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from his thick, damp tongue. "Ryx ... Ryx ... Ryx..." he said. His claws
scraped on her exoskeleton, then reached between her mandibles with loving
gentleness. He probed her mouth parts.
"I can't give you much more to eat," the queen said, "You will
transform too quickly. I don't want to risk that. You are my consort -- I
don't want anything to go wrong."
"More, Ryx ... more. Hungry." Consort snuffled and whined.
"Just a sip." She reached out with her forelimbs to stroke the plates
implanted in his back and the tattered shreds of hair on his head.
A whitish-gold syrup oozed from a channel in the inside of her mouth.
Consort jerked forward, lapping it up. He thrust his head deep into the gap
between her mandibles, humming and sighing.
Delrael watched in disgust. Bryl turned his head. The other Anteds
stood guard around them, motionless.
"Enough!" Ryx pushed the part-human creature away. Rebuffed, Consort
hunkered down in front of her. His clawed hands swayed loosely. "That is your
reward. What have you brought me?"
Delrael realized Ryx had her head cocked off to the side, as if seeing
through other eyes. Consort stared up at the huge queen ant in admiration,
then tilted his head sideways to stare at the travelers with his bulging dry
eyes.
"Five characters. Questers. One small, one old, one strong, one medium,
and..." He looked long at Journeyman, "And one made of mud."
Consort stood up as straight as he could, swaying his hooked hands
around his kneecaps, then turned to face the motionless queen again. He
stiffened, and Ryx's feelers vibrated with intense speed.
Ryx raised her head and continued in her humming voice. "A typical
adventuring party. What is your quest?" Her polished head turned toward the
wall behind the travelers.
Delrael fumbled in his mind, searching for a viable excuse, but his
mind went blank.
Tallin's response was quicker. "We're just mercenaries. When the Game
slowed down, this blasted peace put us out of work! We heard stories about a
battle brewing in the east, and we're making our way there. Any problems with
that?"
Ryx tilted her head toward the ylvan's voice for a long moment. Tallin
stood defiant next to Delrael. Journeyman looked flat and emotionless; Vailret
bit his lip; Bryl scrambled up from his daze on the floor, looking around in
fear. The queen of the Anteds shifted her blank head toward the half-Sorcerer.
"You are no mercenaries. That one's afraid of his own reflection."
Ryx vibrated her antennae again with a thin humming sound. The noise
bounced around the walls of the grotto. Delrael felt a strange finger poking
at the inside of his mind, ferreting out his private memories. Tallin touched
his hands to his forehead.
Ryx squatted back on her polished dais. Delrael didn't know how to read
any emotion on her face, but her voice hinted at laughter. "You intend to
destroy Scartaris? _Five_ of you think you can defeat his armies and
defenses?"
Delrael flushed in anger. "I didn't say that!"
"Not only that, but the Earthspirits are hiding in your belt, and you
intend to take them secretly to Scartaris, where the Spirits will be unleashed
to battle him."
Delrael clamped his mouth shut. Bryl let out a quiet moan of despair.
Journeyman gawked in shock at Delrael, the silver belt, then the queen Anted.
"Scartaris will reward me for this," Ryx said, tapping her forelegs
together. "Consort, remove the belt."
Delrael drew his sword and crouched, looking from side to side and
daring the Anteds to come closer. He stepped away from the consort-creature.
The lights grew dim around him as he focused his attention on the sword, on
any enemy that might come.
"Try it, Ryx! We'll cause more damage than your Anteds have ever seen."
Following Delrael's lead, Journeyman drew himself up, ready to fight.
Vailret and Tallin both pulled out their weapons, and Bryl held the Fire
Stone. Nobody looked eager for battle. Three Anteds came forward, clacking
their jaws, but hesitating. The air around them crackled with tension.
The queen lifted her featureless head. "Stop! Consort, you stay away
from those weapons. Take them all down to the fungus chambers and hold them
there. I need to decide what to do with them."
Consort scampered forward, clutching at Delrael's arm. The fighter
snatched the claw-hand away, sweating and looking at the gathered insects.
"Come," Consort said. "Come."
The Anted guards backed away from one of the catacomb openings. "You [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] - zanotowane.pl
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