003 - Dance Of The Dead by Dance Of The Dead

Author:Dance Of The Dead
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

156 CHRISTIE GOLDEN

into the pool, Larissa Snowmane, and learn there the secret of who you are.”

Stubbornly Larissa refused to cooperate. She clutched her temples, fearful of her powerlessness. She had never been a victim of a spell before, and—

/(is not a speii I am giving you answers that you already know. Do not fight me, Larissa.

This time the voice was inside her head. Larissa felt herself shudder, then melt into acceptance. She turned her eyes to the pool and saw there not the blue sky, but a star-crowded nightscape framed by green grass.

She surrendered, and the edges of the pool dissolved.

Larissa stood at the edge of the swamp. From the city came faint, bustling sounds; from the swamp, the hum of cicadas and the musical noise of the river. She whispered forlornly, with the voice of a child, “Papa …”

Nothing was familiar. Larissa wept, horribly frightened. She was five years old again, and her soft blond hair hung in a tangle about her tear-streaked face. As she drew closer to the swamp, however, Larissa felt her fear fading to curiosity. She knelt to look at shiny peb-bles, touched a frog’s wet back and laughed brightly as it leaped away with an insulted croak.

An increase in light caused Larissa to look up, and she gasped happily. Dozens of swirling lights emerged from the shadows of the forest. There were so many of them clustered around the slim form of the girl that she could easily see by their light. The five-year-old sat down on the riverbank, laughing and clapping her hands at the antics of the glowing balls.

Fifteen, perhaps twenty of the ghostly orbs danced about Larissa’s head, hovering, bouncing, swirling around her. Now and then her small hand would reach to catch one, but it would quickly dart away.

Larissa’s body began to tingle warmly. It was an extremely pleasant sensation, and it coursed through her from her head to her toes-She giggled, then sobered as

DANCE OF THE DEAD 157

she realized that the lights were starting to drift away. Anxious not to lose her new friends, Larissa clambered to her feet and followed them as they began to float to-ward the swamp.

The night’s peace was shattered by a sudden cry. “Larissa!” her father exclaimed, running up from the town. The girl turned to him and frowned. The light creatures seemed to shrink in size, moving away from Larissa at the sound of her father’s shrill voice. Some abandoned her altogether, floating off like innocuous fireflies. Others continued to hover near.

“Papal” Larissa scolded. “You scared them away!” Her father charged at the glowing globes of light. He waved his arms about frantically, screaming in anger and pent-up terror. The balls of radiance scattered, all

save one.

“Oh, gods, Rissa, I thought I’d lost you!” Aubrey gasped as he gathered his wayward daughter into his arms and squeezed her tightly.

Larissa, however, was not taking kindly to being rescued from the pretty lights.

“Papa, bring them back!” she demanded angrily.

Aubrey took a good look at Larissa and gasped.

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