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A Caress Of Twilight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 132 из 236" I wanted to slip off the high heels, but we were going right back out to work. So instead I walked to Kitto's covered hidey-hole and knelt down, smoothing my skirt behind automatically so the buckles on my shoes wouldn't snag my hose.
I could see his back curled toward the opening. "Kitto, you awake?"
He didn't move.
I touched his back, and the skin was cold. "Mother help us. Frost, Rhys, something's wrong."
Frost was at my side instantly; Rhys hung back. Frost touched the goblin's back. "He's like ice." He reached farther in so he could feel the pulse in the neck. He waited, waited for too long, before finally saying, "His blood does flow but slowly." He reached in and began pulling Kitto out from his nest. He came like one already dead, his limbs moving as if he was just dead weight.
"Kitto!" I didn't scream his name but it was close.
His eyes were closed, but it seemed I could see the vibrant blue of his pupils behind the closed lids, as if the skin was translucent. His eyes fluttered open and a slit of blue showed before his eyes rolled up into his head. He was murmuring something, and I bent close to hear. It was my name, "Merry, Merry," over and over.
He'd stripped down to his shorts, and I could see his veins through his skin, the muscles. A dark shape on his chest moved, and I realized that it was his heart beating. I could see it. It was if he were melting, or …
I looked up at Frost. "He's fading."
He nodded.
Rhys had gone to the bedroom door and brought Doyle out. They gathered round us, but the looks on their faces said more than words.
"No," I said, "it's not hopeless. There's got to be something that we can do."
They all exchanged looks, that flitting game of glance throwing, like the thoughts were too heavy to bear and you had to throw them to the next person and the next.
I grabbed Doyle's arm. "There has to be something."
"We do not know what would hold a goblin from fading."
"His mother was sidhe. Save him the way you'd save another sidhe."
Doyle looked a little disdainful, as if I'd insulted them all.
"Don't go all high and mighty on me, Doyle. Don't let him die because he's less mixed than either of us."
His expression softened. "Meredith, Merry, a sidhe fades only if he wishes it so. Once the process is begun, it cannot be stopped."
"No! There has to be something we can do."
He frowned down at us all. "Hold him, while I try to contact Kurag. If we cannot save him as sidhe, we will try to save him as goblin.
I could see his back curled toward the opening. "Kitto, you awake?"
He didn't move.
I touched his back, and the skin was cold. "Mother help us. Frost, Rhys, something's wrong."
Frost was at my side instantly; Rhys hung back. Frost touched the goblin's back. "He's like ice." He reached farther in so he could feel the pulse in the neck. He waited, waited for too long, before finally saying, "His blood does flow but slowly." He reached in and began pulling Kitto out from his nest. He came like one already dead, his limbs moving as if he was just dead weight.
"Kitto!" I didn't scream his name but it was close.
His eyes were closed, but it seemed I could see the vibrant blue of his pupils behind the closed lids, as if the skin was translucent. His eyes fluttered open and a slit of blue showed before his eyes rolled up into his head. He was murmuring something, and I bent close to hear. It was my name, "Merry, Merry," over and over.
He'd stripped down to his shorts, and I could see his veins through his skin, the muscles. A dark shape on his chest moved, and I realized that it was his heart beating. I could see it. It was if he were melting, or …
I looked up at Frost. "He's fading."
He nodded.
Rhys had gone to the bedroom door and brought Doyle out. They gathered round us, but the looks on their faces said more than words.
"No," I said, "it's not hopeless. There's got to be something that we can do."
They all exchanged looks, that flitting game of glance throwing, like the thoughts were too heavy to bear and you had to throw them to the next person and the next.
I grabbed Doyle's arm. "There has to be something."
"We do not know what would hold a goblin from fading."
"His mother was sidhe. Save him the way you'd save another sidhe."
Doyle looked a little disdainful, as if I'd insulted them all.
"Don't go all high and mighty on me, Doyle. Don't let him die because he's less mixed than either of us."
His expression softened. "Meredith, Merry, a sidhe fades only if he wishes it so. Once the process is begun, it cannot be stopped."
"No! There has to be something we can do."
He frowned down at us all. "Hold him, while I try to contact Kurag. If we cannot save him as sidhe, we will try to save him as goblin.