me broken Sword of Leah from Morgan’s nerveless fingers
“Back in its case with this, lad. We’ll see to its fixing later.”
He shoved the weapon into its shoulder scabbard, patted Mor-
gan’s cheek, and moved to open the entry doors.
Black-garbed Federation soldiers poured into the room
shouting and yelling and filling the chamber with a din that was
suffocating. A disguised Padishar Creel shouted and yelled back
directing them down the stairwell, into the sleeping quarters
over this way and out that. There was mass confusion. Merge’
watched it all without really understanding or even caring. The
sense of indifference he felt was outweighed only by his seat.
of loss. It was as if his life no longer had a purpose, as if all
reason for it had evaporated as suddenly and thoroughly as the
blade of the Sword of Leah.
No more magic, he thought over and over. I have lost it.
have lost everything.
Then Padishar was back, hauling him to his feet again, stee.
ing him through the chaos of me Gatehouse to the entry doo»
and from there into the park. Bodies surged past, but no orr
challenged them. “It’s a fine madness we’ve let loose with this
night’s work,” Padishar muttered darkly. “I just hope it doesn’t
come back to haunt us.”
He took Morgan swiftly from the circle of the Gatehouse
lights into me concealing shadows beyond.
Moments later, they were lost from sight.
XXIV
It was just after dawn when Par Ohmsford came awake me
first time. He lay motionless on his pallet of woven mats,
collecting his scattered thoughts in the silence of his mind.
It took him awhile to remember where he was. He was in a
storage shed behind a gardening shop somewhere in me center
of Tyrsis. Damson had brought them there last night to hide
after. . .
The memory returned to him in an unpleasant rush, images
mat swept through his mind with horrific clarity.
He forced his eyes open and the images disappeared. A faint
wash of gray, hazy light seeped through cracks in the shuttered
windows of the shed, lending vague definition to me scores of
gardening tools stacked upright like soldiers at watch. The smell
of dirt and sod filled me air, rich and pungent. It was silent
beyond the walls of their concealment, the city still sleeping.
He lifted his head cautiously and glanced about. Coil was
asleep beside him, his breathing deep and even. Damson was
nowhere to be seen.
He lay back again for a time, listening to the silence, letting
himself come fully awake. Then he rose, gingerly easing himself
from beneath his blankets and onto his feet. He was stiff and
cramped, and there was an aching in his joints that caused him
to wince. But his strength was back; he could move about again
unaided.
Coil stirred fitfully, turning over once before settling down
again. Par watched his brother momentarily, studying the shad-
owed line of his blunt features, then stepped over to the nearest
window. He was still wearing his clothing; only his boots had
been removed. The chill of eariy morning seeped up from the
plank flooring into his stockinged feet, but he ignored it. He put
his eye to a crack in the shutters and looked out. It had stopped
raining, but the skies were clouded and the world had a dark
empty look. Nothing moved within the range of his vision. A
jumbled collection of walls, roofs, streets, and shadowed niches
stared back at him from out of the mist.
The door behind him opened, and Damson stepped noise-
lessly into the shed. Her clothing was beaded with moisture and
her red hair hung limp.
“Here, what are you doing?” she whispered, her forehead
creasing with annoyance. She crossed me room quickly and
took hold of him as if he were about to topple over. “You’re not
to be out of bed yet! You’re far too weak! Back you go at once;
She steered him to his pallet and forced him to lie down agah,
He made a brief attempt to resist and discovered that he had le-ss
strength than he first believed.