[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Gustin slumped, his lax hands nearly dropping his precious spellbook.The ordinary gloom of twilight once again filled the workshop."Did it work?" Sophraea whispered, unable to speak any louder, nearly strangled by excitement and worry.The statue lay inert upon the table.If the spell had failed, they would have no choice but to try to end the curse without its aid.And that, Lord Adarbrent had sworn, meant certain death for someone.Gustin raised his head slowly, as if the weight was almost too much for his neck to bear.But the grin that he gave her was as cocky as ever."It really is my best magic," he declared in triumph.With ponderous motion and a sound like the grinding of a millstone, the statue slowly rose from the table.Two stone feet landed with a thump upon the floor.With a solid tread, the statue marched toward the workshop door.Gustin pulled the brocade shoe out of his belt and thrust it at the statue."Take it," he commanded."Return it to the Markarl tomb."The statue gave no response.Gustin went closer, circled the stone man, and pushed the shoe between its hip and its hand.The beautifully carved fingers were slightly curled to look natural.The little shoe glittered in the stone grasp."Does it know what it carries? Will it know to put it inside the tomb?" Sophraea asked.Gustin shrugged."I have never asked one of them to do anything more than walk."Sophraea bit back her doubts.They had no other choice.She flung the door wide open.The stone warrior stomped past her into the courtyard."Go on!" Gustin shouted at his creation."That way.To the City of the Dead!"Outside, the fighting continued.Lord Adarbrent still held off Stunk's men, but the old nobleman had been forced back to the center of the courtyard.Even as the statue stomped toward the gate into the City of the Dead, the denizens of the graveyard began to overrun the Carvers attempting to block the graveyard gate.One particularly ambitious corpse knight rode his skeletal horse up the mossy stairs leading to Dead End House.Halfway through the gate, the ghastly equine opened its mandible in a silent scream.The heavy hooves skidded on the steps leading out of the City of the Dead.uuuumhiii jujiuuSlowly, surely, the creature slid backward to the confusion of its rider, which twisted its skull completely round on its shoulders to see what the problem was."Ho! Starting a fight without me! I don't think so!" yelled Leaplow from behind the horse's hindquarters.Black-and-blue but grinning widely, Sophraea's enormous brother gathered up the heavy skirts of the skeleton horse's armor and dragged it out of the gate.The knight fought to turn the horse, but Leaplow's grip was too strong.For the moment, the dead warrior, his horse, and Leaplow blocked the gate leading into the Dead End courtyard and kept the other dead from entering.The booming tread of the statue crossing the courtyard startled all the combatants.Everyone turned to watch Gustin's stone fighter stride toward the graveyard gate.Stunk's men broke off their attack of Lord Adarbrent and stood openmouthed."Stop him," the fat man screamed."You'll all be street beggars if you don't stop him!"His men hesitated and then raised their weapons and circled the stone man.One slashed at the statue with his short sword.The blade shattered on the granite head and the statue marched on."Clubs!" Stunk screamed."Mallets! Don't use your blades, you idiots!""Wood," someone shouted and they all raced to pick up anything that could be used as a club."Rocks," yelled another.The courtyard was littered with building materials.Armed with boards and stone urns, Stunk's men faced back toward the walking statue."Don't let them smash it!" screamed Sophraea."We're defending a statue?" yelled Bentnor."Yes," she yelled back."All right," he agreed.Then he shrugged and motioned to his twin.The two men picked up the nearest of Stunk's fighters trying to wrestle a half-carved tombstone into the statue's path.With a heave and a grunt, Bentnor and Cadriffle threw the armored man across the courtyard into a couple of others.The twins gave a ragged cheer, as if they had scored a goal in one of their endless ball games.Stunk's men gave a unified growl
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]