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who seemed none too happy about the exercise.
Their legs were left untied as they were led on, the stairs terminating at a
deep, tall alcove scooped out of the side of a large, squarish section of the
fortress complex atop the hill. It was built of large stone blocks streaked with
rainbow colors inherent in the substance; the stone was highly polished or glazed
somehow, giving the effect of a multi-hued gloss in the sunlight. Within the
alcove lay two heavy doors on monstrous hinges, but the party filed through a
smaller door cut into one of the larger ones.
John s nervousness increased as they entered the stronghold of the
mysterious leader of the invaders. He asked himself again how this could really
be happening. It seemed like just the night before that he had been at the mall in
Truman with Kris and Gwen, and now this& He was taking things as they came,
accepting them at face value the best he could, but a part of his mind persisted
that it could not be real, that something about his brain had taken a wrong turn
and gotten severely lost.
But he wanted it to be real. This was the chance he had searched for, the
chance to make a difference. Tryst had been mistaken in choosing Kris, he was
sure. And when John proved himself, when he showed that he was the true Hope
of the Valley, and became the leader of these people, he would be in a position to
begin bringing about the changes he had always envisioned. He would start with
the Valley, a sort of proving ground, and from there& Well, it would all become
clear to him.
While these grandiose thoughts formed in his mind, he and the others
were led along a corridor over a colorful mosaic of tiles beneath an elaborately
designed ceiling. There were more Elemental themes predominant in the designs,
symbols and shapes and representations. The corridor was flanked by three
arched doorways on either side that led to what looked like display rooms of art
or artifacts of some sort, but John had to pass too quickly to see clearly. At the
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The Death of Santa Claus
H"
end of the corridor, they took a turn, another turn, and started down a new
corridor.
The new hallway was an obvious contrast to the first. There were no
decorations or embellishments, merely plain stone walls and floors softened and
warmed by tapestries and rugs. The first section had been lit by sunlight filtering
in through numerous windows. Only the torches set into golden sconces on the
walls lit this section, but John thought he saw a narrow slit of sunlight far off at
the end of the hallway.
The soldiers suddenly halted the prisoners, and John realized they must
be at the threshold of their destination. He noted belatedly that someone stood in
the hallway, against the wall beside one of the wooden doors that lined the
corridor.
It was a woman dressed in black and red leathers, standing perfectly still,
her features perfectly passive. She was thin, almost too thin, and she would have
been attractive if not for the complete lack of emotion and expression inherent in
her stance and countenance. Her eyes moved slightly to track the leader of the
soldiers as he moved to stand before her.
 We have brought the humans and the Dweln who were found by the
lake, the soldier reported roughly. There was no immediate response from the
woman, not even a raised eyebrow.  We were told to bring them here.
The woman still did not speak, but the wooden door beside her swung
inward, which seemed to discomfit the soldiers somewhat. John saw that there
were no evident mechanical or electrical devices attached to the door to account
for its independent movement. Apparently there was a subtler trick involved, and
the soldiers were susceptible to superstition. Such was likely a part of what kept
them in line.
The soldiers urged John, Kris, Gwen, and Tryst on through the door, into
near-total darkness. By the light coming in from the hall, the guards untied the
hands of their prisoners and then left them standing in the room. The door shut,
taking away the dim light from without.
 What s going on? What are they doing? Gwen asked from the
blackness, whispering.
 I& don t know&  Kris replied uncertainly. He did not sound as if he
were enjoying his hero experience so far.
 They re just trying to scare us, John said derisively, covering his own
apprehension.
 They re good at it, Gwen commented.  Tryst? Are you all right?
She did not answer right away.  My people have been enslaved by this
filth& I have failed in my mission to deliver them& No, I would not say that I am
all right& Thank you for asking& 
77
B.A.McFadden
H"
She sounds bitter, John thought. He supposed this was hard on her. He
wanted to tell her that he had it all in hand, but he did not want to give anything
away to whoever might be listening. For all they knew, they stood in a room
surrounded by people, or at least in a room containing a single spy to report
anything they said to the leader before they were taken to see him, the  Highest,
as they called him.
 I think we should all just stay quiet and wait, John said matter-of-
factly.  You never know who might be listening, he added as an extra caution.
He immediately sensed an increase in tension and nervousness; perhaps he could
have left that last part out.
 You are quite correct, young one, said a voice from the gloom. It was a
strong voice, firm and deep, but undeniably female.  You never know.
Light flared as torches several feet above their heads flamed to life all [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]