Part 55 (1/2)
”It was a logical expectation, but it looks like I was wrong,” 1 answered with a shrug, silently cursing him for figuring it out. If he got in the way-! ”What 1 didn't
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expect was to have the stone simply handed over to us. It doesn't make any sense.”
”What doesn't make sense is the fact mat people let you run around loose without a nursemaid,” he growled, pull- ing me about by one arm to face his growing anger.
”There are seven people in our group, and you were going to face the enemy alone? Have you gone completely in- sane? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Do you think you can just . . .”
”Stop yelling at me!” I snapped, trying to pull my arm out of his grip. ”The enemy is a magic user and so am 1;
how many of the rest of you are? What do you think you can do against someone who's sorcerer or wizard level?
Tire him out by making him snuff you? Don't you see how absurd you're being?”
”All 1 can see is how thick-headed you're being,” he retorted, his fingers still tight around my arm, his bronze eyes blazing. ”No matter how good you think you are, you can't face the enemy alone! The rest of us aren't as helpless as you believe, but even so your wizard would be an even better ally. We're going to stop looking for trouble and take the stone back, and then we can ...”
”I ask your pardon for interrupting, yet there is a matter you may wish to see to,” Kadrim's voice came, more worried in general man worried over interrupting. We turned our heads to see Su standing with him, her own expression somewhat sober, and Rik's band finally left my arm.
”What's wrong?” he asked, immediately sharing the bigger man's worry. ”Have you found signs of-?”
”No, no, we have found naught of the enemy,” Kadrim answered quickly, apparently having overheard some part of our recent exchange. ”The difficulty lies with Zail and Dranna, and the needs which suddenly took them as they approached the container of the stone. Dranna looked upon the container, saw a lock more complex than any before it, and immediately voiced a need to try her skill against it.
Su and I felt such a course of action might perhaps be unwise, yet Zail spoke words of encouragement, for he was gripped by the need to see the beauty contained within. Perhaps they should not . . .”
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”They're trying to open it?” 1 choked out, suddenly ill with the realization that there had been one more trap.
”Quick! We've got to stop them, we can't let it happen-!”
I broke off and began pus.h.i.+ng my way frantically be- tween the big man and woman, desperate to get to Zail and Dranna before they fell into me trap all the way, but it was already too late. Even as 1 took the first step toward them, Dranna voiced an ”Ahhh!” of delight and Zail extended his arm with a grin, and men the top of the blue and silver box was thrown back and away.
No one has ever been able to decide whether it's sight of the stone which captures you first, or hearing its song that does it. The stone was no larger than a palm-sized rock, but beside it the diamond pedestal it rested on grew dull, and awkward, and uninteresting. Light flared in colors like a joyous greeting, colors so heartbreakingly beautiful that death would have been preferable to looking away. It glowed with the s.h.i.+ne of a raindrop on gra.s.s, light, grace- ful, achingly lovely, and even as our eyes feasted, our bodies thrilled to its song. Each note was a liquid rendition of the sight we gloried in, spreading all through us with the love of the universe, all pain washed away forever, none to ever come again. We stood transfixed, endlessly grateful to be held so, willing to continue on like that till all life everywhere faded and died. My eyes closed but I lost nothing of sight and sound, nothing of ecstasy beyond description, and then-
And then the world ended with screams and shouts of heartrending protest, mine among them, and my eyes flew open to see the black form with blazing red eyes flowing down and away from the reclosed box. I shuddered even as 1 screamed again, but in the far distance I heard another scream, one of rage and frustration, one so filled with hate that to hear it was to be given pain. The candles in the black room blazed like fountains of fire, thunder-claps sounded with the fury of destruction, and then all of me palace exploded around us, collapsing and dying and fall- ing away until it abruptly disappeared. Cloud's Heart be- came one with the clouds it was able to rest upon no
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longer, and the ensuing silence was more deafening than the previous bedlam.
”It's all right now, I think it's over,” a voice said from very close beside me, and it suddenly came to me that I stood trembling in Rik's arms, my face buried against his chest. With the sound of that scream still ringing in my mind, the last thing 1 wanted to do was raise my head and look around, but of course that was the first thing mat had to be done- 1 had to make sure that everyone was all right, and when 1 finally managed to look around it seemed that they were. Kadrim and Su stood together, apparently lean- ing on each other, and Zail and Dranna were doing the same. InThig was floating in vapor shape, looking us all over with concern, and aside from we seven and the box containing the balance stone, nothing was left. We all floated above cloud-swirled emptiness, seven sparks of life left all alone.