128018.fb2 The Maelstrom Eye - читать онлайн бесплатно полную версию книги . Страница 45

The Maelstrom Eye - читать онлайн бесплатно полную версию книги . Страница 45

Getting back to the hatch was troublesome but necessary. Someone might come up to see what was the problem, and he wanted to stop any attempt to fix the helm. He was holding onto a hook in the wall behind the hatch when an Oriental woman came up the ladder, and he grabbed her. He wasn't sure at first if she was a friend or foe. When she turned into a python, he decided she was a foe, and he held on as she changed shape over and over in her panic to escape him. It was when she had turned into a wolf and had almost gotten away from him that the pyramid struck the ground at a speed many times faster than a hawk could dive. There was an instant of chaos and impact, then nothing at all.

*****

Teldin awoke, feeling something cool wash across his face. He blinked and looked up into a too-bright sky, the sun directly overhead as always. He shut his eyes again, half raising his hands to shield his face.

"Relax," came a young girl's voice. It sounded familiar but he couldn't place it. "Everything's fine." A wet cloth began to wipe his face again, spreading its coolness across his brow.

It felt like heaven. Teldin sighed and rolled his head to one side. A wadded blue cloak supported his head. His cheek rested against something cool and metallic.

Thin fingers reached under his cheek and removed the large bronze disk and chain that lay on the ground there. After a brief look at it, Gaye tucked the medallion down the front of her blouse and into the magical bag that was carefully strapped across her chest. The bag opened into another dimension and would hold almost anything-poles, coins, extra clothing, food, even lost thingfinders. She'd give the medallion to Teldin later when he recovered. It had belonged to the gray ogre, having been tucked into his chest armor, and had come partially free when he had fallen to the ground, but picking it up had been difficult, given that she couldn't bare to look at what the two harpoons had done to the ogre's face. Her body still ached from the bombard's recoil.

The effects the medallion had on her when she first touched it had been shocking. What deep-space vista was that? What otherworldly view was she seeing? It had been tempting to keep the medallion for herself, but Gaye knew that Teldin might make better use of it wherever he was going on his search for the Spelljammer-and she knew he would be going without her. He'd make sure of it now, with all the deaths and horror he had faced.

And she would be left far behind, she who loved him.

"You never knew, did you?" she said softly as she picked up the cloth and wiped Teldin's face again. "You never did figure it out." Her free hand came up to stroke Teldin's cheek as he faded into sleep. Hearing the change in his breathing, Gaye slowly released the cloth and leaned over Teldin's still form. Her black hair fell across his chest and covered his face like a tent. Eyes closed, she pressed her lips to his. His mustache tickled her nose. "You never will know," she whispered, then bent down again and with delicate fingers, reconnected the silver clasp at Teldin's neck.

He was once again the Cloakmaster.

*****

"I'd like some answers, if you have them," said Teldin. You may ask, said the spelljammer-sized slug. Its pulpy body shook and rippled like black jelly as it rose up to turn its head in Teldin's direction.

Teldin swallowed. He would never get used to the fal's foul appearance. After returning to heal Teldin and Gomja, the fal-or its image, Teldin wasn't sure which-had reported that the surviving elven and scro ships were leaving and probably were on their way out of the sphere. Once Gaye had given Teldin the bronze medallion, the fal then informed Teldin of the medallion's purpose-it having been mentioned in a few old epics about the Spelljammer-and had devised a set of instructions on how to use the ancient item to track the mighty ship. One Six Nine also had brought the news of Aelfred's fate, much to everyone's distress.

"Why couldn't you have done something to help Aelfred?" Teldin asked. He knew the fal would have a good answer, but he had to know. "You have so many powers, but… why?"

I greatly regret that I was unaware of his actions, but I was maintaining a set of mental illusions in my attempt to draw away the scro fleet. I dropped the illusions only to divine his fate too late to intervene, as he apparently had completed his sabotage and was beyond my reach.

Teldin snotted softly. It was useless to beat the issue. He rubbed his eyes. It was so hard to believe both Aelfred and Sylvie were gone. "I don't understand what you mean when you talk about psionics, for another thing," Teldin said, dropping his hand and changing the topic. "I have enough trouble understanding magic. You said something about mental illusions just now. Were you talking about psionics?"

You are correct. The enormous bulk of the fal gave an oily ripple in the sunlight. I am implanting in your mind my own image, to which you ire speaking. You could touch my image but would discover that I feel quite real to you, though I am not truly in your vicinity. I am able to so control your perceptions that I am, for oil purposes, real to you. I can do this only with a limited number of beings, however. I do not enjoy duplicity, except when it serves to protect my person or my allies.

You may have guessed that General Vorr, whom you fought, fell victim earlier to one of my mental decoys. I wished for the scro to depart without further bloodshed, and my plan was almost entirely successful. You were thought by the general to be dead, based on a mental illusion he and an ally of his had observed earlier. I did not intend for the general to be left behind by his cohorts, for which I offer my apologies, just as I had not meant for Aelfred to die aboard the pyramid ship that he apparently sabotaged.

"No one's plans work perfectly," said Teldin with a bitter smile, "least of all mine. I'm still confused, though, because the general claimed he was immune to magic. How could psionics have affected him?"

You must understand that psionics is like magic, but it is not magic. I would like to explain the subtle differences between them, but it would serve no purpose. You need know only that the two do not affect one another, so Vorr's immunity to magic helped him not against any psionic attack I cared to make against him. I created what I wished him to see and feel, and that he did.

What if I was seeing only what you wished me to see right now? thought Teldin uncomfortably. Not just your image, but everything, even this whole megafauna-being we're on. What if everything I saw and felt was unreal?

He shook himself, quickly abandoning the thought. "I'll let it go," he muttered. "It's beyond me. Anyway, we should get underway and start looking for the Spelljammer before some other fleet comes looking for us. We still have to bury Sylvie with Aelfred on our way out, too, if we can find out where he… you know." Teldin waved his hand vaguely.

I will guide you there, Teldin. I assume that you also will need funds, as well as guidance, to fulfil our bargain for you to find the Spelljammer. You will find at your feet a pouch containing several dozen small gems, which you may convert into currency at your next destination. You may wish to purchase a new ship if you must eventually part from the giff and gnomes.

Teldin moved his left foot forward without looking down. His foot tapped something soft, like a small bag. Sighing, he leaned down and retrieved the pouch. He didn't want to know how the fal had done it; it didn't matter. "I want to leave everyone behind as soon as possible. Everyone's in too much danger with me around now. Your gems are appreciated, but if I knew where the broken sphere that you mentioned was, I'd be better able to fulfil our bargain. It could be on any world in all the crystal spheres." Teldin hesitated. "The sphere you were talking about, by the way. Did you mean a sphere like a planet or an asteroid, or-"

I meant a broken crystal sphere, Teldin. The black image of the fal's head lowered in his direction. The Spelljammer was born in a broken crystal sphere.

For a moment, the thought didn't fully register. As it did, he let out his breath. "Broken? How could a crystal sphere be broken? I don't… oh, forget it." Teldin stuffed the pouch of gems into the pocket of his pants. "We should go," he finished, looking around.

Gave was waiting by the ship, wearing a deep purple dress that reached the ground. Her dark eyes were rimmed with red, and she kept her arms folded across her chest as Teldin coughed and then approached.

Best to keep it brief, Teldin thought. He nodded at the small kender. "We'll miss you. I'm still not sure why you want to stay around here, but maybe it's for the best. Things aren't going to be safe for me or for anyone-"

"I know," said Gaye abruptly. She blinked up at him. "It's for the best."

Teldin looked away from her wildspace eyes. Something hurt down in his heart. He knew that he had been starting to fall for Gave, and that would never have worked out. The idea of loving a kender was one problem, but seeing her slain as a result of the attacks that inevitably would be made against him-he couldn't face that. She was just another race in a long line of faces that he was leaving behind. He wondered if it would ever stop. He had so little faith that it would.

"Well, good-bye, then," Teldin said, and turned away. Gaye watched as he walked over to the Perilous Halibut and grabbed its rope ladder, climbing to the top deck with his violet-blue cloak flapping behind him in a light breeze. Everyone else was already aboard and waiting.

He never looked back. Soon, the long black ship was lifting away, and before long it was gone.

About an hour later, Gaye took a ragged breath and wiped her eyes on the hem of her dress for the last time. "I guess that's that, then," she said. "Everything comes and goes. Life is a pain sometimes, isn't it? Maybe we should do something so I can keep busy for a while. I appreciate you letting me stay here and help out around the place and learn something new. I love to learn." She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I feel like I've got so much to learn about life."

You wish to begin your lessons? queried the fal.

Gaye's head bobbed rapidly. "Now, please." she said, blinking and looking away for a moment to where the gnomes' ship had gone. There was nothing there now and nothing inside her, either. It was best to stay busy.

Come with me, then, said the fal. The image of One Six Nine faded into the air-and so did the black-haired kender, with a shriek of surprise. If you wish to lean. I have much to teach you, Gaeadrelle Goldring.

*****

"The gnomes' ship is departing, Captain Kilian."

The one who was addressed made no movement away from the forward window on the bridge, through which he peered at the distant landscape. Perhaps a minute passed. The aide cleared his throat, preparing to repeat the statement.

"I am aware of that," said the silver-armored elf at last, without turning around. "When it is gone, we will go, too, and return to the Rock of Bral."

The aide blinked in confusion. "If you will forgive me for saying so. Captain, it might be wise to make one last attempt to recover the cloak from Teldin Moore."

"No." said the captain. He still didn't move. "We must not pursue him. Our duty is to inform the Imperial Fleet of the enemy's presence and actions, and of our own losses. We are the last of the Rock of Bral's fleet, and we are responsible for the safety of our people first. We have nothing more to gain by chasing unicorns."

The aide frowned. He had expected a different answer. ''But the gnome ship is not effectively armed, Captain. We would have no trouble in capturing it and taking…"

The aide's voice faded as Kilian turned. A cold blue gaze stabbed out from the older elf s sharp-featured face.

"That path was already attempted-, with grave losses," the captain said. "There was no honor in our hunt. We paid for our arrogance with our comrades' lives. Would you have us now bargain with our own?"

The aide caught his breath. "I meant, Captain, that… that we…" Seconds passed; he flushed with embarrassment. 'The admiral wanted us to get the cloak," he finished.

The captain stared at his aide a moment longer, then turned back to the window of the man-o-war, looking down at the swirling clouds a thousand miles below him. "The admiral is dead, and we have other considerations now," he murmured. "Teldin Moore cannot be our concern. Perhaps the grand admiral will fee! differently, but it is of no matter to me for the moment. We must warn our people of real dangers, not make sacrifices to legends." The elf seemed about to say more, but stopped.

Another minute or two passed before Kilian heard the door close behind him. He let out his breath in a long sigh and searched the vista before him for any sign of the gnomes' black ship. He saw nothing, but he had expected that.

"You are free for now," he whispered to the window. "I will let you depart in peace, but others will not. May the wind carry you wherever you run, Teldin Moore. May the wind be fast and sure. You cannot run forever."