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Mistrals Kiss :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 95 из 148She spasmed underneath him, her mouth opening and closing, hands and feet scrabbling at the bare rock.
Only when she stopped moving completely did he take the spear out. He stood swaying, but used the tip to send her dagger spinning into the lake. Then he collapsed to his knees beside her, leaning on the spear like a crutch.
By the time I staggered to him, I wasn’t glowing. I was tired, and hurt, and covered in my enemy’s blood. I fell to my knees beside him on the bloody rock, and I touched his shoulder, as if I wasn’t sure he was real. “I saw you drown,” I said.
He seemed to have trouble focusing on me, but said, “I am sidhe and sluagh. We cannot die by drowning.” He coughed hard enough that he doubled over, throwing up water onto the rock, as he clung to the white shaft of the spear. “But it hurts as if it were death.”
I embraced him, and he winced, covered in wounds new and old. I held him more carefully, clinging to him, covering his upper body in Segna’s blood.
His voice came rough with coughing. “I’m holding the spear of bone. It was one of the signs of kingship once for my people.”
“Where did it come from?” I asked.
“It was in the bottom of the lake, waiting for me.”
“Where are we?” I asked.
“It’s the Island of Bones. It used to be in the middle of our garden, but it has become the stuff of legend.”
I touched what I’d thought was rock, and found he was right. It was rock, but the rock had once been bone. The island was made up of fossils. “It feels awfully solid for a legend,” I said.
He managed a smile. “What in the name of Danu is going on, Meredith? What is happening?”
I smelled roses, thick and sweet.
He raised his head, looked around him. “I smell herbs.”
“I smell roses,” I said, softly.
He looked at me. “What is happening, Meredith? How did we get here?”
“I prayed.”
He frowned at me. “I don’t understand.”
The smell of roses grew thicker, as if I were standing in a summer meadow. A chalice appeared in my hand, where it lay against Sholto’s naked back.
He startled away from the touch of it as if it had burned him. He tried to turn too quickly, and it must have pained the open wound on his stomach, for he winced, sucking in his breath sharply. He fell back onto his side, the spear still gripped in one hand.
I held up the gold-and-silver cup so that it caught the light. It was really only then that it sank in that there was light here. It was sunlight, glinting on the cup, and warm on my skin.
Only when she stopped moving completely did he take the spear out. He stood swaying, but used the tip to send her dagger spinning into the lake. Then he collapsed to his knees beside her, leaning on the spear like a crutch.
By the time I staggered to him, I wasn’t glowing. I was tired, and hurt, and covered in my enemy’s blood. I fell to my knees beside him on the bloody rock, and I touched his shoulder, as if I wasn’t sure he was real. “I saw you drown,” I said.
He seemed to have trouble focusing on me, but said, “I am sidhe and sluagh. We cannot die by drowning.” He coughed hard enough that he doubled over, throwing up water onto the rock, as he clung to the white shaft of the spear. “But it hurts as if it were death.”
I embraced him, and he winced, covered in wounds new and old. I held him more carefully, clinging to him, covering his upper body in Segna’s blood.
His voice came rough with coughing. “I’m holding the spear of bone. It was one of the signs of kingship once for my people.”
“Where did it come from?” I asked.
“It was in the bottom of the lake, waiting for me.”
“Where are we?” I asked.
“It’s the Island of Bones. It used to be in the middle of our garden, but it has become the stuff of legend.”
I touched what I’d thought was rock, and found he was right. It was rock, but the rock had once been bone. The island was made up of fossils. “It feels awfully solid for a legend,” I said.
He managed a smile. “What in the name of Danu is going on, Meredith? What is happening?”
I smelled roses, thick and sweet.
He raised his head, looked around him. “I smell herbs.”
“I smell roses,” I said, softly.
He looked at me. “What is happening, Meredith? How did we get here?”
“I prayed.”
He frowned at me. “I don’t understand.”
The smell of roses grew thicker, as if I were standing in a summer meadow. A chalice appeared in my hand, where it lay against Sholto’s naked back.
He startled away from the touch of it as if it had burned him. He tried to turn too quickly, and it must have pained the open wound on his stomach, for he winced, sucking in his breath sharply. He fell back onto his side, the spear still gripped in one hand.
I held up the gold-and-silver cup so that it caught the light. It was really only then that it sank in that there was light here. It was sunlight, glinting on the cup, and warm on my skin.