Free Stackpole, Michael A - Dark Conspiracy 02 by Evil Ascending Page B
Authors: Evil Ascending
hunter away from the child worked because the creatures monitoring these devices are slow and stupid. Unfortunately, your display may have alerted others. You must return and protect the child.”
« Who are you?»She sent such vehemence that a tremor shook the man holding her. A golden bolt of energy seemed to emerge from her forehead and punch through his chest. His eyes and nostrils lit with goldfire, then black again subsumed it. He jerked back, releasing her, and held his head in his hands. In that confusing moment she caught wrath and wraith from him, but nothing that really answered her question.
“You are very good, but out of control. Look!” He pointed off into the sky and she saw a dozen of the probes orienting themselves on the both of them.
“I am sorry...”
“Save it. Protect the child; he is in danger.” The shadow man pointed down toward the glowing circle of light below them, and Rajani saw a smaller triangle of red lights moving in toward it. “You deal with that problem and I will take care of the probes. Go, now!”
Rajani pointed her toes and raised her arms. She slipped down through the darkness as if it were a greased tunnel and arrived at her destination far more swiftly than she could have hoped. Above her she saw a silver-blue light outline the man, then it metamorphosed into a glowing silver behemoth that smashed two of the probes together into blazing dust.
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Rajani felt a wrenching sense of chaos as she touched and reentered her body. She forced it awake, snapping her eyes open. She rolled over to her right and touched Dorothy’s leg. “Wake up, Dorothy, wake up.”
“What?” Dorothy brushed blond hair from her face.
”Geez, what happened to you?”
Rajani felt a cold stickiness on her right leg. She looked down and saw a dark splotch on the right thigh where the crystal had touched her. I’m bleeding. She pressed her hand to the wound and black blood oozed up between her fingers. “It’s nothing, Dorothy. Get Mickey up. We have to move out.”
“Aaha?” Mickey asked as he rubbed sleep from his eyes.
Rex stretched, then sat and scratched himself. Suddenly his head came up and with it came the fur on his spine. A low growl rumbled from his throat, then helooked over at Rajani and stood. From the dog she got a sense of duty tinged with growing fear as she tossed some sticks on the coals. Rex looked back out into the shadows surrounding the campsite and barked once.
The yipped howls of a dozen canine throats answered him. Mickey reached out to Rex, but the dog moved beyond his grasp to position himself between the boy and the threat. Likewise, Rajani moved forward while Dorothy picked up a big stick. Alone, Mickey clutched his blanket and huddled down to make himself a small target.
He’s small physically, but his fear is immense!Sheer terror radiated out of the boy, and Rajani renewed the defenses she had erected earlier. She structured them to let low levels of emotion through, but to cut her off in case of a huge emotional outburst. I cannot afford to be blinded.
“Hush, Mickey.” Dorothy grasped the knotted pine branch in both hands. “They’re coming, Rajani.”
Behind her the kindling caught and the fire flared to life.
Rajani saw it reflected in a galaxy of eyes barely three feet off the ground. As she watched, however, one set drifted up and forward. A lupine head skylined itself and, as the creature moved in toward the circle of light, Rajani saw him complete the transformation from a wolf to a ruddy-furred wolfman.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
“Grrrreeeeetings,” the creature growled seductively, infusing the word with insincerity. He eyed Rajani up and down, then Dorothy. Only on Mickey did his gaze linger, and Rajani felt pleasure rippling from the wolfman so strongly that it almost brought a smile to her face.
Forcing his
« Who are you?»She sent such vehemence that a tremor shook the man holding her. A golden bolt of energy seemed to emerge from her forehead and punch through his chest. His eyes and nostrils lit with goldfire, then black again subsumed it. He jerked back, releasing her, and held his head in his hands. In that confusing moment she caught wrath and wraith from him, but nothing that really answered her question.
“You are very good, but out of control. Look!” He pointed off into the sky and she saw a dozen of the probes orienting themselves on the both of them.
“I am sorry...”
“Save it. Protect the child; he is in danger.” The shadow man pointed down toward the glowing circle of light below them, and Rajani saw a smaller triangle of red lights moving in toward it. “You deal with that problem and I will take care of the probes. Go, now!”
Rajani pointed her toes and raised her arms. She slipped down through the darkness as if it were a greased tunnel and arrived at her destination far more swiftly than she could have hoped. Above her she saw a silver-blue light outline the man, then it metamorphosed into a glowing silver behemoth that smashed two of the probes together into blazing dust.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Rajani felt a wrenching sense of chaos as she touched and reentered her body. She forced it awake, snapping her eyes open. She rolled over to her right and touched Dorothy’s leg. “Wake up, Dorothy, wake up.”
“What?” Dorothy brushed blond hair from her face.
”Geez, what happened to you?”
Rajani felt a cold stickiness on her right leg. She looked down and saw a dark splotch on the right thigh where the crystal had touched her. I’m bleeding. She pressed her hand to the wound and black blood oozed up between her fingers. “It’s nothing, Dorothy. Get Mickey up. We have to move out.”
“Aaha?” Mickey asked as he rubbed sleep from his eyes.
Rex stretched, then sat and scratched himself. Suddenly his head came up and with it came the fur on his spine. A low growl rumbled from his throat, then helooked over at Rajani and stood. From the dog she got a sense of duty tinged with growing fear as she tossed some sticks on the coals. Rex looked back out into the shadows surrounding the campsite and barked once.
The yipped howls of a dozen canine throats answered him. Mickey reached out to Rex, but the dog moved beyond his grasp to position himself between the boy and the threat. Likewise, Rajani moved forward while Dorothy picked up a big stick. Alone, Mickey clutched his blanket and huddled down to make himself a small target.
He’s small physically, but his fear is immense!Sheer terror radiated out of the boy, and Rajani renewed the defenses she had erected earlier. She structured them to let low levels of emotion through, but to cut her off in case of a huge emotional outburst. I cannot afford to be blinded.
“Hush, Mickey.” Dorothy grasped the knotted pine branch in both hands. “They’re coming, Rajani.”
Behind her the kindling caught and the fire flared to life.
Rajani saw it reflected in a galaxy of eyes barely three feet off the ground. As she watched, however, one set drifted up and forward. A lupine head skylined itself and, as the creature moved in toward the circle of light, Rajani saw him complete the transformation from a wolf to a ruddy-furred wolfman.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
“Grrrreeeeetings,” the creature growled seductively, infusing the word with insincerity. He eyed Rajani up and down, then Dorothy. Only on Mickey did his gaze linger, and Rajani felt pleasure rippling from the wolfman so strongly that it almost brought a smile to her face.
Forcing his