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.14Jenny spun.Julian was standing beside a ticket booth with a brass telescopeon top.He was surrounded by ferns and fake palms.And he looked- tired?He was wearing the duster jacket again, and he had his hands in his pockets.His hair was as white as a winter moon.It was up to her to face him, Jenny knew.She was the only one who could dothis.She stepped forward.She tried to look him directly in the eyes, but it washard.His gaze seemed curiously veiled-as if he wasn't exactly looking at her,but through her."We've won," she said with more confidence than she felt."Finally.It's thelast Game, and this time there's no way you can bend the rules.You have tolet us go."What was the look in those eyes? They were midnight-colored and full ofshadows-but therewas something else, something Jenny only recognized when she felt a presencebeside her.Tom was there, looking devilishly handsome and full of cold,protective fury.He wasn't going to let her face Julian alone.His hand restedon her shoulder, lightly, not possessively.As if to say he was there to backher up, whatever happened."I ought to try to kill you," he said to Julian."I can't, but I sure oughtto try.I will, if you pull anything this time."Julian ignored him completely.Wistfulness, Jenny thought.That was it.Julian wasn't exactly looking atTom, but for a moment he'd glanced at Tom's hand on her shoulder-and there waswistfulness in his eyes.The Shadow Man seeing the one thing he could never have, she thought.Humanlove."Are you going to pull anything?" Tom asked tightly.It was a good question.Jenny was braced for some kind of a trick, too-readyto fight Julian, to argue him out of it.Every other time they'd won a Game,Julian had unveiled some weird twist at the last minute, had found some way tocrush them and laugh at them.Page 104 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlJenny had fully expected him to try it again this time-so why hadn't he? Whyhadn't he appeared before they got Tom and Zach untied? Why wasn't he dressedas a pirate, fending them off with a cutlass, smiling and pointing out thatthey had to get to Tom and Zach to rescue them? Why wasn't he playing theGame?Probably because he has something worse up his sleeve, she told herself.Thatpainted volcano will erupt.Real lightning will strike.Or maybe--or maybe he was just tired of playing."We have won, haven't we?" she said, suddenly uncertain.She would havethought she would enjoy announcing her victory more than this."You've won," Julian said, and there was no emotion in his voice.He stillwasn't really looking at her.And he did seem tired-his whole body lookedtired.He looked-defeated."So-I can leave.""Yes."Jenny was still looking for the catch."And take everyone with me.""Yes.""Even Tom.I can take Tom with me.""Let's go," Tom said abruptly, his fingers closing around her upper arm.Jenny almost-not quite- shook him off.This wasn't like Julian at all."I can go and I can take Tom," she persisted."And everyone.It's the lastGame, and it's over now."For the first time Julian looked at her.His eyes were fully dilated, withthe look Jenny had seen in the cave.An inward look, as if nothing mattered.It was too brittle to be bitter.A look like blue ice about to break up andfall into dark water.A-shattering."It's the last Game," he said."It's over now.I won't bother you again."The corner of his mouth jerked as if he were about to say something more-ormaybe it was involuntary.Then, without speaking, he whirled around."Get out.Get her out." Without looking at Tom, he spoke in a distortedvoice, thick with restraint."Get her out of here! Before I do-something-""Julian-" Jenny said."-we'll all be sorry for-"He gave a shudder of suppressed emotion.Tom grabbed Jenny's other arm and wheeled her in the opposite direction.There was a rough wooden door standing on the far side of the building.ItPage 105 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlwas set between two enormous stones, like a gate [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.14Jenny spun.Julian was standing beside a ticket booth with a brass telescopeon top.He was surrounded by ferns and fake palms.And he looked- tired?He was wearing the duster jacket again, and he had his hands in his pockets.His hair was as white as a winter moon.It was up to her to face him, Jenny knew.She was the only one who could dothis.She stepped forward.She tried to look him directly in the eyes, but it washard.His gaze seemed curiously veiled-as if he wasn't exactly looking at her,but through her."We've won," she said with more confidence than she felt."Finally.It's thelast Game, and this time there's no way you can bend the rules.You have tolet us go."What was the look in those eyes? They were midnight-colored and full ofshadows-but therewas something else, something Jenny only recognized when she felt a presencebeside her.Tom was there, looking devilishly handsome and full of cold,protective fury.He wasn't going to let her face Julian alone.His hand restedon her shoulder, lightly, not possessively.As if to say he was there to backher up, whatever happened."I ought to try to kill you," he said to Julian."I can't, but I sure oughtto try.I will, if you pull anything this time."Julian ignored him completely.Wistfulness, Jenny thought.That was it.Julian wasn't exactly looking atTom, but for a moment he'd glanced at Tom's hand on her shoulder-and there waswistfulness in his eyes.The Shadow Man seeing the one thing he could never have, she thought.Humanlove."Are you going to pull anything?" Tom asked tightly.It was a good question.Jenny was braced for some kind of a trick, too-readyto fight Julian, to argue him out of it.Every other time they'd won a Game,Julian had unveiled some weird twist at the last minute, had found some way tocrush them and laugh at them.Page 104 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlJenny had fully expected him to try it again this time-so why hadn't he? Whyhadn't he appeared before they got Tom and Zach untied? Why wasn't he dressedas a pirate, fending them off with a cutlass, smiling and pointing out thatthey had to get to Tom and Zach to rescue them? Why wasn't he playing theGame?Probably because he has something worse up his sleeve, she told herself.Thatpainted volcano will erupt.Real lightning will strike.Or maybe--or maybe he was just tired of playing."We have won, haven't we?" she said, suddenly uncertain.She would havethought she would enjoy announcing her victory more than this."You've won," Julian said, and there was no emotion in his voice.He stillwasn't really looking at her.And he did seem tired-his whole body lookedtired.He looked-defeated."So-I can leave.""Yes."Jenny was still looking for the catch."And take everyone with me.""Yes.""Even Tom.I can take Tom with me.""Let's go," Tom said abruptly, his fingers closing around her upper arm.Jenny almost-not quite- shook him off.This wasn't like Julian at all."I can go and I can take Tom," she persisted."And everyone.It's the lastGame, and it's over now."For the first time Julian looked at her.His eyes were fully dilated, withthe look Jenny had seen in the cave.An inward look, as if nothing mattered.It was too brittle to be bitter.A look like blue ice about to break up andfall into dark water.A-shattering."It's the last Game," he said."It's over now.I won't bother you again."The corner of his mouth jerked as if he were about to say something more-ormaybe it was involuntary.Then, without speaking, he whirled around."Get out.Get her out." Without looking at Tom, he spoke in a distortedvoice, thick with restraint."Get her out of here! Before I do-something-""Julian-" Jenny said."-we'll all be sorry for-"He gave a shudder of suppressed emotion.Tom grabbed Jenny's other arm and wheeled her in the opposite direction.There was a rough wooden door standing on the far side of the building.ItPage 105 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlwas set between two enormous stones, like a gate [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]