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Naked Empire :: Goodkind Terry
Страница: 446 из 495Richard had no trouble reading by the light coming from the fire. As Cara, Tom, Jennsen, and Owen watched, he read it over three times.
Finally, his arm lowered. Cara snatched the note away and read it for herself.
Richard gazed up the alleyway at the burning building, trying to figure it out. "How did Nicholas know that someone was coming for the antidote? He said we had an hour. How did he know we were here, this close, and coming for it, in order to write in the note that he gave us an hour?"
"Maybe he didn't," Cara said. "Maybe he wrote the note days ago. Maybe he just wrote that to make us rush without thinking."
"Maybe." Richard gestured behind him. "But how did he know we were here?"
"Magic?" Jennsen offered.
Richard didn't like the idea that Nicholas apparently knew so much and was always one step ahead of them.
"How did you know that Nicholas was about to set this place ablaze?"
Cara asked him.
"I woke suddenly," Richard said. "My headache was gone and I just knew we had to get out at once."
"So your gift worked?"
"I guess so. It does that-it works sometimes to warn me."
He wished he could somehow make it more dependable. At least this time it had been, or they would all be dead.
Tom peered out into the night. "So, you think Nicholas is close? That he knew where we were and set the place afire?"
"No. I think he wants us to believe he's close. He's a wizard. He could have sent wizard's fire from a great distance. I'm no expert on magic; he might have used some other means to set the fire from a distance."
Richard turned to Owen. "Take me to this building where you hid the antidote, where Nicholas was when you first saw him."
Without hesitation, Owen started out. The rest of the small group followed after him.
"Do you think she will be there?" Jennsen asked.
"There's only one way to find out."
By the time they reached the river they were out of breath. Richard was furious to find the bridge gone, with stone blocks from it scattered on the banks far below; the rest of it had apparently vanished beneath the dark water. Owen and some of the other men said that there was another bridge farther to the north, so they took off in that direction, following the road that twisted along beside the river.
Before they reached the bridge, a knot of soldiers rushed out from a side street with weapons raised, yelling battle cries.
The night rang with the distinctive sound of Richard's sword being drawn. While the blade was free, its magic was not.
Finally, his arm lowered. Cara snatched the note away and read it for herself.
Richard gazed up the alleyway at the burning building, trying to figure it out. "How did Nicholas know that someone was coming for the antidote? He said we had an hour. How did he know we were here, this close, and coming for it, in order to write in the note that he gave us an hour?"
"Maybe he didn't," Cara said. "Maybe he wrote the note days ago. Maybe he just wrote that to make us rush without thinking."
"Maybe." Richard gestured behind him. "But how did he know we were here?"
"Magic?" Jennsen offered.
Richard didn't like the idea that Nicholas apparently knew so much and was always one step ahead of them.
"How did you know that Nicholas was about to set this place ablaze?"
Cara asked him.
"I woke suddenly," Richard said. "My headache was gone and I just knew we had to get out at once."
"So your gift worked?"
"I guess so. It does that-it works sometimes to warn me."
He wished he could somehow make it more dependable. At least this time it had been, or they would all be dead.
Tom peered out into the night. "So, you think Nicholas is close? That he knew where we were and set the place afire?"
"No. I think he wants us to believe he's close. He's a wizard. He could have sent wizard's fire from a great distance. I'm no expert on magic; he might have used some other means to set the fire from a distance."
Richard turned to Owen. "Take me to this building where you hid the antidote, where Nicholas was when you first saw him."
Without hesitation, Owen started out. The rest of the small group followed after him.
"Do you think she will be there?" Jennsen asked.
"There's only one way to find out."
By the time they reached the river they were out of breath. Richard was furious to find the bridge gone, with stone blocks from it scattered on the banks far below; the rest of it had apparently vanished beneath the dark water. Owen and some of the other men said that there was another bridge farther to the north, so they took off in that direction, following the road that twisted along beside the river.
Before they reached the bridge, a knot of soldiers rushed out from a side street with weapons raised, yelling battle cries.
The night rang with the distinctive sound of Richard's sword being drawn. While the blade was free, its magic was not.