Page 5 (1/2)

Elswyth counted out on her gnarled fingers, having to go around the redients Which, by coincidence, I do happen to be carrying with er "The alanced at Farold "Which, in this case, er "And the willingness of the dead to coive you yet another year of h so that he can publicly proclaim that I didn't kill hi at how ridiculous that offer was "The casting of this spell will cost you three years all of itself, whether your Farold chooses to heed its call or not"

Three years! Selwyn thought Without assurance that it would work On top of the one year he had already agreed to for Elswyth's showing hi his service iht, I won't need the extra e discussed"

Elswyth gave that sreed"

Selwyn gritted his teeth Six years But what other choice had he? He nodded

Once ht over her head to free her hands "Bring the body here," she commanded Selwyn

"You mean, touch him?"

Elswyth smacked hiically transport hiize for that"

Selwyn took ers, and closed his eyes and wished that he would awake from this terrible dream But in the end he had to walk over to where Farold's body lay, and he had to get his hands under the weight of it, and he had to pick it up - all loose and floppy as it was

"Don't worry," Elswyth said, "he won't start to fall apart for several h he hadn't eaten since earliest o

Elswyth pointed to another body, set in the wall and resting on a litter "Bring ood to protest Dry pieces broke off easily in Selwyn's hands - this body had lain here a long tiy to it, anyway

"Kneel down," Elswyth said, "and don't break the circle"

"What circle?" Selwyn started to ask, but Elsas already scratching a otten froh to enclose her, Selwyn, and Farold, as well as the wood he had brought Next, she arranged this wood into a neat little pile, and she set about trying to strike a spark, using flint, steel, and a bit of flax

"Can't you start a fire ic," Elswyth told hiy and make the spell weaker"

Selasn't convinced she didn't say that only to keep hi questions, just in case

Once Elswyth got a fire going, she pulled a little clay pot from her pack and placed that on the heat She eht red liquid - like ht; the other a thick blackish purple substance that she had to shake out of its container It led out, then landed with a noisy plop in the already-siredient There was a loud hiss, a blue cloud of set the sain and cut off another hank of his hair

His skin had an awful greenish cast Without even realizing it, Selwyn slid backward on his knees Glowering, Elswyth grabbed hold of his wrist before he broke the circle She had talked of the dead person's willingness to co any dead person would be glad to be alive again, even te Farold to come back to, Selasn't so sure

Elswyth placed Farold's hair into the pot, along with various leaves and powders fro bone, dry and white She waved this, wafting over Farold the still-blue san to call Farold's naht-headed, even without the s Farold's rest and told him that his friend - which Selwyn had never been - needed him "You died an untimely death," she chanted, "cut short, unfairly, unfairly Your grieving friend seeks your aid to un hi to avoid She handed hi the other end down on Farold's forehead "Coined she estured, and he realized he was to repeat her words

' "Coredients," Elswyth said, wafting the sredients,'" Selwyn echoed

"Andhith '" Was it just his iination, or did he really suddenly feel weaker? There was no other choice, he reminded hiesturing for hi Farold

' "And enter into this body'"

But at the very moment Selwyn spoke, there was a sudden noise in the cave, a commotion His body jerked involuntarily, ready to fend off attack

It was only the bats, once httime settled In a moment Selwyn had recovered froile the night before - fell into his lap

"Ahh!" Farold's voice screah "What have you done?"

Selwyn looked down at the bone Elswyth had handed hily raised off Farold's brow, and which - even noas pointing straight up, up to where the cloud of bats above swooped and swarmed and flew beyond the curve of the corridor, deeper into the cavern Leaving one behind

Elswyth reached over Farold's perfectly still corpse and over the bat that fluttered and raged and tried unsuccessfully to right itself She smacked Selwyn hard "Fool!" she cried

Chapter Six

The bat was having trouble standing upright Unable to get its balance, it kept flapping its wings, but this caused it to rise slightly off the ground, at which point it would squawk, stop flapping, drop back to the floor, and tuain

"Fool?" the bat repeated after Elswyth, its voice tiny but definitely Farold's "Fool? Fool doesn't say the half of it!"

Selwyn offered a steadying hand to keep the bat fro over

In appreciation, the creature kicked hi about, one tiny foot lifted, yelping, "O, o! You big bully!" It tried to kick Selith the other foot, and flopped onto its back

Selwyn held out his finger, and the bat reluctantly took hold and pulled itself upright, using the tiny little thu as a hand Selwyn looked froe fleshy nose to Farold's corpse, to Elswyth "What happened?" he asked helplessly

"'What happened?'" the bat shrieked "'What happened?' What kind of fool question is that? Selwyn Roweson, you dumb twit, even you should be able to see what happened You duer, it kicked at the bone in Selwyn's right hand,by its thuer

Elswyth, naturally, sided with the bat She snatched the bone from Selwyn and shook it at hi at the corpse?"