Second Sight: Second Tale of the Lifesong by Hamerton Greg

Author:Hamerton, Greg [Hamerton, Greg]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Magic, epic fantasy, fantasy series, sorcery, lifesong, fantasy novel, old world
ISBN: 9781920436100
Publisher: Eternity Press
Published: 2010-07-18T07:00:00+00:00

23. TELLING TAILS

“How tall a tale can a teller tell

When the truth must tie it tight?”—Zarost

The world had forgotten about Ashley Logán, it seemed. He was abandoned, in the high cave, huddled against the cold rock beside his dead fire, and he awoke to the squeals of a panicked horse. A strange rank smell filled the air. It was gloomy inside the cave and bitterly cold. He struggled to react, but his thoughts were scattered, like hailstones on a frozen lake. There had been a lake, hadn’t there? Swimming. Drowning, almost.

Where was he? He pushed himself up beside the ashes of a dead fire. He groaned. Why was he so very stiff? It felt as if a herd of horses had trampled his body all night.

The storm. He remembered the storm, its raging icy fury. They had flown, Princess and him. They had crashed. They had come to this place, this refuge, this dark and sheltered cavern. The winged horse clattered past him. The ground heaved, and the faint light from the mouth of the cave dimmed. He turned.

Something blocked the exit. Something very, very big.

He scrabbled to his feet.

A great head dipped into the mouth of the cavern, long and triangular, covered in hard black-veined scales. A shaft of morning light caught a ridge of spikes, which flashed, greenly brilliant. White teeth glistened like wet icicles in its jutting snout. Then the shaft of light was gone, blocked by the creature’s advancing bulk. Only the massive slit eyes were visible, green and glowing like sentient jade—hard, predatory and pitiless. The creature loosed a cry that was so loud it made Ashley’s teeth rattle. He fled with Princess deeper into the cavern, into the unknown blackness.

Princess slowed and neighed in fright ahead of him. She might kick backward if he pushed into her. Ashley was trapped between the two dangers in the dark. Instinctively he reached for Princess’ mind, to let her know he was there. Princess was so panicked that she didn’t know what she was doing, and kicked out anyway. Luckily she missed.

The rank smell washed over them from behind, and the great cry thundered in their bones again.

Closer ... it was so much closer.

Ashley ducked past Princess and scrabbled along the damp wall, pulling Princess after him by her mane. They went deeper and deeper into the cavern, through a narrow section, then a turn. After that Ashley couldn’t move freely anymore. He felt to the left, then to the right, but the walls drove into a tight wedge. They had gone as far as they could; they were trapped in the small chamber, a cave within the cavern. A breath, a rumble, a wind was coming from behind them.

Suddenly Princess thrashed beside him. He threw his arms around her neck and smothered her with reassuring thoughts. If he lost control of her now, he was sure she would trample him with a mad flurry of hooves. It took all of his concentration to keep a grip on Princess’s mind.

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.