Loremaster - Palace Of Kings Part 49

Eventine smiled, reached beneath her cloak and took ou the Bow of Clatterford. 'Your father left this bow, it is a par'

of the legend. As a child I would stand before it making myself as tall as possible, eager to nock an arrow on to the bow

string and ride out in search of the lonely Archer. I counted the Nightbeasts and shadowed your every step, you did not hear me because our bows sing the same tune.'

Kyot took the bow from Eventine and held it against his own listening to the gentle music the bow strings

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together in the chill night draught blowing through the open doorway. Eventine s.h.i.+vered and put her arm through Kyot's.

'Come and see the beauty of Clatterford now that the blindness has gone,' she whispered, pointing into the darkened halls where Candlemen were lighting the lamps, bringing the house to life.

Carrying the two bows Kyot entered the inner halls and stood spellbound, staring from wall to wall. Eventine followed his gaze. 'Clatterford is a mirror, nothing but a mirror held up against an imperfect world. It is the memory of all that is beautiful, all that is good and all that is bad.'

Kyot knelt and reached out a hand to touch the smooth gla.s.s walls, to touch the flowers and ferns, stalks and stems, that seemed frozen forever fresh, each leaf and vein, in finest detail, etched inside the gla.s.s. 'Everything has so much beauty!' he murmured.

'Even shadows!' Eventine smiled, and beckoned him to follow her. 'We keep the darkness of men's hearts here in a room crowded with thoughts of greed and revenge. For many daylights I feared I would lose you to that place. Come, let me show you.'

Eventine led the way through a maze of smooth polished corridors where each wall grew a little more clouded and dull until they stood before a smoke-darkened door. Eventine s.h.i.+vered and drew her cloak tightly around her shoulders before she opened the door. Kyot cried out and jumped backwards, away from crowded half-formed beasts and nightmare shapes.

'Be not afraid,' Eventine shouted, catching him by the hand and drawing him into the darkness. She pushed his hand through the nightmares until it touched the cold gla.s.s wall.

His hand felt icy and brittle and his eyes ached.

'Learn to face the darkness,' she urged, tightening her grip on his hand.

'Rockspray was my eyes in the City of Night!' Kyot cried, blinking and not daring to look through the shadows.

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'He is a great Bird of War but he may not always be with you. You must overcome your fear of the dark if you are to follow tile Nightmare.'

Rockspray flew from Kyot's shoulder to perch on Eventine'

s arm. 'Now I am blind!' Kyot cried, scratching wildly at

the wall.

'Open your eyes, Kyot,' Eventine whispered, brus.h.i.+ng her fingertips across his eyelids. 'You can see in the dark if you want to. You have the power.'

Slowly he opened his eyes, feeling them widen as the lashes parted.

'What do you see?' Eventine asked.

'Shadowy shapes and dark walls, envy, greed, hatred, revenge,' he replied, slowly turning his head.

Eventine laughed and threw open the door. 'We will come here each evening until you can look without blinking at what hides in the walls of the shadow room.'

'What hides there?' he began to ask as they walked back towards the crystal halls, but Eventine put a finger on his lips.

'Your love of the daylight will overcome the darkness,' she answered, frowning with concern as her fader came running through the outer halls.

'Eventine! Kyot!' he cried, 'my watchers have seen Nightbeasts swarming through the gra.s.slands in their thousands.

They will reach the edges of Clatterford. We must warn duet villagers!'

Kyot ran to the top of the wide gla.s.s steps and called out against the darkness for Sprint to come to him. Twice he shouted his name and twice in echo a stag roared at the cold evening stars, closely followed by Sprint's proud neigh.

He runs with Tanglecrown,' Eventine said, running to Kyot's side. 'Listen! I can hear Heir hoofbeats near the form

Kyot laughed softly as he listened to die jingle of harness mingled with the growing thunder of hooves. 'We will strolls terror into the Nightbeasts' hearts,' he cried.

'And scythe them down as click as summer corn!' Eventid

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added, springing lightly down on to the lawn.

Fairday hurried through the doorway holding two twisted gla.s.s torches aloft chat sparkled and fizzed fountains of cold

white light, illuminating the wide sweep of lawns.

'The Lord of Stags!' Kyot cried, stepping back out of Tanglecrown's way as he halted before Eventine.

She laughed and taking Kyot's hand she placed it between the razor-sharp tangle of crystal-tipped anders on his soft velvet forehead. 'My father has armed him against the Nightbeasts,' she said, plucking a slender stalk of gra.s.s and slicing it in two on the crystal-covered ander tips. 'He is proud and brave and stands beside me in the struggle against the darkness. He is the Lord of his kind.'

Sprint snorted, arching his neck and rearing up above

Kyot's head.

'Sprint is the bravest relay horse from the Tower on Stumble Hill, and he has carried me fearlessly against the shadows many times,' Kyot cried, reaching up and catching a loop of rein.

'They will run together!' Fairday shouted above the rising clamour of voices from inside the house. 'Together on the edge of the gra.s.sland wind, and they will buy the time chat we need to forge the arrow-heads that will strike at Krulshards'

heart.'