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.The desktop was a smooth-sideddoor the knob was still attached, but it was on the far side, near thewall elevated by stone blocks at four corners that raised it to knee-height.Books and scraps of parchment lay scattered on its surface, held down byoddments of stone and scraps of ironwork.He made out some Erendra glyphs, andsome of the rest was in scratchy runes that Ahira didn't recognize, but mostof the writing blurred in front of his eyes.Wizard's work."Somebody has been living here," Jason said.Ahira raised a finger to his lips.He wasn't irritated by the boy's keenattention to the obvious, but by his talking.Until they had a better grip onwhere they were, it was best to keep mouth closed, eyes and ears open.Page 151ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlA heavy wooden door stood half open, leading out into the dark hall.Ahiralistened for a moment, but couldn't hear anything.So far, so good.Gesturing at Jason to keep an eye on the door, he turned to the window.Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlOutside, just across the street, the Faerie Embassy stood gleaming in all itsunfixed glory.Was it three or four stories tall? And were there long, rectangular windows,like glass doors leading out to a balcony, or were the only openings in thesolid expanse broad slits, too narrow even to be arrow loops?He didn't like looking at it; he couldn't tell.Better to concentrate on thehere and the now.Hanging around a wizard's workshop was a bad idea, it wastime toJason was beckoning silently to him; the boy had already flattened himselfnear the single door leading to the hall.His lips moved.I hear something, he mouthed.Good boy.This time, he wasn't scared.No, that wasn't true Ahira could smellthe fear on him.Jason was bright enough to be scared, he knew he could behurt or killed at any moment, but that was just another fact of the universe,to be dealt with appropriately.And he knew it.He couldn't keep a smile off his face.This time JasonCullinane wasn't running away.His axe held easily in his hands, the dwarf leaned his head close.Familiarfootsteps echoed down the hall.Ahira lowered his axe."Hello, Andrea," he said.Andrea walked through the door, but it was a changed Andrea.Her black leathervest and pants had been replaced by a gleaming white robe, woven of fog andlight.Her black hair was shot with silver, and her eyes were red and rimmedfrom either crying or lack of sleep.Jason took a step toward her, but Ahira seized his arm."Wait."She raised a slim hand."Yes, it's me.Older, perhaps a year, perhaps more, orless? Time is so.different here, and I've been hiding and studying innooks in time, trying to control the madness while I've learned more.I'molder, yes; somewhat wiser, I would hope; knowingly more ignorant, certainly.But I'm still me." A tear ran down one cheek."May I hug you? It's been solong," she said.* * * but Tennetty didn't spend any time thinking it out: she dug her finger intoher eyesocket and flipped me the Eye while she launched herself at Boioardo.The glass Eye tumbled through the air toward me.No."Tennetty, don't."But thinking or saying it didn't make any difference.Nareen's glass Eye, theone the Three needed in order to see through the veil of uncertainty into theheart of Ehvenor, floated through the air toward me.Isnatched the Eye out of the air, slapped it into Andrea's hand, and started myturn, but it was too late.Boioardo had already risen from his throne, moving so quickly that his sleevesand cape snapped through the air like the end of a whip.He batted her swordaside as though it was nothing, and had hisGenerated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlhands on her.She grunted once as his fingers tore through her flesh the way a backhoe clawsthrough ground, and then he shook what was left of her once, twice, threePage 152ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmltimes, like a dog shaking a rat, and tossed her aside, bloody, broken, dead.His arms red with her blood, splashed to the elbows; it seemed to bother himin his fastidiousness.He looked down at them, at the red blood wetting hissleeves, and then he gestured once, idly, and the blood was gone.Tennetty layon the ground, her dead eye and empty socket staring off into nothing.You don't waste time grieving for friends, not during a fight, you don't."Now, Andy," I said."Do it now.Take him.Like you did before."She shook her head."Not here, not on the edge of Faerie.I don't have enoughpower, not enough strength to do it."Boioardo smiled."She knows I can follow the two of you wherever in Ehvenoryou try to hide."I pulled Andrea close.God, why did you make women so warm? "Hide yourself fornow," I whispered, "but get the Eye where it needs to be.Do what needs to bedone
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