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‘Which one?’
‘Use your own It knows you better than Ehlana’s does Are you sure you don’t feel some sort of…?’
‘So to touch it?’
‘It’s not unbearable’
‘Now I see why all the others inat all like other humans’
‘Everybody’s different in soo back to the ship’
‘Can you get in touch with the sailors?’
‘Yes’
‘Why don’t you ask theulf and pick us up somewhere on this side? That on’t have to ride all the way back to Jorsan again, and we’ll be able to avoid any chance ht be sober enough by now to recognize the fact that we’re not Edoe humor, Sparhawk’
‘I’m a little discontented with you at the moment, to be honest about it’
‘What did I do?’
‘Why don’t we just drop it?’
‘Don’t you love an to tremble
‘Of course I do, but that doesn’t alter the fact that I’m put out with you just now People we love do irritate us from time to time, you know’
‘I’et over it Are we finished here? Can we mount up and start back?’
‘In just aHer eyes narrowed and began to glint dangerously ‘You!’ she said, leveling a finger at Talen ‘Cohed and did as he was told
‘What did you think you were doing?’ she demanded
‘Well – I was afraid you’d fall’
‘I wasn’t the one as going to fall, you clot! Don’t you ever do anything like that again!’
Talen could have agreed with her That would have been the si He did not, however ‘No, Flute I’ to be that way I’ll jurimaced ‘It’s not really my idea I want to be sure you understand that I haven’t completely lost my mind It’s just that I can’t helpbefore I even think If you’re really serious about trying to keep s like that when I’le tiardless of how stupid it is’
‘Why?’ she asked hied
She squealed with delight and swarmed up into his ar his face with kisses
They had gone nothe air with sulphurous curses
‘Kalten!’ Vanion snapped ‘There are ladies present!’
‘Take a look behind us, my Lord,’ the blond Pandion said
It was the cloud, inky black, oround like viscous slime
Vanion swore and reached for his sword
‘That won’t do any good, my Lord,’ Sparhawk told hi box ‘This ainst the box-lid
Nothing happened
‘You have to tell it to open, Sparhawk,’ Flute instructed
‘Open!’ Sparhawk coain
The lid popped up, and Sparha the Bhelliom nestled inside The Sapphire Rose was perfect, eternal, and it glowed a deep blue It seeely resentful as Sparhawk reached in and lifted it out, however ‘We all knoe are,’ he told the stone and its unwilling inhabitants ‘I’ to speak to you in Trollish because I know you can understand e I use I want you to stop this nonsense with that cloud, and I want you to do it right now! When I turn round to look, your little patch of private darkness had better be gone I don’t care how you do it, but get rid of that cloud!’
The Sapphire Rose grew suddenly hot in his hand, and it seereen, orange and purple, all interspersed with streaks of white, stained the azure petals of Bhellioht to resist Bhelliom, however, appeared to exert soly flickers were shtly
Then there was a sudden, violent jolt which numbed Sparhawk’s arm to the shoulder
‘That’s the way!’ Kalten shouted with a sudden laugh
Sparhawk turned in his saddle and saw that the cloud was gone ‘What happened?’
‘It sort of flopped around like a fresh-caught eel,’ Kalten laughed again, ‘and then it flew all to pieces What did you do, Sparhawk? I couldn’t hear what you said’
‘I let our blue friend and its tenants know that the cloud was starting to irritate ly when I’m irritated’
‘Theyat Sparhawk in open astonishment ‘You broke all the rules!’ she accused him
‘I do that sometimes It’s quicker to cut across the formalities once in a while’
‘You’re not supposed to do it that way’
‘It worked, didn’t it?’
‘It’s a question of style, Sparhawk I’e here, and I don’t knohat Bhellio to think of ently put Bhellio to have to work together, after all, and a little encouragement now and then never hurt Then he firentlemen,’ he said to the others ‘What can we ,’ Talen offered
‘It could be the rings again,’ Sephrenia noted ‘That’s what happened last time The cloud – and the shadow – were concentrating on Sparhawk and Ehlana right at first because they had the rings’
‘Bhelliom’s closed up inside the box,’ Sparhawk said, ‘and so are the Troll-Gods’
‘Are they still inside the jewel?’ Ulath asked him
‘Oh, yes,’ Sparhawk said ‘I could definitely feel the his next question carefully There were still sos that needed to be concealed ‘I’ve heard that a God can be in more than one place at the same time’ He left it a little tentative
‘Yes,’ she replied
‘Does that apply to the Troll-Gods as well?’
She struggled with it ‘I’m not sure,’ she admitted ‘It’s a fairly complicated business, and the Troll-Gods are quite limited’