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.His ribs throbbed and his head pounded, making it difficult to focus his vision."I have the offering," a familiar voice said.Tris's blood ran cold.Straight from his nightmares, Jared stepped into the room from a side door, dragging with him a battered and bound Kiara.They're just avatars, Tris struggled against the anger and instinct that boiled up in him.It's not really him, not really her.Not real.Can't be real."We have a visitor," Arontala purred, inclining his head.Jared's familiar leer twisted his handsome features."Hello, Tris." He intentionally pulled on the ropes that bound Kiara's wrists, eliciting a groan.Her eyes were closed, one cheek bruised, and her tunic was smudged and bloody.The gash on Jared's sleeve and his torn shirt told of the fight that victory had required."My mage assures me that once we feed her soul to the orb, what remains will be sufficient for my.needs."A cold, rational corner of Tris's mind calculated his odds.The battle with the vayash morn, his injuries.from the storm, and the wormroot had already taken a toll, pushed further by the exchange with Arontala.He would have one chance, if his magic would obey his will at all.Although he stood equally close to Arontala's avatar as to Jared's, a move toward either would bring a counter from the other.And there was Kiara.Avatar or not, he would not accept her sacrifice."Bring her," Arontala ordered.Jared dragged the Kiara-double forward, forcing her to kneel beside the glowing orb.In the back of Tris's mind, one possibility presented itself.Tris plunged onto the spirit plains and found the glow that was Mageslayer's power.His magic was waning as the poison worked its way through his blood.Drawing on Mageslayer for support, Tris hurled the dirk in his left hand, catching Jared in the chest.With Mageslayer as an athame, Tris sent a blast of power toward Arontala, using the orb as a lens to magnify the effect.Spent to the point of exhaustion, Tris sent the last of his power toward Kiara, covering her with a fragile shield.The explosion at Westmarch when Tris forced power back through the scrying ball did not compare to the firestorm that erupted from Soulcatcher, incinerating Arontala and blistering Tris's skin.Everything in his sight turned to black, and Tris collapsed.First came pain, then consciousness.In the darkness Tris heard voices, but whether the lightless space was in a room or inside his own mind he did not know."He failed," snapped one voice."Tsk, Tsk," chided another."Define failure.He made it through the traps, past the wormroot.And his solution worked—after a fashion.""He has his grandmother's weakness," said a third."He might have survived the explosion if he had been willing to let her go.If he dies in the attempt, we are no better served.Jared's bastard will become the rightful king.""If you're so worried about the girl, keep her from accompanying him," said the first voice."Have you forgotten? It was the will of the Oracle," argued the second."She may be in greater danger of being taken—or turned—if she is alone, or if they wed and she stays behind to bear his child.This is the will of the Lady.""I've found," noted the third voice dryly, "that the will of the Lady is always clearer in retrospect.He did what we required—destroyed the orb, Jared, and Arontala.Landis seemed intent that he be willing to sacrifice someone.He sacrificed himself.We did not actually say he must survive the encounter.""It was implied," sniffed the second."Bava K'aa's foolish sentiment endangered us all, and now, his weakness will do so again.""Perhaps he'll learn from his recovery," noted the first voice, growing faint in the darkness."It won't be pleasant."The voices might have said more, but the darkness and fever took him.He did not remember anything else.When he found the strength to open his eyes, Tris could make out only shadows in the dim light.I'm a Summoner, so I should know if I were dead, he thought.It doesn't look like the spirit plains.But maybe they look different from the other side."Don't even think about moving," a familiar voice instructed.The shadow came closer in the twilight, bringing a cool rag for his forehead and a cup of water."Slowly," she cautioned, lifting the water to his parched lips as she helped him rise from his pillow.The water tasted of herbs and medicines [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.His ribs throbbed and his head pounded, making it difficult to focus his vision."I have the offering," a familiar voice said.Tris's blood ran cold.Straight from his nightmares, Jared stepped into the room from a side door, dragging with him a battered and bound Kiara.They're just avatars, Tris struggled against the anger and instinct that boiled up in him.It's not really him, not really her.Not real.Can't be real."We have a visitor," Arontala purred, inclining his head.Jared's familiar leer twisted his handsome features."Hello, Tris." He intentionally pulled on the ropes that bound Kiara's wrists, eliciting a groan.Her eyes were closed, one cheek bruised, and her tunic was smudged and bloody.The gash on Jared's sleeve and his torn shirt told of the fight that victory had required."My mage assures me that once we feed her soul to the orb, what remains will be sufficient for my.needs."A cold, rational corner of Tris's mind calculated his odds.The battle with the vayash morn, his injuries.from the storm, and the wormroot had already taken a toll, pushed further by the exchange with Arontala.He would have one chance, if his magic would obey his will at all.Although he stood equally close to Arontala's avatar as to Jared's, a move toward either would bring a counter from the other.And there was Kiara.Avatar or not, he would not accept her sacrifice."Bring her," Arontala ordered.Jared dragged the Kiara-double forward, forcing her to kneel beside the glowing orb.In the back of Tris's mind, one possibility presented itself.Tris plunged onto the spirit plains and found the glow that was Mageslayer's power.His magic was waning as the poison worked its way through his blood.Drawing on Mageslayer for support, Tris hurled the dirk in his left hand, catching Jared in the chest.With Mageslayer as an athame, Tris sent a blast of power toward Arontala, using the orb as a lens to magnify the effect.Spent to the point of exhaustion, Tris sent the last of his power toward Kiara, covering her with a fragile shield.The explosion at Westmarch when Tris forced power back through the scrying ball did not compare to the firestorm that erupted from Soulcatcher, incinerating Arontala and blistering Tris's skin.Everything in his sight turned to black, and Tris collapsed.First came pain, then consciousness.In the darkness Tris heard voices, but whether the lightless space was in a room or inside his own mind he did not know."He failed," snapped one voice."Tsk, Tsk," chided another."Define failure.He made it through the traps, past the wormroot.And his solution worked—after a fashion.""He has his grandmother's weakness," said a third."He might have survived the explosion if he had been willing to let her go.If he dies in the attempt, we are no better served.Jared's bastard will become the rightful king.""If you're so worried about the girl, keep her from accompanying him," said the first voice."Have you forgotten? It was the will of the Oracle," argued the second."She may be in greater danger of being taken—or turned—if she is alone, or if they wed and she stays behind to bear his child.This is the will of the Lady.""I've found," noted the third voice dryly, "that the will of the Lady is always clearer in retrospect.He did what we required—destroyed the orb, Jared, and Arontala.Landis seemed intent that he be willing to sacrifice someone.He sacrificed himself.We did not actually say he must survive the encounter.""It was implied," sniffed the second."Bava K'aa's foolish sentiment endangered us all, and now, his weakness will do so again.""Perhaps he'll learn from his recovery," noted the first voice, growing faint in the darkness."It won't be pleasant."The voices might have said more, but the darkness and fever took him.He did not remember anything else.When he found the strength to open his eyes, Tris could make out only shadows in the dim light.I'm a Summoner, so I should know if I were dead, he thought.It doesn't look like the spirit plains.But maybe they look different from the other side."Don't even think about moving," a familiar voice instructed.The shadow came closer in the twilight, bringing a cool rag for his forehead and a cup of water."Slowly," she cautioned, lifting the water to his parched lips as she helped him rise from his pillow.The water tasted of herbs and medicines [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]