reaching for Niko’s soul-
“Niko!” she shouted. And: “Roxane, you utter fool!”
Niko’s back arched. It was Jihan and Tempus who held him. Molin attempted to get
his jaws open and to stop him choking while an occasional flutter of white
betokened a priest dithering this way and that in the doorway, between help and
hindrance. “Get her!” Molin snarled at the priest, applying all his strength to
Niko’s spasmed jaws, and nodding with a toss of his head toward the crumpled
black-cloaked form on the floor. “Keep her warm, I don’t care if she isn’t
breathing, tie up those wounds, shut her eyes, she’ll go blind, for godssakes-“
Niko spasmed again and Tempus swore and yelled his name as another staggering
form appeared in the doorway.
Randal came reeling in, with blood all down his chin and down the front of him.
“Nooo!” Randal cried, his eyes lighting suddenly as if they had spied something,
and he made a wild lunge toward the desk, but the priest got in his way,
staggered him and knocked him reeling into a chair against the wall as something
which was not-there burst with light.
Fire came back, blue and scorching as Randal recoiled out of the chair and threw
power at it. White light blazed out, for a moment illumining a figure that
clutched a Globe in its hands. The Globe spun without moving. It lit the whole
room.
And when it and the holder vanished the contents of bookshelves came pouring out
in a thunderclap.
“He put himself into it,” Randal yelled, his hands clenched, his hair standing
up in blood-matted spikes. “Into the cabinet! He put himself in and he moved