The Alton Gift by Marion Z. Bradley

Author:Marion Z. Bradley [Bradley, Marion Zimmer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-01-03T08:36:55+00:00

Domenic returned to the monastery later that same day to check on Garin. He went alone because Sammel was clearly exhausted, although the older man had made no complaint. Fiona mentioned that Sammel had already worked all night in Silvana's circle. "He thinks he can keep going without rest, as if he were one of those Terranan machines," she whispered.

Domenic was happy to be of use. He was not especially tired, for a meal had restored him. More than that, he now found Illona's nearness disturbing. She had slept much of the afternoon, but he could feel her presence, as if he had taken the iridescent mist, the stuff of stars, into his soul. He needed to think, to concentrate on something else, to gain some small clarity of thought. He did not want to examine the possibility that he was in love with her. Truly in love, utterly and without reservation, from the very core of his being, as he had never been with Alanna.

The improvement in Garin's condition that resulted from the work of the circle that morning had almost completely disappeared. No faint color touched the sick man's cheeks, although he roused as Domenic settled himself on the bedside stool. A pottery pitcher of honeyed

cider, still warm, had been left by the bedside. Domenic lifted Garin's head and held a cup to his lips.

Sighing, Garin licked his lips and rested back on the thin pillow. The sweet drink seemed to give him a little strength, for he was able to answer Domenic's questions.

As Garin talked, a picture formed in Domenic's mind. This man and his family were exactly the kind of people who had been left rudderless by the failure of the Comyn leadership, those to whom Domenic—and every other lord in Thendara—owed a particular loyalty. Honest and hard-working, they were the heart of Darkover, as much as the laran magic of the Towers or the sword strength of the Comyn.

If we had been there to help, they might not have been forced on to the road… they might have made it through the winter…

He told himself there was nothing he himself could have done to prevent their tragedy. But he was no ordinary man; he was heir to Hastur and the Regency of the Comyn.

Garin fell into a restless slumber, unresponsive when Domenic touched his forehead. Domenic swore softly. The man's body was like a furnace.

He took out his starstone and tried to concentrate on the psychoactive gem. Like every other Tower novice, he had first been taught monitoring, using his amplified laran to sense life energies. He could even apply it to himself, enough to keep his laran channels clear.

Entering Garin's psychic body was like walking into the heart of a volcano, engulfed by fire. The man's strength was being drained at an astonishing rate as his flesh, muscle and sinew, nerve and organ, consumed itself. He had been a strong, active man, but his resources were almost exhausted, and when that happened, his life would go out like a guttering torch.

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.