Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman - Rose of the Prophet 02 - The Paladin of the Night

VIP免费

2024-12-23 0 0 525.65KB 187 页 5.9玖币

侵权投诉

THE PALADIN OK THE MCHT

A Bantam Spectra Book I May 1989

AH rights referred.

Cover art ana interior HuOrations copyright C J989 by Larry Elmort.

No part of tha book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,

including photocopying, recording, or by any information

storage and retrieval system, without ptrmistion in

writing from the publaher. For information addrett: Bantam Books.

ISBN 0553-27902-5 Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada

Bantam Books are publiiaed by Bantam Booki, a division of Bantam Douhieday DeO

Publishing Croup, Inc. Its trademark, coiuMfing of the wordt 'Bantam Books"

and the portrayal of a rootter, it Registered in V.S. Patent and Trademark

Office and in other countries Marca Rttfttrada. Bantam Boob. 666 Fifth Avenue,

New York, Jtfnc Yorft 10103.

PRINTED IK THE UNITED STATES OK AMERICA

00987654321

Book One

THE BOOK OF THE IMMORTALS 1

Chapter 1

*!l1»e theories about the creation of the world of Sularin num-

,: bered the same as the Gods who kept it in motion. The

followers of Benario, God of Thieves, were firm in their belief

. that their God stole the world from Sul, who had been going to set it as

another jewel in the firmament. Uevin's worshipers portrayed Sul as a

craftsman, holding calipers and a T

, square in his hand and spending his spare time considering

;ihe nature of the dodecahedron. Quar taught that Sul molded the world from a

lump of clay, used the sun to bake it, then bathed it with his tears when he

was finished. Akhran told his followers nothing at all. The Wandering God

hadn't the least

• interest in the creation of the world. That it was here and now was enough

for him. Consequently each Sheykh had his own view, handed down from

great-great-grandfather to great-grandfather to grandfather to father to son.

Each Sheykh's view was the right one, all others were wrong, and it was a

mat-;'ter over which blood had been spilled on countless occasions. ~ in

the Emperor's court in Khandar, renowned for advanced thought, learned men and

women spent long hours , debating the differing theories and even longer hours

prov-;-,ing, eventually, that Quar's teachings were undoubtedly the v inost

scientific. Certainly it was the only theory to explain 'adequately the

phenomenon of the Kurdin Sea—an ocean of '^arft water populated with seagoing

fish and completely surrounded on all sides by desert. ;1:.- The landlocked

Kurdin Sea was populated by other things,

4WEIS AND HICKMAN

too; dark and shadowy things that the learned men and women, living in the

safety and comfort of the court of Khandar, saw only in their sleep or in

fevered delirium. One of these dark things (and not the darkest by any means)

was Quar's minion, Kaug.

Three figures, standing on the shore of the sea, were discussing this very

subject intently. The figures were not human; no human had ever crossed the

Sun's Anvil whose empty dunes surrounded the sea. The three were immortals—

not gods, but those who served both gods and humans.

"You're telling me that his dwelling is down there, in that?" said a djinn,

staring at both the water and his fellow djinn with deep disgust.

The water of the Kurdin Sea was a deep cobalt blue, its color made more vivid

and intense by the stark, glaring whiteness of the desert. In the distance,

what appeared to be a cloud of smoke was a white smudge against a pale blue

sky.

"Yes," replied the younger djinn. "And don't look so amazed, Sond. I told you

before we left—"

"You said on the Kurdin Sea, Pukah! You never said anything about in the

Kurdin Sea!"

"Unless Kaug's taken up boating, how could he live on the Kurdin Sea?"

"There's an island in the center, you know."

"Galos!" Pukah's eyes opened wide. "From what I've heard of Galos, not even

Kaug would dare live on that accursed rock."

"Bah!" Sond sneered. "You've been listening to the mectdah's stories with ears

soaked in qttmiz."

"I haven't either! I'm extensively traveled. My former master—"

"—was a thief and a liarl"

"Don't pay any attention to him, Asrial, my beautiful enchanter," said Pukah,

turning his back upon Sond and facing a silver-haired woman clad in white

robes, who was looking from one to the other with increasing wonder. "My

former master was a follower of Benario, but only because that was the

religion in which he was raised. What could he do? He didn't want to offend

his parents—"

"—by earning an honest living," interposed Sond.

"He was an entertainer at heart, with such a wonderful way with animals—"

THE PALADIN OF THE NIGHT 5

- "Snake charmer. That was his ploy to get into other people's houses-."

He was not a devout believer! Certainly Benario never blessed him!"

"That's true. He got caught with his hand in the money

jw—"

"He was misunderstood!" Pukah shouted.

"When they were through with him, he was missing more than understanding,"

Sond said dryly, folding his gold-braeeleted arms across his bare chest.

Drawing his saber from the green sash at his waist, Pukah rounded on the older

djinn. "You and I have been friends for centuries, Sond, but 1 will not allow

you to insult me before the angel I love!"

"We've never been friends, that I knew of," Sond growled, drawing his saber in

turn. Steel flashing in the bright sun-Hgbt, the two began to circle each

other. "And if hearing the truth insults you—"

"What are you two doing?" the angel demanded. "Have you forgotten why we are

here? What about your Nedjma?" She glared at Sond. "Last night you shed tears

over her cruel fide—being held captive by this evil afright—"

"—'efreet," corrected Sond.

"Whatever it is called in your crude language," Asrial said loftily. "You said

you would give your life for her—which, considering you are immortal, doesn't

seem to me to be much of a sacrifice. We have spent weary weeks searching the

heavens for her and now you quibble about going into the sea!"

"I am of the desert," Sond protested sullenly. "I don't like water. It's cold

and wet and slimy."

"You can't really feel anything, you know! We are immor-bl." Asrial glanced at

Pukah coolly from the corner of her blue eyes. "We are above such things as

love and physical sensations and other human frailties!"

"Above love?" cried Pukah jealously. "Where did the

tears I saw you shedding over your mad master come from, if

^Vou have no eyes? If you have no hand, why do you caress his

.cJbrehead and, for all I know, other parts of his body as well!"

"As for my tears," retorted Asrial angrily, "all know the , The drops of rain

are the tears the Gods shed over the lies of man-—"

6WEIS AND HICKMAN

"Hazrat Akhran goes about with dry eyes, then," Pukah interrupted, laughing.

Asrial pointedly ignored him. "And as for your insinuation that I have had

carnal knowledge of my 'prot6g6'—Mathew is not my master and he's not mad—your

statement is absurd and what I would expect of one who has been living around

humans so long he has tricked himself into believing he can feel what they

feel—"

"Hush!" said Sond suddenly, cocking his turbaned head to one side.

"Whatr

"Shhht" the djinn hissed urgently. He stared far off into nothing, his gaze

abstracted. "My master," he murmured. "He's calling for me."

"Is that all?" Pukah raised his eyes to heaven. "He's called for you before.

Let Majiid tie his headcloth himself this morning."

"No, it is more urgent than that! I think I should attend him!"

"Come now, Sond. Majiid gave you permission to leave. I know you don't want to

go swimming, but this is ridiculous—"

"It isn't that! Something's wrong! Something's been wrong ever since we left."

"Bah! If something was wrong, Khardan would be calling for me. He can't get

along without me for even the smallest thing, you know." The young djinn

heaved the sigh of the vastly overworked. "I rarely have a moment's peace. He

begged me to stay, in fact, but I told him that die wishes of Hazrat Akhran

held preference over those of a human, even my master—"

"And is your master calling for you?" Sond interrupted impatiently.

"No! So you see—"

"I see nothing except a braggart and a buffoon—" Sond fell silent. "That's

odd," be said after a moment's pause. "Majiid's calls just ceased."

"There, what did I tell you. The old man pulled his trousers on all by

himself—"

"I don't like this," muttered Sond, putting his hand over his breast. "I feel

strange—empty and hollow."

"What does he mean?" Asrial drew near Pukah. Slipping her hand into the hand

of the djinn, she held onto him tightly. "He looks terrible, Pukah!"

THE PALADIN OF THE NIGHT 7

1 know, my dear. I never could understand what women see in him!" said Pukah.

Looking down at the small white hand he was holding, die djinn squeezed it

teasingly. "A pity yon can't feel this—"

Angrily, Asrial snatched her hand away. Spreading her white wings, she

smoothed her robes about her and waded Btto the water of the cobalt blue sea.

Pukah followed instantly, plunging headlong into the sea water with a splash

that drenched the angel and sent a school of small fish into a panicked

frenzy. "Coming?" he yelled.

"I'll be along," Sond answered softly.

Facing the west, the djinn's eyes scanned the horizon. He saw nothing but

blowing sand, heard nothing but the eerie song the dunes sing as they shift

and move in their eternal dance with the wind.

Shaking his head, the djinn turned away and slowly entered the Kurdin Sea.

THE PALADIN OF THE NIGHT

Chapter 2

Sinking deeper and deeper into the Kurdin Sea, Asrial tried to appear as

nonplussed and casual as if she were drifting through a clear blue sky in the

heavens of Promenthas. Inwardly, however, she was a prey to growing terror.

The guardian angel had never encountered a place as fearsome as this.

It wasn't the cold or the wetness that sent shudders through her ethereal

body—Asrial had not been around humans nearly as long as either Pukah or Sond

and so did not feel these sensations. It was the darkness.

Night steals over the surface of the world like the shadow of an angel's wing

and it is just that—a shadow. Night hides objects from our vision and this is

what frightens mortals-* not the darkness itself, but the unknown lurking

beneath it. Night on the world's surface merely affects the sight, however,

and mortals have learned to fight back. Light a candle and drive the darkness

away. Night above does not affect hearing—the growls of animals, the rustling

of trees, the sleepy murmur of the birds are easily detected, perhaps more

easily than in daylight, for night seems to sharpen the other senses in return

for dimming one.

But the night of the water is different. The darkness of the sea isn't a

shadow cast over mortal vision. The sea's night is an entity. It has weight

and form and substance. It smothers the breath from the lungs. The sea's night

is eternal. The sun's rays cannot pierce it. No candle will light it. The

sea's

night is alive. Creatures populate the darkness and mortals are the

trespassers in their domain.

The sea's night is silent.

The silence, the weight, the aliveness of the darkness pressed in on Asrial.

Though she had no need to breathe, she felt herself gasping for breath. Though

her immortal vision could see, she wished desperately for light. More than

once die caught herself in what appeared to be the act of swimming, as were

Sond and Pukah. Asrial did not cleave the water with clean, strong strokes

like Sond or flounder through it fishlike, as did Pukah. It was, with her,

more as if she sought to push the water aside with her hands, as if she were

trying to clear a path for herself.

"You're growing more human all the time," commented Pukah teasingly, bobbing

up near her.

"If you mean that I am frightened of this terrible place and want very much to

leave, then you are right," Asrial said miserably. Brushing aside the silver

hair that floated into her fece, she glanced around in dismay. "Surely this

must be the dwelling place of Astafas!"

"Asta-who?"

"Astafes, the God who sits opposite Promenthas in the Great Jewel. He is cruel

and evil, delighting in suffering and misery. He rules over a world that is

dark and terrible. Demons serve him, bringing him human souls on which he

feeds."

"That sounds a lot like Kaug, only he eats things more substantial than souls.

Why, you're trembling all over! Pukah, you are a swine, a goat," he muttered

beneath his breath. "You should never have brought her in the first place." He

started to slip his arm comfortingly around the angel, only to discover that

her wings were in the way. If he put his arm above where the wings sprouted

from her back, it looked as if he were attempting to choke her. Sliding his

arm under the wings, he became entangled in the feathers. Finally, in

exasperation, he gave up and contented himself with patting her hand

soothingly. "Ill take you back up to the surface," he offered. "Sand can deal

with Kaug."

"No!" cried Asrial, looking alarmed. "I'm all right. Truly. It was wrong of me

to complain." She smoothed her silver hair and her white robes and was

endeavoring to appear composed and calm when a tentacle snaked out of the

darkness and wrapped around her wrist. Asrial jerked her hand away with a

smothered shriek. Pukah surged forward.

WEIS AND HICKMAN

THE PALADIN OF THE NIGHT

"A squid. Go on, get out of here! Do we look edible? Stupid fish. There,

there, my dearest! It's all right. The creature's gone. ..."

Completely unnerved, Asrial was sobbing, her wings folded tightly about her in

a protective, feathered cocoon.

"Sondl" shouted Pukah into the thick darkness. "I'm taking Asrial to the

surface— Sond! Sond? Drat! Where in Sul has he got to? Asrial, my angel, come

with me—"

"No!" Asrial's wings parted suddenly. Resolutely, she began floating through

die water. "I must stay! I must do this for Mathew! Fish, you said. The fish

told me— Mathew would die a horrible death . . . unless I came—"

"Fish? What fish?"

"Oh, Pukah!" Asrial halted, staring at the djinn in horror. "I wasn't supposed

to tell!"

"Well, you did. The sheep is dead', as they say. Might as well eat it as cry

over it. You spoke with a fish? How? Where?"

"My proteg6 carries with him two fish—"

"In the middle of the desert? And you say he isn't mad!"

"No! No! It isn't like that at all! There's something . . . strange"—Asrial

shivered—"about these fish. Something magical. They were given to Mathew by a

man—a terrible man. The slave trader who took my proteg£ captive. The one who

ordered the slaughter of the helpless priests and magi of Proraenthas.

"When we came to the city of Kich, the slave trader was stopped outside the

city walls by guards, who told him he must give up all his magical objects and

sacrifice diem to Quar. The slave trader gave up every magic item he

had—except for one."

"I've heard of fish that swallowed magic rings, but magic fish?" Pukah

appeared highly skeptical. "What do they do? Charm the baitr^'

"This is serious, Pukah!" Asrial said softly. "One life has been lost over

them already. And my poor Mathew ..." She covered her face with her hands.

"Pukah, you are a low form of life. A worm, a snake is higher than you." The

djinn gazed at the angel remorsefully. "I'm sorry. Go on, Asrial."

"He ... the slave trader . . . called Mathew over to the white palanquin in

which the trader always traveled. He handed my protege1 a crystal globe

decorated on the top and bottom with costly gold work. The globe was filled

with water and inside swam two fish—one gold and one black. The

trader ordered Mathew to keep them hidden from the guards. There was a poor

girl standing there, watching—a slave girl. The trader told Mathew to witness

what would happen if he betrayed him and he ... he murdered the girl, right

before Mathew's eyes!"

"Why did he choose Mathew to carry these fish?"

Asrial blushed faintly. "The trader mistook my proteg£ for a female—"

"Ah, yes," muttered Pukah. "I forgot."

"The guards would not search the women in the caravan-not their persons, at

least—and so Mathew was able to conceal the fish. The slave trader said that

he would take them back when they went into town. But then your master rescued

Mathew and carried him away. And with him, the magical fish. ..."

"How do you know they're magic? What do they do?" Pukah asked dubiously.

"Of course they're magic!" Asrial snapped irritably. "They live encased in a

crystal globe that no force on this world can shatter. They do not eat. They

are not bothered by heat or cold." Her voice lowered. "And one spoke to me."

"That's nothing!" Pukah scoffed. "I've talked to animals. I once shared my

basket with a snake who worked for my former master. Quite an amusing fellow.

Actually, it was the snake's basket, but he didn't mind a roommate after I

convinced—"

"Pukah! This is serious! One fish—the gold one—told me to come with you to

find the Lost Immortals. The fish referred to Mathew as the Bearer . . . and

she said he was in dreadful danger. In danger of losing not only his life but

his soul as well!"

"There, there, my dear. Don't get so upset. When we get back, you must show me

these wonderful fish. What else do they— Oh, Sond! Where have you been?"

The elder djinn swam through the murky water, his strong arms cleaving it

aside with swift, clean strokes. "I went ahead to Kaug's dwelling, to look

around. The 'efreet's gone, apparently. The place is deserted."

"Good!" Pukah rubbed his hands in satisfaction. "Are you certain you want to

continue on, Asrial? Yes? Actually, it's well that you are coming with us,

beautiful angel, because neither Sond nor I may enter the 'efreet's dwelling

without his permission. Now you, on the other hand—"

"Pukah, I need to talk to you." Sond drew the young

12 WEIS AND HICKMAN

djinn to the far side of a large outcropping of rock covered with hollow,

tubular plants that opened and shut with the flow of the water, looking like

hundreds of gasping mouths. "Well, what is it?"

"Pukah, a strange feeling came over me when I drew near Kaug's dwelling—"

"It's the stuff he cooks for his dinner. I know, I felt it, too. Like your

stomach's trying to escape by way of your throat?" "It's not anything I

smelled!" Sond said angrily. "Quit being a fool for once in your life. It's a

feeling like . . . like . . . like I could enter Kaug's dwelling without his

permission. In feet, it seemed as if I was being pulled inside!"

"Pulled inside an 'efreet's. house! Who's the fool here now? Certainly not

me!" Pukah appeared amused.

"Bah! I might as well be talking to the seaweed!" Shoving Pukah aside, Sond

swam past him, diving down toward the cave on the ocean floor where the

'efreet made his home.

Pukah cast the djinn a scathing glance. "At least the seaweed would provide

you an audience on your own mental level! Come on, Asrial." Catching hold of

die angel's hand, he led her down to the very bottom of the sea.

Kaug's cave was hollowed out of a cliff of black rock. A light glimmered at

the entrance, the eerie luminescence coming from the heads of enthralled sea

urchins gloomily awaiting their master's return. The long greenish brown moss

that hung from the cliff reminded Asrial of the squid's tentacles.

"I'm going in there alone," whispered the angel, reminding herself of Mathew's

plight and trying very hard to be courageous. "I'm going in there." But she

didn't move.

Sond, biting his lower lip, stared at Kaug's dwelling as though mesmerized by

it.

"On second thought, Asrial," Pukah said in a bland and innocent voice, "I

think it might be better if we did accompany you—"

"Admit it, Pukah! You feel it, don't you!" Sond growled. "I do not!" Pukah

protested loudly. "It's just that I don't think we should let her go in there

alone!"

"Come on then," said Sond. "If we're not barred at the threshold, then we know

something is wrong!"

The two djinn floated ahead to the entryway of the cave, their skin shimmering

green in the ghostly light emanating from the sea urchins, who were staring at

them with large, sorrowful eyes. Slowly Asrial swam behind. Her wings fan-

THE PALADIN OF THE NIGHT

nmg the water, she paused, hovering overhead as the djinn stopped—one standing

on either side of the entryway.

"^Vell, go on!" Sond gestured,

"And get a jolt of lightning through my body for breaking the rule. No thank

you!" Pukah sniffed scornfully.

"This was your idea!"

"I've changed my mind."

"You're not going to be stopped and you know it. I tell you, we're being

invited inside there!"

"Then you accept the invitation!"

Glaring at Pukah, Sond cautiously set his foot across the threshold of the

'efreet's dwelling. Cringing, Pukah waited for the blue Bash, the crackle, and

the painful yelp from Sond, an indication that the established rule among

immortals was being violated.

Nothing happened.

Sond stepped across the threshold with ease. Pukah sighed inwardly. Despite

what he'd told Sond, he, too, had the distinct feeling that he was being urged

to enter the 'efreet's home. No, it was stronger than that. Pukah had the

disquieting impression that he belonged inside the eerily lit cave.

"What nonsense, Pukah!" Pukah said to himself with scorn. "As if you ever

belonged in a place where fish heads are an integral part of the decor!"

Sond was staring at him in grim triumph from (he entry-way. Ignoring him,

Pukah turned to give Asrial his hand. Together, they entered the cave. The

angel stayed quite near the djinn. The feathers of her wings brushed against

his bare back, and despite his growing sense of uneasiness, Pukah felt his

skin tingle and a pleasurable warmth flood his body.

Was Asrial right? he wondered for a moment, standing in the green-tinged

darkness, the angel's hand held fast in his. Is this sensation something I've

tricked myself into experiencing to become more like humans? Or do I truly

enjoy her touch?

Leaning near him, looking around but not letting go of his hand, Asrial

whispered, "What is it we're searching for?"

"A golden egg," Pukah whispered back.

"I doubt well find the egg," Sond muttered unhappily. "And if we did, my

lovely djinniyeh would not be inside. Remember? Kaug said he had taken Nedjma

to a place where I would never see her again until I joined her."

"Then what are we doing here?" Pukah demanded.

"How should I know? It was your idea!"

WEIS AND HICKMAN

THE PALADIN OF THE NIGHT

"Me? You were the one who said Kaug was holding Nedjma captive! Now you change

your tune—"

Hie djinn sucked in a furious breath. "I'll change your tune!" Sond laid his

hand on the hilt of his sword. "You will sing through a slit in your throat,

you—"

"Stop it! Just stop it!" AsriaTs tense voice hissed in the darkness. "Now that

we're here, it can't hurt to look! Even if we don't find Nedjma, we may find

something that would guide us to where this alright has taken her!"

"She's right," said Pukah hastily, backing up and stumbling over a sponge. "We

should search this place."

"Well, we'd better hurry," Sond grumbled. "Kaug may be back any moment. Let's

separate."

Repeating Mathew's name over and over to herself to give her courage, Asrial

drifted deeper into the cave. Pukah slanted off" to die right, while Sond took

the left.

"Ugh! I just found one of Kaug's pets!" Rolling over a rock that the 'efreet

used for a chair or a table or perhaps just liked to have around, Pukah

grimaced as something black and ugly slithered out from underneath. "Or maybe

it's a girlfriend." Setting the rock back hastily, he continued on, poking his

long nose into a bed of lichen. "Asrial is right you know, Sond. Hazrat Akhran

believes that Quar is responsible for the disappearance of the immortals,

including his own. If that's true, then Kaug must know where they are."

"This is hopeless!" Asrial waved her hands helplessly. "There's nothing here

but rocks and seaweed." Turning, she suddenly recoiled. "What's that?" She

pointed to a huge iron cauldron standing in a recessed area of the cave.

"Kaug's stew pot!" Pukah's nose wrinkled. "Can't you smell it?" The djinn

drifted over near the angel. "The place has changed," he admitted. "Last time

I was here, there were all sorts of objects sitting about. Now there's

nothing. It looks as if the bastard moved out. I think we've searched enough.

Sond! Sond? Where are you!"

"But there must be something!" Asrial twisted a lock of her hair around her

finger. "The fish said I should come with you! Maybe we could talk to your

God. Perhaps he knows something?"

"No, no!" Pukah grew pale at the thought. "That wouldn't be wise. I'm sure if

Akhran knew anything He would have informed us. Sond! Sond! I—"

A hoarse, ragged cry came from the inner depths of the cave.

"Sul's eyeballs! What was that?" Pukah felt the hair beneath his turban stand

straight up.

"Promenthas be with us!" Asrial breathed.

The terrible cry rose again, swelled to a shriek, then broke off in a choking

sob.

"It's Sond!" Pukah sprang forward, overturning rocks, shoving through curtains

of floating seaweed. "Sond! Where are you? Did you step on a fish? Is it Kaug?

Sond . . ."

Pukah's voice died. Bounding a corner, he came upon the elder djinn standing

by himself in a small grotto. Sickly green light, oozing from slimy plants

clinging to the walls, was reflected in an object Sond held in his hands. The

djinn was staring at it in horror.

"What is it, my friend? What have you found? It looks like—" Pukah gasped.

"Akhran have mercy!"

"Why? What's the matter?" Asrial tiptoed into the grotto behind Pukah and

peered over his shoulder. "What do you mean scaring us half to death? It's

only an old lamp!"

Sond's face was a pale green in the light of the plants. "Only an old lamp!"

he repeated in an anguished voice. "It's my lamp! My chirak\"

**His what?" Asrial looked at Pukah, who was nearly as green as Sond.

"It is more than a lamp," Pukah said through stiff lips. "It is his dwelling

place."

"And look, Pukah," Sond said in a hushed whisper. "Look behind me, at my

feet."

"Mine, too?" Though Pukah's lips formed the words, no one could hear them.

Sond nodded silently.

Pukah sank slowly to the cave floor. Reaching out his hand, he took hold of a

basket that stood behind Sond. Made of tightly wrapped coils of rattan, the

basket was small at the bottom, swelled outward toward the top like the bulb

of an onion, and curved back in toward the center. Perched atop it was a woven

lid with a jaunty knob. Lovingly drawing the basket close, Pukah stroked its

woven coils.

"I don't understand!" Asrial cried in growing fear, looking from one

despairing djinn to the other. "All I see is a basket and a lamp! Why are you

so upset? What does it mean?"

"It means," came a deep, booming voice from the front of the cave, "that now /

am their master!"

THE PALADIN OF THE NIGHT

Chapter 3

The 'efreet's shadow fell over them, followed by the hulking body of the

gigantic immortal. Water streamed from the hairy chest, the 'efreet's

pugnacious face was split by a wide grin, "I took your homes several weeks

ago, during the Battle at the Tel. A battle your masters lost, by the way. If

that old goat, Majiid, is still alive, he now finds himself without a djinn!"

"Still alive? If you have murdered my master, I swear by Akhran that—"

"Sond! Don't! Don't be a—" Pukah bit off his words with a sigh. Too late.

Swelling with rage, Sond soared to ten feet in height. His head smashed into

the cave ceiling, sending a shower of rock crashing to the floor below. With a

bitter snarl, the djinn hurled himself at Kaug. The 'efreet was unprepared for

the suddenness and fury of Sond's attack. The weight of the djinn's body

knocked the hulking Kaug off his feet; the two hit die ground with a thud that

sent seismic waves along the ocean floor.

Clutching at a rock to keep his balance on the heaving ground, Pukah turned to

offer what comfort he could to Asrial, only to find that the angel had

vanished.

A huge foot lashed out in Pukah's direction. Crawling up on the rock to be out

of the way of the combatants thrashing about around him, Pukah considered the

matter, discussing it with himself, whom he considered to be the most

intelligent of all parties currently in the room.

"Where has your angel gone, Pukah?"

"Back to Promenthas."

"No, she wouldn't do that."

"You are right, Pukah," said Pukah. "She is much too fond of you to leave

you."

"Do you really think so?" asked Pukah rapturously.

"I do indeed!" replied his other self, although his statement lacked a certain

ring of conviction.

Pukah almost took himself to task over this, then decided, due to the serious

nature of the current crisis, to overlook it.

"What this means is that Asrial is here and in considerable danger. 1 don't

know what Kaug would do if he discovered an angel of Promenthas searching

through his underwear."

Pukah glanced at the combatants irritably. The howling and gnarltng and

gnashing was making it quite difficult for him to carry on a normal

conversation. "Ah, ha!" he said suddenly, hopefully, "but perhaps he didn't

see her!"

"He heard her voice. He answered her question."

"That's true. Well, she's gone," said Pukah in matter-of-fact tones. "Perhaps

she's just turned invisible, as she used to do when I first caught a glimpse

of her in camp. Do you suppose she's powerful enough to hide herself from the

eyes of an 'efreet?"

There was no answer. Pukah tried another question. "Does her disappearance

make things better or worse for us, my friend?"

"I don't see," came the gloomy response, "how it matters."

Taking this view of the situation himself, Pukah crossed his legs, leaned his

elbow on his knee and sat, chin in hand, to wait for the inevitable.

It was not long in coming.

Sond's rage had carried him further in his battle with the efreet than anyone

could have expected. Once Kaug recovered from his surprise at the sudden

attack, however, it was easy for the strong 'efreet to gain the upper hand,

and Sond's rage was effectively punched and pummeled out of him.

Now it was the 'efreet who carried the djinn, and soon a / battered and bloody

Sond was hanging suspended by his feet from die cracked ceiling of the cave.

Dangling head down, his arms and legs bound with cords of prickly green vine,

the d)uin did not give up, but fought against his bonds—struggling wildly

until he began to revolve at the end of his tether.

"I wouldn't do that, Sond," advised Pukah from his seat

WEIS AND HICKMAN

THE PALADIN OF THE NIGHT

on the rock. "If you do free yourself, you will only come down on your head

and you should certainly take care of what brains you have."

"You could have helped, you bastard son of Sul!" Sond writhed and twisted.

Blood and saliva dripped from his mouth.

Pukah was shocked. "I would not think of attacking our new master!" he said

rebukingly.

Turning from admiring his handiwork, Kaug eyed the young djinn suspiciously.

"Such loyalty, little Pukah. I'm touched."

Sliding down from his rock, the young djinn prostrated himself on the cave

floor before the 'efreet, his head brushing the ground.

"This is the law of the immortals who serve upon the mortal plane," recited

Pukah in a nasal tone, his nose pressed flat against the floor. "Whosoever

shall acquire the physical object to which the immortal is bound shall

henceforth become the master of said immortal and shall be due all allegiance

and loyalty."

Sond shrieked something vile, having to do with Pukah's mother and a male

goat.

Pukah appeared pained. "I fear these interruptions annoy you, My Master. If I

may be allowed—"

"Certainly!" Kaug waved a negligent hand. The 'efreet appeared preoccupied;

his gaze darting here and there about the grotto.

Believing he knew the quarry the 'efreet was hunting, Pukah thought it best to

distract him. He picked up a handful of seaweed, grabbed hold of Sond by his

turban, and stuffed the pale green plant into the djinn's yammering mouth.

"His offensive outbursts will no longer disturb you, My Master!" Pukah threw

himself on his knees before the 'efreet.

"Allegiance and loyalty, eh, little Pukah?" said Kaug. Stroking his chin, he

regarded the djinn thoughtfully. Then my first command to you is to tell me

why you are here."

"We were drawn here. Master, by the physical objects to which we are bound

according to the law that states—"

"Yes, yes," said Kaug irritably, casting another searching glance around the

cave once more. "So you came here because you couldn't help yourself. You are

lying to your master, tittle Pukah, and that is quite against the rules. You

must be punished." Lashing out with his foot, the 'efreet kicked

Pukah under the chin, snapping the djinn's head back painfully and splitting

his lip.

'"The truth. You came here in search of Nedjma. And the .third member of your

party. What was her reason for coming?"

"I assure you, Master," said Pukah, wiping blood from his mouth, "there were

only the two of us—"

Kaug kicked him in the face again.

"Come, come, loyal little Pukah! Where may I find the lovely body belonging to

that charming voice I heard when I entered my dwelling this night?"

"Alas, My Master, you see before you the only bodies belonging to the only

voices you heard in your dwelling place. It depends upon your taste, of

course, but I consider my body the loveliest of the two—"

Nonchalantly, Kaug drove his foot into the young djinn's kidney. Real or

imaginary, the pain was intense. Pukah doubled up with a groan.

"I heard a voice—a female voice, little Pukah!"

"I have been told I have a most melodious ring to my— ughh!"

Kaug kicked the djinn in the other kidney. The force of the blow rolled Pukah

over on his back. Drawing his sword, the 'efreet straddled the young djinn,

his weapon poised above a most vital and vulnerable area on Pukah's body.

"So, little Pukah, you claim the female voice was yours. It wdl be, my friend,

if you do not tell me the truth and reveal the whereabouts of this

trespasser!"

Covering himself with his hands, Pukah gazed up at the enraged 'efreet with

pleading eyes. "O My Master! Have mercy, I beg of you! You are distressed by

the unwarranted attack on your person by one who should, by rights, be your

slave"—a muffled shriek from Sond—"and that has thrown a cog (ha, ha, small

joke) in the wheel of your usually brilliant thought process! Look around,

Great Kaug! Could anyone or anything remain hidden from your all-seeing gaze,

O Mighty Servant of the Most Holy Quar?"

This question stumped the 'efreet. If he said yes, he admitted he wasn't

all-seeing, and if he said no, he granted that Pukah was right and that

he—Kaug—hadn't really heard die strange voice after all. The 'efreet sent his

piercing gaze into all parts of the cave, dissecting every shadow, using all

his senses to detect a hidden presence in the dwelling.

Kaug felt a thrill in his nerve endings, as ff someone had

WEIS AND HICKMAN

THE PALADIN OF THE NIGHT

touched his skin with a feather. There VMS another being in his cave, someone

who had the ability to enter his dwelling without permission, someone who was

able to hide herself from his sight. A film of white mist blocked his vision.

Kaug rubbed his eyes, but that did nothing to dispel the odd sensation.

What should he do? Castrate Pukah? The 'efreet pondered. Other than providing

a bit of mild amusement, it would probably accomplish little else. Such an act

of violence might actually frighten the creature into disappearing cora-f

pletely. No, she must be lulled into a sense of well-being.

I will give Pukah die hemp and watch him weave the rope that will go around

his neck, said Kaug to himself. Aloud, be intoned, "You are right, little

Pukah. I must have been imagining things." Sheathing his sword, the 'efreet

kindly helped the djinn to his feet. Kaug wiped slime from Pukah s shoulder

and solicitously plucked fronds of seaweed from die djinn's pantalons.

"Forgive me. I have a quick temper. A felling of mine, I admit, pond's attempt

on my life upset me." The 'efreet pressed his hand over his huge chest. "It

文档加载中……请稍候！
如果长时间未打开，您也可以点击刷新试试。

下载文档到电脑，查找使用更方便

5.9 玖币 0人已下载

立即下载 VIP免费下载

摘要：

THEPALADINOKTHEMCHTABantamSpectraBookIMay1989AHrightsreferred.CopyrightC1989byMargaretWeisandTracyHickman.CoverartanainteriorHuOrationscopyrightCJ989byLarryElmort.Nopartofthabookmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,orbyanyinformatio...

展开>> 收起<<

Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman - Rose of the Prophet 02 - The Paladin of the Night.pdf

共187页,预览38页

还剩页未读，继续阅读

声明：本站为文档C2C交易模式，即用户上传的文档直接被用户下载，本站只是中间服务平台，本站所有文档下载所得的收益归上传人(含作者)所有。玖贝云文库仅提供信息存储空间，仅对用户上传内容的表现方式做保护处理，对上载内容本身不做任何修改或编辑。若文档所含内容侵犯了您的版权或隐私，请立即通知玖贝云文库，我们立即给予删除！

Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman - Rose of the Prophet 02 - The Paladin of the Night

相关推荐

开通VIP享超值会员特权

作者详情

相关内容

热门标签

举报选择: