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The Floodgate :: Каннингем Элейн
Страница: 177 из 212"Have you gone moon-mad? A wizard's apprentice? Though I suppose she's pretty enough," he reminisced, "especially if you're partial to big dark eyes."
Matteo was no longer listening. He walked up to one of the mounds and placed a hand upon it. "Feel this."
The other jordaini gingerly followed suit. The conical hills hummed with energy-even the magic-resistant jordaini could feel it! The moss-covered rock felt insubstantial, not quite solid.
"The veils are thin here," Iago said in a troubled voice as he scrubbed his hand on one thigh, as if to remove the disturbing tingle. "That's why we hear the Unseelie song."
"Could the fairies come through?" Themo demanded.
"They are said to do so, from time to time, but only one or two manage to emerge. Apparently the passage is difficult, possible only at certain times and places."
"So there's no chance of an army of them pouring out of these things?" Theme persisted, nodding toward conical hills.
"Not unless they are summoned," Matteo soothed him, "and there is little fear of that. Who would do such a thing? Who could?"
Iago's eyes settled on something, and widened. "Don't we have a proverb about not asking questions unless you truly want an answer?"
Matteo followed the line of his gaze. Tzigone stood at entrance to the pass. Her blue robe was travel-grimed and kilted up into her belt for ease of movement. Her dark eyes were enormous in a pale and furious face.
"Behind you!" she shouted, pointing.
He turned and was not surprised to see the shadows at the far side of the clearing stir and take shape. The form they took turned his blood to ice.
Thin as wraiths and dark as drow, the dark fairies regarded the intruders with eyes of a strangely glowing black. They were no taller than children. They moved with ethereal grace, darting between the hollow hills so swiftly the eye could not follow them.
Matteo swallowed hard and drew his weapons. As he did so, the creatures disappeared. He heard a faint sound like that of wind, but the impression was gone so quickly that Matteo did not understand the truth of it until he saw the glowing eyes emerge from behind a closer hillock. The Unseelie folk did not move through magic-at least, not as he understood it. They were just that quick.
"Don't let them out," Tzigone yelled. "Hold them here in the valley!"
Matteo shot an incredulous look back at her. "Anything else?"
She was already off and running. "Make it up as you go along. I'll be back as soon as I kill a certain rat-bastard wizard!"
Tzigone's voice faded, as did the clatter of her boots against the rough stone.
Matteo was no longer listening. He walked up to one of the mounds and placed a hand upon it. "Feel this."
The other jordaini gingerly followed suit. The conical hills hummed with energy-even the magic-resistant jordaini could feel it! The moss-covered rock felt insubstantial, not quite solid.
"The veils are thin here," Iago said in a troubled voice as he scrubbed his hand on one thigh, as if to remove the disturbing tingle. "That's why we hear the Unseelie song."
"Could the fairies come through?" Themo demanded.
"They are said to do so, from time to time, but only one or two manage to emerge. Apparently the passage is difficult, possible only at certain times and places."
"So there's no chance of an army of them pouring out of these things?" Theme persisted, nodding toward conical hills.
"Not unless they are summoned," Matteo soothed him, "and there is little fear of that. Who would do such a thing? Who could?"
Iago's eyes settled on something, and widened. "Don't we have a proverb about not asking questions unless you truly want an answer?"
Matteo followed the line of his gaze. Tzigone stood at entrance to the pass. Her blue robe was travel-grimed and kilted up into her belt for ease of movement. Her dark eyes were enormous in a pale and furious face.
"Behind you!" she shouted, pointing.
He turned and was not surprised to see the shadows at the far side of the clearing stir and take shape. The form they took turned his blood to ice.
Thin as wraiths and dark as drow, the dark fairies regarded the intruders with eyes of a strangely glowing black. They were no taller than children. They moved with ethereal grace, darting between the hollow hills so swiftly the eye could not follow them.
Matteo swallowed hard and drew his weapons. As he did so, the creatures disappeared. He heard a faint sound like that of wind, but the impression was gone so quickly that Matteo did not understand the truth of it until he saw the glowing eyes emerge from behind a closer hillock. The Unseelie folk did not move through magic-at least, not as he understood it. They were just that quick.
"Don't let them out," Tzigone yelled. "Hold them here in the valley!"
Matteo shot an incredulous look back at her. "Anything else?"
She was already off and running. "Make it up as you go along. I'll be back as soon as I kill a certain rat-bastard wizard!"
Tzigone's voice faded, as did the clatter of her boots against the rough stone.