Lady of Poison_ The Priests - Bruce R. Cordell [69]
The barrow was visible ahead. Brown grass covered it, though bare patches of earth showed through in many places. Only his "gift" of knowledge from the Talontyr alerted him to the mound's significance.
He moved to the edge of the earthen heap, raised one hand and inscribed a sign on the air, according to his special instructions. By the time he finished tracing the sigil, the lines he'd imagined solidified to visibility in the air.
"Huh," he commented, surprised.
The sign, a complex figure featuring a star inscribed within the circumference of a circle, pulsed though the color spectrum, beginning then ending in coal black. Without further fanfare, the floating symbol fell on the face of the mound, enlarging in size as it fell, so that the diameter of the figure easily reached ten feet across as it impacted the earth. The figure melted away, but as it did so, the earth framed within the circle did likewise.
An earthen staircase descended downward, the steps small and cramped, the angle steep. A rush of stale, dusty air plumed from the opening, blowing back Fallon's hair.
He nodded appreciatively at the entrance's appearance then frowned.
Fallon lifted Ash from her saddle, setting her on her feet. He said to the small horse, "You've reached the end of your use, damn the luck."
Fallon pulled his sword free, deciding to tie up a loose end. The pony continued to stand peacefully without moving.
At the last moment, he held back with his intended thrust. Too much thinking about consequences, damn him. Ash's mount fixed the former Nentyar hunter with his gaze then dashed away up the lane.
Surprised at his softness, he decided that running down the horse would only cost time that he probably couldn't afford. Maybe the discovery of the horse without its passenger would worry his pursuers, and give him a little more time. The drumbeat of pain from the image implanted in his head by the Rotting Man seemed to be growing, and he didn't want complications.
Fallon sighed as he unstowed the hooded lantern he had brought with him out of Yeshelmaar. Its fanciful designs of leaf and bough reminded him again of what was behind him. He carefully filled the reservoir with clear oil all the same.
Taking the girl's hand, he and the Child of Light descended into the Barrow of the Queen Abiding.
CHAPTER 18
JVlarrec blinked. Surprised, he blinked again. The pain was gone, the physical pain, anyway. Anguish lay like a canker on his conscience, ready to bite with too thorough an exploration.
Someone spoke. He was too numb to understand what was said, but it sounded like a woman's voice.
Marrec tried to focus his vision. At his feet was a banked campf ire within a circle of stones. He recognized the stones as cobbles dug up from the lane he'd been traversing when Anammelech had caught them…
He groaned, bringing the heels of his hands to his eyes. He rubbed, too vigorously, and saw stars. He didn't care. He'd rub his eyes out of their sockets if he could.
Hands, small but strong, grasped his wrists. He let the hands, soft, draw his own hands away from his eyes. It was the mage, pale, ragged, but alive.
"Ususi!" Despite his resolve, his spirits rose a fraction. "I thought the blightlord killed you."
"He nearly did. He would have finished the job, but you must have stopped him. The others tell me you rescued me, carrying me like a child."
Marrec shook his head, saying "I don't remember what happened after I killed Anammelech."
"How did you manage it? He had a power in him unlike any that I've ever faced. I feared both our tales were at a close."
Marrec looked grim.
"Why the frown, Marrec?" asked Ususi. "It was him or me, and I like to think I was the better choice." Ususi bent forward and delivered a quick kiss to his cheek. "Thank you."
Though Marrec struggled mightily, the gloom in which he wrapped himself lightened by a measure. He muttered, "You're welcome."
Ususi smiled. "Now, get up. Elowen and Gunggari are anxious to be off after Fallon and Ash. That