped around in an arc and stopped before him, hovering, studying him with her bright yellow-orange eyes.She chirped something, but he had never been able to understand her.He looked into her coppery features and he saw his own anguish mirrored there.She pointed at the city below, and clutched her hands to her breast, and he understood; she was alone, her master gone, her heart broken.Mouse clutched his own hands over his heart and nodded, tears streaking his face.Flicker peered at him again, and held up a hand.He longed to take it, but he knew it would burn him.He backed away, his fear of her fire overwhelming his desire for companionship.Flicker frowned and looked at her own hand, at the incandescent glow of her skin, and recognition dawned in her eyes.She scrunched her face in concentration, and her fire diminished, her hair dwindling to a bare candle flame, her skin dulling to a tawny golden-brown, her wings a bare smolder.She raised her hand again, and smiled.He’d seen her like this before, when she had sat upon Edan’s shoulder before he became a pyromage.She hadn’t burned him then, so perhaps she wouldn’t burn him now.He held very still, and her hand neared his face.He felt its warmth, then her palm brushed his cheek.It was very warm, even hot, but not burning.Then she leaned forward, very carefully, and kissed him.He stared into the embers of her smoldering eyes—so close, so hot—and smiled at her.Maybe they weren’t so alone after all.A distant roar like crashing surf drew their attention, and he gaped as a pillar of smoke and fire climbed into the sky above the harbor.“Eep!” he cried, glancing back at her and pointing.“Eek!” she agreed with a nod.They parted and flew toward the harbor to investigate, though Mouse had a sinking suspicion that he knew what was burning.≈Cynthia felt the power growing, even as her own consciousness faded—Edan’s power, now Akrotia’s power, multiplied a thousand fold.She forced down weakness and nausea, unsure if they were due to the pain, blood loss, or the oppressive, sweltering pressure of fire magic building all around them.The gray stone began to glow dull red, the spider web of arcane patterns within intensifying through the spectrum from orange to yellow to white.A gust of blistering-hot wind tore through the corridor, ruffling their clothes and hair as Feldrin climbed the last stair.“Almost there, lass,” he gasped between breaths, his chest drenched with sweat, his face streaming and flushed.Cynthia would have said, “Good,” but she hadn’t the breath [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]