Jo Clayton Diadem 01 Diadem from the Stars (v2.0)

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of her tunic taut against her body and whipping her unbound hair around her
face in a wild dance. Through the muted clamor of the dry storm Raqat moved
calmly, steadily, almost blindly.
Aleytys writhed in her sleep, trying to wake but like in a nightmare she
struggled and struggled in futile effort that repeated endlessly, going
nowhere.
Raqat pulled the flap aside, stooped, and crawled inside. Aleytys lay half
covered, her braids spreading in a sprawled V. As Raqat crept near, she saw
the diadem flicker into a ghostly glow, half in, half out of reality.
Aleytys groaned inside her body and struggled to move, then a low note chimed
through her paralysis and she opened her eyes to find the nightmare was real.
She gasped at the sight of the savage face hanging over her, just visible in
the pale light thrown out by the diadem. She licked her lips and hunched
backward, digging her elbows into the leathers.
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Eyes blank, lips spread in a mirthless grin, Raqat lifted the dagger.
Aleytys called hoarsely, Raqat, don t She saw the knife waver, saw and
felt a kind of terror in the girl, a terror that was immediately overlaid by a
sick rage. Aleytys reached out to touch her, to try to reach through to her.
The diadem chimed and the chon filled with amber light. Raqat leaned forward
as once again the diadem chimed in a ripple of soft notes, enticing notes. She
dropped the knife and it seared the skin on Aleytys s stomach for an instant
before her body went numb.
As Raqat touched the diadem Aleytys could feel the touch vibrating through
her body. She tried to move. Only her eyes responded, rolling wildly in a mask
she couldn t move. The rest of her lay flaccid. Behind the straining body,
Aleytys saw the flap pulled back again. Stavver s pale face floated into the
darkness framed by the opening, his moon-white hair whipping like tendrils of
smoke in the wind. Her eyes pleaded with him to do something. She screamed her
agony, but no sound came from her mouth. The only sound in the chon was the
lovely light chime of the star-jewels.
Raqat s body jerked and writhed as the diadem fought with Mechenyat, the
battleground her mind& .
Aleytys felt something, something thin and wispy, driven out of Raqat&
something that burned along her own nerves and thrilled through her body&
sucked out of Raqat by the jewels. She heard their singing, a soft lovely
ripple of notes. Eyes blinked open, far back in the darkness of her mind,
large amber eyes grave and somber. She felt like dying& she didn t want to
die. Blackness closed around her tormented mind.
When she opened her eyes a few minutes later, Raqat was gone and Stavver was
kneeling in the entrance of the tent, the moonlight painting horror on his
face. The hot weight was gone from her head. She swallowed painfully and
licked dry lips. Raising on an elbow, she croaked, Where s Raqat? What
happened?
When I touched her, she ran out. Crawling into the tent, he knelt beside
her. So that s where the diadem went.
With a broken cry, she shoved herself up, made clumsy by the weight of the
baby in her womb, almost knocking him over as she clutched at his shoulders.
Get it off me. Please, Stavver, get it off me! She dug her nails into his
flesh, frantic with the urgency of her need. Get it off me.Get it off me !
She buried her face in his chest, tears pouring down her face, her body
shuddering with the hard sobs born out of her terror.
He grimaced and patted her shoulder. Quiet, woman, or we ll have the camp in
on us. Look. I wish I could help you, believe me, he said dryly. I d like to
have the diadem back. He shook his head. I stole it but I can t control it.
Tipping her head back, he brushed the tears from her face with gentle fingers.
Just cool it, love. When we get off this world, I ll find a way.
She caught hold of his hand. They smell it. They sniff and sniff and smell
it out. I ve seen them.
They?
Your spiders. Big yellow eyes. All hairy.
RMoahl hounds! He peered intently into her tired face. Where?
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She shrugged. Not here, not yet. Soon, I think.
All the more reason to get off this damned world. He patted her shoulder
absently, then pulled a leather over her naked body, gently running his
ringers over the swelling at her waistline. Get some sleep. We ll see what to
do about Raqat in the morning.
As she closed her eyes, he backed out of the tent and stood up. The night was
dark and stormy, though the wind had died down a little. A few obese raindrops
splattered down on his face and shoulders.
He looked around, then slipped through the slumbering camp toward his own
chon.
Horli climbed up above the edge of the world, turning the day red, sending
long scarlet-tinged shadows racing across the sun-dried grass. Aleytys thrust
her toweled head out and stared around. With a tired groan, she ducked out the
door and stood up, dangling a towel from one hand. Another day. She grunted
and put her hand on her waist. He kicked me, little brat. Happy for the
moment, she danced to the river to take her bath, reveling in the bright cool
morning and the warm glow her lively baby spread through her body, but most of
all in the abundance of water that let her bathe for the first time in a
month.
Whistling cheerfully, she scrubbed herself clean, then splashed out of the
river to rub herself dry with the towel. She gathered her wet tangled hair and
tied it back with a thong so it wouldn t slap across her face. As she pulled
on the tunic and trousers she frowned back toward the camp that was hidden by
the thick growth of trees and bushes. She laid her hand on her side. They
never bathe, Vajdson; it s like they re afraid of rivers. Funny, the
Shemqyatwe are always clean in spite of that. Ahi, little one, I can t
complain, it leaves the river for me. She flipped the towel over her shoulder [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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