Watt-Evans, Lawrence - Annals of the Chosen 01 (42 page)

"Exactly!"
The
Seer
s
at
back
on
her
heels.
"Exactly.
He's gone
mad,
and
must
be
stopped.
Just
look
outside
at
what that
storm
did—tree
limbs
are
down
all
along
the
road,
every ditch
and
depression
flooded
knee-deep,
leaves
frozen
on the
trees,
all
just
to
inconvenience
us."

"To
preserve
his
own
life."

"To
preserve
his
power,"
the
Seer
corrected.
"He
could end
this
at
any
time
by
abdicating
his
post."

"He
seems
to
feel
death
would
be
preferable,"
the
Archer said—though
his
words
were
a
trifle
indistinct.
Breaker
noticed
that
he
was
staring
at
the
corner
where
the
Beauty
was straightening
her
attire.
The
sky
outside
had
grown
brighter, and
their
eyes
had
adjusted
to
the
barn's
dim
interior; Breaker
realized
that
he
could
see
a
lock
of
the
Beauty's long,
dark,
curling
hair
hanging
free,
and
the
approximate shape
of
her
perfect
jaw.

"You
realize,"
the
Scholar
said,
noticing
the
Archer's gaze,
"that
her
glamour
won't
work
on
any
of
us,
any
more than
the
Wizard
Lord
can
harm
us
with
lightning
or
plague, or
Boss
use
his
magical
persuas
iveness
to
compel
us?
You will
never
see
her
as
other
men
do,
never
see
her
as
utterly irresistible."

"But
she's
still
the
most
beautiful
woman
in
the
world,
is she
not?"
the
Archer
asked,
turning
back.

"Indeed
she
is,"
the
Scholar
agreed.
"But
only
to
a
n
atural extreme."

"Well,
forgive
me,
Lore,
but
that's
still
enough
to
interest me."

"You
might
show
a
little
more
tact,"
the
Seer
said.

Then
they
all
fell
silent
as
the
Beauty
straightened
up
and moved
to
rejoin
the
group.

"She
heard
every
word,"
the
Speake
r
said.

The
Archer
threw
her
a
quick
glance,
then
essayed
a
bow to
the
Beauty,
who
was
once
again
securely
wrapped
in black.
"My
apologies
if
I
said
anything
that
troubled
you," he
said.

"Oh,
just
shut
up,"
she
said.
Then
she
turned
to
the Leader.
"So
we
a
re
continuing
to
the
Galbek
Hills,
and
the Wizard
Lord
intends
to
use
storms
to
harry
us
every
step
of the
way.
What
can
we
do
about
it?"

"We
can
dress
for
the
weather,"
Boss
replied.
"If
we
know
it
will
storm,
we
can
wrap
ourselves
in
oilcloth—at
Riversed
ge
we'll
resupply
accordingly.
And
perhaps
some
sort of
cover—Seer,
what
are
the
paths
like?
Could
we
ride
a covered
wagon?
Would
the
ler
permit
it?"
He
glanced
at
the guide,
but
that
exhausted
individual
had
dozed
off,
sitting slumped
against
the
barn
wal
l,
and
was
snoring
gently.

"Even
if
we
can't
take
it
all
the
way,
a
wagon
would help
..."
Breaker
began.

Outside
the
barn
the
wind
howled
anew.

 
They
had
traveled
less
than
half
a
mile
from
the barn,
fighting
their
way
through
pounding
wind
and torrential
rain
that
had
been
building
steadily
since they
stepped
out
onto
the
platform,
when
the
first
lightning
flashed
across
the
sky.

The
Beauty
screamed;
Breaker
started,
throwing
his
head back
in
surprise
and
catching
a
faceful
of
rain.
Several
of
the others
stumbled
or
cried
out,
though
Breaker
could
make
out no
words
over
the
storm.

"What
was
..
."
the
Archer
began.

Then
the
crack
of
thunder
stunned
them
momentarily;
Breaker
flinched,
the
Beauty
gasped,
and
this
time
the Speaker
screamed,
though
on
ly
softly.
Echoes
of
the
thunderclap
rolled
over
them.

'Thunder,"
the
Scholar
explained,
shouting.
"The
sound is
called
thunder.
The
flash
is
lightning."

The
sky
turned
white,
blinding
Breaker
momentarily,
as another
closer,
brighter
flash
of
lightning
bl
azed
out;
this time
the
earsplitting
roar
of
thunder
followed
almost
immediately.

"What
should
we
do?"
the
Beauty
asked. "It
can't
hurt
us,"
the
Scholar
shouted
back.
"Our
magic protects
us."

"What
can't
hurt
us?"
the
Archer
demanded.
"It's
just light
and
sound!"

The
Scholar
shook
his
head.
"No,
it's
more
than
that. It's
...
the
flash
is
from
a
thing,
an
effect,
a
force.
The
actual lightning
bolt.
It
can
knock
down
trees,
start
fires,
kill
a
man by
touching
him.
I
don't
really
understand
how
..."

And
then
the
third
bolt
flashed,
and
the
thunder
boomed, and
all
of
them
were
blinded
and
deafened
momentarily.

Even
before
Breaker
could
see
again
the
smell
reached him,
a
strange,
sharp
odor
he
had
never
smelled
before,
and then
the
scent
of
cooking
meat.

And
the
n
the
Seer
was
screaming,
and
the
Speaker
was babbling,
and
the
Leader
barking
orders,
and
the
three
of them
were
kneeling
in
the
mud
and
rain,
huddled
around something,
something
lying
on
the
ground,
something
that smoked
...

'The
guide,"
the
Scholar
said.
"Lightning
hit
the
guide!" He
turned
and
ran
to
help,
Breaker
and
the
Archer
and
the Beauty
close
behind.

It
was
obvious
at
a
glance
that
nothing
could
be
done; Breaker
took
one
look
and
turned
away,
sickened
by
the sweet
smell
of
cooked
meat.

He
had
thou
ght
he
had
seen
horror
in
the
scattered
bones
in Stoneslope,
the
tiny
skull
the
Seer
had
displayed,
the
pitiful remnants
of
ordinary
life,
but
now
he
had.
learned
a
new
and greater
horror.
A
woman
he
had
known
and
liked,
however briefly,
had
just
died
befo
re
his
eyes,
roasted
like
a
pig
by
magical
fire
from
the
sky—and
for
what?
Surely
the
Wizard
Lord must
realize
this
would
only
increase
their
determination!

Rain
spilled
from
his
hat
as
he
straightened
up,
and
rain ran
down
his
face;
Breaker
did
not
know
whether
he
was crying,
whether
the
moisture
on
his
cheeks
included
his
own tears.

"She
must
have
died
instantly,"
the
Leader
said.

"Lightning
can
stop
a
person's
heart
as
if
a
hand
grabbed it
and
squeezed,"
the
Scholar
said.
"It
can
blast
one's
brain to
pu
dding.
She
probably
never
felt
a
thing;
she
was
most likely
dead
before
she
hit
the
ground."

The
Seer
gagged.

"You
aren't
helping,
Lore,"
the
Archer
said. Breaker
was
unsure
whether
the
Scholar's
words
were any
comfort
or
not;
so
far
his
reactions
were
too
visceral
for mere
words
to
matter.
The
odd
smell
of
the
lightning
and the
ghastly
smell
of
cooked
meat,
the
memory
of
the guide's
blackened
and
smoking
face,
were
far
more
immediate.

"No
more
guides,"
the
Beauty
said.
"We'll
have
to
travel unaided."

"Indeed,"
the
Leader
agreed.

Breaker
swallowed,
and
forced
himself
to
speak.
"Did
the Wizard
Lord
do
this
intentionally?"
he
asked.
"Can
he
steer these
lightning
bolts
so
precisely?"