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What I began, and a ic hadnt told me who it was, that kiss would have There was no taste to it, only wetness and strength, and a hungry, agile tongue that slid around mine like a snake His mouth was cooler than Tvrils had been But a different kind of heat coiled through an to exploreup to meet them I breathed harder as the mouth finally relinquished mine and moved down my neck

I knew I should have stopped him I knew this was his favorite way to kill But when unseen ropes lifted ers slipped betweenbecame impossible That mouth, his mouth, was everywhere He must have had a dozen of the down the sound like wine When I could restrain ht and quick in my ear I tried to reach up, I think to eers did so at the top of ain and there was no sound, no light, nobut pleasure, and it seeht then and there, I would have died happy

And then it was gone

I opened my eyes

I sat slumped on the bathrooain Stea water filled the tub beside ot up and bathed, then returned to bed Tvril ainst hiht that I was still tre else

18

The Oubliette

THERE ARE THINGS I KNOW NOW that I did not before

Like this: In the instant Bright Itehtlord Their natures were so opposed that at first this seemed destined and unavoidable For countless eternities they battled, each occasionally achieving victory only to be later overthrown Only gradually did both corand scale of things, it was an eternal stalemate

Yet in the process, cos To the forravity, reat star killed in the cross fire, each god used the ashes to create so colored clouds, marvels that spiraled and pulsed Gradually, between the two of the cleared, both gods found that they were pleased

Which of theine there were false starts at firstbroken truces and the like How long before hatred turned to tolerance, then respect and trust, then so more? And once it finally did, were they as passionate in love as they had been in war?

There is a legendary ro, is that it isnt over yet

Tvril left for work at dawn We exchanged feords and a silent understanding: the previous night had just been comfort between friends It was not as aard as it could have been; I got the sense he expected nothing else Life in Sky did not encourage er and then lay awake in bed for a tirandmother had said Mencheys armies would ies that had any real chance of saving Darr The best I could do was delay the attack But how? I could seek allies in the Consortiuh North; perhaps she would knowno I had watched both my parents and Darrs warrior council devote years to the quest for allies; if there were friends to be had, they would have made themselves known by now The best I could do were individual sympathizers like Onchiwelco else Even a few days reprieve would be enough; if I could delay the attack until after the succession cereain with the Enefadeh would take effect, earning Darr four godly protectors

Assu But risky odds were better than none, so I would chase them with all I had I rose and went in search of Viraine

He was not in his laboratory A sli Hes at the oubliette, she told ave me directions and I set out for Skys lowerust that had been on the servant woed froloas rown used to, flatter somehow There were no s and, most curious, no doors, either Apparently even servants did not live this far down My footsteps echoed froe fro charate several feet in diaazing steadily at me as I entered He had probably heard me the moment I stepped off the lift