Ghost Legion by Margaret Weis

Author:Margaret Weis
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780553763454
Publisher: New York : Bantam Books, c1993.
Published: 1995-03-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Chaos and Ancient night, ... as my way,

Lies through your spacious empire up to light,

Alone and without guide, half lost, I seek

What readiest paths lead where your gloomy bounds

Confine with Heaven ...

John Milton, Paradise Lost

Derek Sagan opened the volksrocket's hatch, stood a few moments in the hatchway, before descending the few steps to the damp grass. What he could see of Vallombrosa was not much different in daylight than it had been in darkness, this due to the fact that a bank of gray fog hung over the hillside. Sagan could see the grass beneath his rocket, flattened and blackened from the touchdown. He could see the stand of trees that he had walked past last night and not much more beyond that. The pavilion, the other tents were all shrouded in the heavy mists.

Convenient, he thought, and walked back into his plane.

He gathered the objects he would need for the rite, wrapped them each carefully and reverently in black velvet. He could not handle them without thinking back to the last time he'd given the test: Dion's rite.

He remembered it clearly, far too clearly. One doesn't usually forget being kicked in the face by an Immortal foot. It proved, beyond question, that Dion was meant to be king.

"Or did it?" Sagan asked himself (or was he speaking to her unseen, but clearly felt presence?). He straightened from his task. "Or did it mean nothing more than that he was being set up to take the fell?"

He pondered the question. "If my theories are correct, this strange force Flaim Starfire controls is unstoppable. A force that is unseen, unheard, cannot be easily detected. It glides through solid matter with ease, leaves little trace of its passing behind. It plucked this volksrocket out of space and transported me here in less time than it takes to tell it. In addition,

Flaim is recruiting men and machines. With a strong army and navy behind him, and this terrible power at his command, he is invincible. One thing could stop him—the space-rotation bomb. But Dion will never use it He'd die first. And he may well have the opportunity."

Sagan placed the objects in the black cloth scrip he had brought with him for the purpose. He tugged on the drawstring of the scrip, pulled it tightly, shut the bag.

He wondered again if he had truly seen Maigrey, if her spirit was with him, or if that brief flash of silver was something his mind—sickened by loneliness, grief, anger—had conjured up. The vision had been very real to him, but then most delusions are real to those who suffer from them.

Footsteps could be heard, outside the hatch. They were firm and strong, but lacked the quick, decisive stride of youth.

"Pantha," Sagan said to himself, not turning around.

The voice confirmed it.

"Good morning, my lord. I trust I do not disturb you?"

"I will be with you presendy," called Sagan, taking his time.

"The fog is thick this morning. My prince feared you might have difficulty finding your way.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.