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.They were warming me now, and the keening of the pipes and theGenerated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlwailings of the fiddles were pleasant after the brain-numbing twistings of the hellride.I leaned back andpuffed smoke.I watched the dancers.The little man was talking, talking.Everyone else was ignoring me.Good.I was hearing some fantasticyarn of knights and wars and treasures.Though I gave it less than half an ear, it lulled me, even drew afew chuckles.Inside, though, my nastier, wiser self was warning me: All right, Corwin, you have had enough.Time totake your leave.But, magically it seemed, my glass had been refilled, and I took it and sipped from it.One more, onemore is all right.No, said my other self, he is laying a spell on you.Can't you feel it?I did not feel that any dwarf could drink me under the table.But I was tired, and I had not eaten much.Perhaps it would be prudent.I felt myself nodding.I placed my pipe on the table.Each time that I blinked it seemed to take longer toreopen my eyes.I was pleasantly warm now, with just the least bit of delicious numbness in my tiredmuscles.I caught myself nodding, twice.I tried to think of my mission, of my personal safety, of Star.Imumbled something, still vaguely awake behind closed eyelids.It would be so good, just to remain thisway for half a minute more.The little man's voice, musical, grew monotonous, dropped to a drone.It did not really matter what hewas say-Star whinnied.I sat bolt upright, eyes wide, and the tableau before me swept all sleep from my mind.The musicians continued their performance, but now no one was dancing.All of the revelers wereadvancing quietly upon me.Each held something in his hand-a flask, a cudgel, a blade.The one in theleather apron brandished his cleaver.My companion had just fetched a stout stick from where it hadleaned against the wall.Several of them lofted small pieces of furniture.More of them had emerged fromthe caves near the fire pit, and they bore stones and clubs.All traces of gaiety had vanished, and theirfaces were now either expressionless, twisted into grimaces of hate or smiling very nasty smiles.My anger returned, but it was not the white-heat thing I had felt earlier.Looking at the horde before me,I had no wish to tackle it.Prudence had come to temper my feelings.I had a mission.I should not riskmy neck here if I could think of another way of handling things.But I was certain that I could not talk myway out of this one.I took a deep breath.I saw that they were getting ready to rush me, and I thought suddenly of Brandand Benedict in Tir-na Nog'th, Brand not even fully attuned to the Jewel.I drew strength from that fierystone once again, growing alert and ready to lay about me if it came to that.But first, I would have a goat their nervous systems.I was not certain how Brand had managed it, so I simply reached out through the Jewel as I did whenGenerated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlinfluencing the weather.Strangely, the music was still playing, as though this action of the little people wasbut some grisly continuation of their dance."Stand still." I said it aloud and I willed it, rising to my feet."Freeze.Turn to statues.All of you."I felt a heavy throbbing within/upon my breast.I felt the red forces move outward, exactly as on thoseother occasions when I had employed the Jewel.My diminutive assailants were poised.The nearest ones stood stock-still, but there were still somemovements among those to the rear.Then the pipes let out a crazy squeal and the fiddles fell silent.Still, Idid not know whether I had reached them or whether they had halted of their own accord on seeing mestand.Then I felt the great waves of force which flowed out from me, embedding the entire assembly in atightening matrix.I felt them all trapped within this expression of my will, and I reached out anduntethered Star.Holding them with a concentration as pure as anything I used when passing through Shadow, I led Starto the doorway.I turned then for a final look at the frozen assembly and pushed Star on ahead of me upthe stair.As I followed, I listened, but there were no sounds of renewed activity from below.When we emerged, dawn was already paling the east.Strangely, as I mounted, I heard the distantsounds of fiddles.Moments later, the pipes came in on the tune.It seemed as though it mattered not at allwhether they succeeded or failed in their designs against me; the party was going to go on.As I headed us south, a small figure hailed me from the doorway I had so recently quitted.It was theirleader with whom I had been drinking.I drew rein, to better catch his words."And where do you travel?" he called after me.Why not?"To the ends of the Earth!" I shouted back.He broke into a jig atop his shattered door."Fare thee well, Corwin!" he cried.I waved to him.Why not, indeed? Sometimes it's damned hard to tell the dancer from the dance.Chapter 6I rode fewer than a thousand meters to what had been the south, and everything stopped-ground, sky,mountains.I faced a sheet of white light.I thought then of the stranger in the cave and his words.He hadfelt that the world was being blotted out by that storm, that it corresponded to something out of a localapocalyptic legend.Perhaps it had [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]