[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
gave orders you weren't to run into any danger! After
all! it's you they want!"
Good, good! I didn't even have to order the man to
his death; he volunteered. "Well, we want a scout
out," I demurred, "to carry word when they come."
As if we wouldn't know!
"I'll go." Raif leaned past me, touching Narayan's
shoulder. He explained in a whisper -- we were all
whispering, though there was no need for it -- and
Narayan nodded. "But don't show yourself."
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
I held back laughter. As if that would matter!
The man swung down into the road. I heard his
heavy tread strike rock; heard footsteps diminish, die
in the distance; felt it, like a tangible prickling of the
nerves, when he passed the limit of Narayan's percep-
tions. Yes, we were still bound, like an invisible net!
If I could only read his thoughts. . . but no. Then he'd
be able to read mine!
A clamoring, bestial cry ripped the air, a cry that
seemed to ring and echo up out of hell, a cry no hu-
man throat could compass. But I knew what had
screamed. That settled the fat man! Narayan jerked
all over, his blonde face white as death. "Raif." The
word was almost a prayer.
We half-scrambled, half-leaped into the road. Side
by side, we ran down the roadway together.
The screaming of a bird warned me. I looked up
and dodged quickly. Over my head a great scarlet
falcon, wide-winged, wheeled and darted in at me.
Narayan's yell cut the air; I ducked, flinging up a fold
of my cloak over my head. I ripped the knife from my
belt and slashed upward, ducking my head, keeping
one arm over my eyes. The bird wavered, hung in the
air, watching me with live green eyes that shifted
with every movement. The falcon's trappings were
green, bright against the scarlet feathers.
I knew who had flown this bird!
The falcon wheeled, banking like a plane, and
rushed in again. Falcon? But no egg had hatched
these birds, and I knew who had shaped these scarlet
pinions!
From behind my cloak-wrapped arm I saw
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
Narayan pull the pistol-like electro-rod, and
screamed warning:
"Drop it. Quick!"
The bird, holding Evarin's powers at this moment,
could turn gunfire as easily as Evarin himself; could
absorb the energy and in turn be re-charged by it.
And if the falcon drew a drop of my blood, then I was
slave to whoever had flown it.
I thrust upward with the knife, dodging between
the bird's wings. Men leaped toward us, knives out
and ready. The bird screamed wildly, flew upward a
little way, and hovered, watching us with those
curiously intelligent green eyes. Another falcon, and
another, winged across the road, and a thin uncanny
screeching echoed in the city air. I heard a tinnyjingle
of little bells. The three birds -- golden- and green-
trapped and harnessed in royal purple -- swung above
us; three pairs of unwinking jewel eyes hung motion-
less in a row. And far behind us, against the dark-
ening sky at the horizon, the dropping red sun
silhouetted three figures, on horses, motionless there;
Evarin, Idris and Karamy, intent on the falcon-play,
three traitors baiting the one who had escaped their
hands.
For a moment, briefly, I wished I were on the other
side of this hunt. Slaves we had in plenty, but the tak-
ing of passive victims is dull stuff and ai, the falcon-
game was good sport! Body left behind, all senses
poured into the stuff of the bird, soaring and darting
down upon the terrified victim, playing with him as
an eagle plays with her helpless prey! Darting at the
eyes, the tender parts, thrusting, drawing the blood
that gave power over him, watching the helpless
terror of the victim. Or, at times -- but how rarely! -- a
spirited fight against some victim made bold by de-
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
spair. A dangerous game, for if he killed the bird, it
was a painful and nasty shock But what is a game
without danger? There were always more birds. And
the victim who escaped your hands once could be
taken and tormented at leisure.
And I had faced the falcons before this, too; flown,
myself, against another for a wager, or pitted myself,
armed only with a knife, against another's bird. But
this was no rough game with my kindred for careless
sport or light stakes. This was deadly in earnest; they
had all massed themselves against me, and I'd need
every scrap of skill.
The falcons hung, poised, swept inward in massed
attack They darted between my knife and Narayan's;
behind me a fearful scream rang out, and I knew one
of the falcons, at least, had drawn blood; that one of
the men behind us was not ours! Turning and
stumbling, the stricken man ran blindly through the
clearing, down the road; tripped, reeled, stumbled
over the body of a man who lay across the roadway
under his feet. Narayan gave a gasping, retching
sound, and I whirled in time to see him jerk out his
electro-rod and fire shot after wild shot at the stum-
bling figure that had been our man.
"Fire!" he panted to me. "Larno wouldn't want to --
to get to them. He'd rather be dead."
I struck down the weapon, savagely. "Fool! Some
hunting they must have!" Narayan began protesting,
and I wrenched the rod from him. The man was far
beyond firing range now. At Narayan's convulsed
face I swore, savagely. This weak fool would ruin
everything! What was one man more or less?
I glanced around, orienting myself quickly. The
birds hung away again, and I motioned Narayan's
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
men in close. "Don't fire on the birds," I cautioned
them. "It only energizes them. They soak up the
power from your weapons. Use knives. Cut their
wings and try to immobilize them. Look out!" The
falcons, like chain-lightning, traced thin orbits down
in a flash of color, then darted in, in a slapping con-
fusion of beaks and beating wings. I backed away,
flicking up my cloak, beating at the birds with the
weighted edge; our men, standing in a close circle,
back to back, fought them off with knives and the ends
of their cloaks, swatting them away. Three times I
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]