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begin to spread out so as to encircle the travelers. Perhaps because it had no face with which to look upon the litah, the vohwn was not intimidated. And the comical carnivorous masses of the grenks came Page 100 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html sliming on, oblivious to everything before them. As they retreated, Ehomba grabbed the stuporous Knucker by the shoulder and pulled him along. Either unaware of or indifferent to the danger confronting them, the besotted little wreck of a man tottered unresistingly backwards in the herdsman s firm grasp. What should we do? The tall southerner gave the drunk a good shaking. Tell us what to do. How do we get away from these foulnesses? Turning bleary eyes to the herdsman, Knucker replied in quavering tones. You can t. The borboressbs are too agile, the vohwn will be wherever you see, and the grenks never give up until they ve been sated. Fight one and the others will fall on you from behind. You re outnumbered, stranger. You re dead. He coughed weakly. He doesn t know everything, Simna declared grimly. We re not dead yet. You need help, the frail drunk mumbled. Hoy, you don t have to be all-knowing to see that. I have a feeling we can t expect much from these happy, civilized Phanese. Simna scanned the surrounding buildings. A few lights gleamed behind shuttered windows, but none had been flung open to allow the inhabitants to observe what was taking place in the quiet street outside their homes. In the morning, no doubt, a jolly and competent cleaning crew would scrub the pavement clean of any loitering unpleasantness. Children would run hoops and chase each other across bloodstains that would fade with soap and rain and time, and no one would hazard a breach of etiquette by troubling to inquire what had happened. Its hand regrown, the vohwn moaned and drifted forward. The nearest borboressbs gave it a wide berth. Too ignorant and persistent to recognize a possible danger to themselves and anxious for prey, the grenks oozed closer. A wisp of cold wind sparked from the tip of the sky-metal blade. Hurry up! Simna eyed the borboressbs nearest him. Four more had already scuttled behind him and were beginning to close in, holding their curved weapons above their loathsome heads like egg teeth extracted from some Ur-snake. Reaching up and around, Knucker the Knower wrapped fingers sticky with phlegm and puke around the file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20krui...ist%2002%20-%20Into%20The %20Thinking%20Kingdom.htm (138 of 262)19-2-2006 17:04:59 Into the Thinking Kingdoms: Journeys of the Catechist, Book 2 carved figurine that hung from the cord around Ehomba s neck, and yanked. Startled, the herdsman responded angrily. Give that back! It will not buy you more than a drink or two. Give it back? Holding it up to his eyes, the little man struggled with difficulty to concentrate on the graven image he had purloined. Sure, I ll give it back. Here. Drawing back his arm, he somehow managed a shaky throw. The figurine soared past Ehomba s outstretched fingers to land in front of a pair of borboressbs. It bounced a couple of times before rolling to a halt. One of the cloven-footed abnormalities gave it a passing glance, then stepped on it, grinding it into the pavement. A repellent snaggle-toothed grin split the repulsive face from side to side. It vanished as the borboressb rose straight up into the air, did a complete head-over-hoof flip, and landed hard on its back. It lay stunned and unmoving. In place of the carving stood a tall, erect figure limned in pale white flame. Its statuesque shape barely blurred by a coil of tight-fitting crimson and brown fabric, it carried a shield of mastodon hide in one hand and a slim wooden club in the other. The club was thickly studded with the three-sided thorns of the pyre bush. In all his life Ehomba had never seen a pyre bush. It was a part of Naumkib lore, more legend than shrub. But he recognized the thorns instantly, from the tales he had been told as a child. Mirhanja had never seen a pyre bush either, but she could describe one in Page 101 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html detail to Daki and Nelecha while reciting bedtime stories. Any Naumkib mother knew what a pyre bush looked like, even if she had never seen one herself. Momentarily startled, the angry borboressbs turned to confront the intruder in their midst. Two sliced viciously with the scythe-swords they carried. The blows glanced harmlessly off the shield of the new apparition. Swinging the club, it struck the nearest borboressb on one shoulder. Instantly, flames engulfed the horrid creature as fire exploded from its arm. Wailing wildly, it raced away up the street, trailing flame and smoke. Two more borboressbs jumped the figure. One fell flopping to the pavement, its neck broken by a swinging blow from the edge of the shield. The other caught the tip of the club in its mouth. For a second its eyes grew wide. Then its head exploded in a ball of flame. Gathering themselves, the rest of the enraged aberrations prepared to attack the club-wielding shape simultaneously. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |