stayed standing and the confused kitchen started sending out another course.
A low murmur went past their backs. Slowly Tempus settled to his chair again. It
was going to go on. She was left with these men after all. Moria sank back to
her chair with the last strength in her legs and smiled desperately at Tasfalen.
Ischade walked for the door, paused to gather her cloak from the bannister of
the stairs, and let Straton drape it about her shoulders. “Thank you,” she said,
and walked on toward the door. Stopped abruptly as he followed. She looked back
at him and felt her whole frame shudder with the effort of calm, with the effort
to keep her face composed and her movements natural. “I said,” she told him
carefully, “that I needed time to myself. Don’t touch me-” As he reached his
hand toward her.
“I hod to come, dammit!”
“I said not!”
“Who is that man?”
She saw the madness in his eyes. Or it reflected hers, which pounded in her
veins and grew to physical pain. He caught her arms and she flung up her head
and stared him in the eyes until the hands lost the strength in their grip. But
the pain grew; became madness, became the thing that killed.
She shoved him back, violently, walked with quick steps to the door and heard
his steps behind her. She turned before he reached her.
“Stay away!” she hissed. “Fool!”
And jerked the door open and fled, into the wind, and on it.
CHILDREN OF ALL AGES
Lynn Abbey
It was spring in the lush forests far to the south of Sanctuary. Trees and
shrubs put forth their leaves; delicate flowers swayed on gentle winds and,