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.Life's like afight, sometimes; there's times when you have to commit yourself, to lunge full, all stops out, not worryingabout what happens if it doesn't work.See, you don't just put something of yourself in what you touch,but you put it in who you touch.After close to twenty years together, Kirah was part of me, and I wasn'tgoing to cut that out, any more than I'd throw away my left arm.* * *Ellegon found us that night.I was a bit nervous about camping on the ground close to a road broad enough to be navigable by starsand faerie lights, so we had moved well off the road, onto a wooded rise, and slung our hammocks highin a giant old oak tree while it was still light enough to see.Actually, I'd done the slinging, and it had only been one hammock.Climbing was hard enough on Andy,but I picked her branches to make getting in easy for her.It had been some trouble, but we'd gotten hersettled in and pretending to be asleep, while I climbed farther up the tree and seated myself in a crotchbetween two old limbs, too lazy, or maybe too tired to mess with it all.I just whipped one end of a pieceof rope around the tree, and knotted it in front of my chest, so that if I leaned forward instead of back Iwouldn't fall out and break my neck. I let the day slip away.What was that old dwarven even-chant? Something aboutThat was, of course, the moment that flame would have to flare loud and bright over the treetops,accompanied by the rustle of leathery wings.*Wake up, folks.Your ride's here.If you hurry, we can be in Holtun-Bieme in the morning.*CHAPTER TWENTY-NINEIn Which We DecideWhat Those WhoCan Do, and WhyIt is better to travel hopefully than to arrive. ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSONNever come home unexpectedly.It's a break-even proposition, at best. WALTER SLOVOTSKYEllegon set down quietly outside the walls in the gray light just before dawn.I slid down his scaly sideand landed hard on the hard ground, twisting my ankle."You're getting old, Walter," Andy said, as she lowered herself more gently down from the dragon'sback.*Happens to the best of them,* the dragon said, turning its broad head to face the two of us.*So Iunderstand.What are you going to do now?*"Me, I'm for bed," I said."I don't sleep well in the air."*So I noticed.*Andy patted at her belly."I'm going to go eat something, then probably some sleep.You?"The dragon walked away, toward the main road, his wings curling and uncurling.*There's a sheep in thesouth pasture with my name on it.I'm hungry.*It was nice of Ellegon to walk away far enough that we wouldn't be battered by dust and grit when hetook off.Although, at this point, that would have been wetting a river.*In that case.* the dragon leaped into the air, leathery wings sending dust and grit into the air tobatter at my eyes and face. "Me and my big mouth," I said.Andy didn't answer.The watchman at the main gate let us in through the small-door; we waved aside his offer to wake awelcoming committee.I just wanted to look in on my kids and wife, and then find an empty bed.Or,better, grab a few blankets and curl up in a corner of Kirah's and my room, and let her find me when shewoke.I wouldn't slip into bed with her unexpectedly; that would set her off.Andy touched my shoulder for a quick moment."Look me up when you get up.I've got an idea I wantto talk over with you."I nodded, too tired to bother asking what it was.Dawn had been threatening to break outside, but a castle is always dark until the sun is well up, and wellbefore it's down.Not that the staff believed that.Some wisely frugal servitor or penurious asshole hadput out most of the lanterns; I had to get one from the rack outside the kitchens.I don't believe in madly tittering darkness, but the murk kind of giggled at me as I made my way up thestairs toward the bedrooms.Dorann's room was next to Kirah's and mine.I crept in for a quick moment.Barely illuminated by the flickering lantern, my baby daughter lay under her blankets, all curled up andtiny.It was all I could do not to sigh out loud, although I couldn't prevent a tear or two from runningdown my face [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]