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Black eyes opened in the back of her mind, blinked slowly, and she had a
sense of waking, stretching, moving, fitting something into the crannies of
her body. Power waking, flowing, filling. Don t kill her, she thought hastily.
A chuckle she could almost hear rumbled through her head.  Move over,
freyka. Calm amused words in a resonant bass that shook the walls of her
skull and the black eyes crinkled into a good-natured scowl. She could feel
the strange being testing his control of her body, then a surge of power like
a warm current poured through her.
Gapp s movements slowed rapidly until her body was an ice-cold statue.
Aleytys went briefly sick as she recognized the no-time state.  Don t kill
her, she whispered.  Not like the other times.
A grunt, impatient, crusty, tart, sarcastic.  Don t bother me, freyka, this
one ll get what she s asking for. Dammit, I don t get any thrill from killing.
Shut up and let me work.
Aleytys watched as her body wriggled free from Gapp s stone-hard arms. Around
her the trees were cardboard cutouts, clouds like pats of cotton on the pale
blue backdrop on the sky. Abruptly a deep low hum blew across her ears and
shot rapidly upscale. She saw Gapp stir and stare gape-mouthed at Aleytys
body standing just out of arm-reach.
 How& . She shut her mouth and leaped at her prey.
Aleytys body stepped aside with a deceptively smooth twisting motion. With a
quiet economy of motion it slipped away from the nayid s grasp and watched her
stumble past. Gapp wheeled, her long stick arms and legs flopping awkwardly.
She righted herself and frowned.  One way or another, she whispered. Two
steps took her to the whip. She scooped it up and stood flick-flicking it
against her thighs. She smiled hotly.  One way or another, shigret, you re
mine. She flicked her wrist and the tip scored the skin of Aleytys right
arm, laying the skin open for several inches. Again the lash tip darted out,
snapping one shoulder strap, then another, so that the rose chiffon pooled
around Aleytys feet.
Aleytys body balanced on its toes. With a guttural cry it lunged toward the
nayid, ducking under the whip, Blackeyes in fine control, sending the hands
chopping blades against the tender flesh below the jointed ribs of the nayid s
thorax, driving the air from her lungs in an explosive whoosh. Chop at the
wrist with the bladed palm. Seize the other wrist, slam the fist to the elbow.
Gapp shrieks with pain. She flails out with her arms. Blackeyes moves the body
with contemptuous ease. Chop again at the unprotected groin. Gapp tears a
shrill squeal out of a tortured throat. Slam foot against the vulnerable knee
to the right then the left. Gapp crashes as her legs go from under her. Slap
the face with corrosive contempt until the nayid, destroyed in body and
spirit, is a quivering mess on the grass.
Blackeyes moved Aleytys body back and stood silent, still looking down at
the writhing nayid. In her head Aleytys felt Blackeyes withdraw, nestling back
in his corner, stirring until comfort was achieved, exuding a quiet
satisfaction. Finally the eyes, narrow, corners crinkled with good humor,
waited for her.
Aleytys shook herself and caught hold of her lower lip with her teeth, biting
down just enough to have a feel of her own flesh. Thank you, Rider, she
thought, and dipped in a mental curtsey that amused him.
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
 Swardheld s my name. If you want my advice& . The words rumbled in a sleepy
slightly impatient bass.  & don t give her time to think. Get her on her
skinny feet and drive her out. The eyes began to close.  You handle the
voice, Swardheld went on sleepily.  Better not give her more to worry at.
The black eyes closed and once again she was alone in her head. She heard
Gapp s petulant whimpers and looked down in time to see her hand creeping
toward the abandoned whip.
 No! She brought her heel down on the reaching fingers, her notions of pity
abruptly forgotten, regretting the softness of her bare feet, wanting a stout
pair of spiked shoes to drive the lesson deep in Gapp s flesh. Gapp shrieked
and Aleytys slowly took her foot away. Watching the nayid struggle to her
knees, she backed a few paces away.
As soon as Gapp tottered to her feet, Aleytys lashed out with her foot and
kicked the whip toward the building.  Now pick it up, she snarled. She stood,
head back, defiant, arrogant, insolently proud of her body and strength,
radiating confidence in her ability to control the situation.  Good, she said
when the nayid scooped the whip up.  Now, coil it. Gapp complied sullenly.
 Good. Get out of here and don t come back. I don t walk your road and I
don t feel like learning. Come at me again and I ll have the kipu lift your
scalp.
Gapp snorted, her short stubby antennas jerking with disdain.
Aleytys felt the rising confidence, the new-born arrogance, and knew she d
made a mistake. So the kipu s fine words meant nothing. Well, that wasn t so
unexpected. She caught hold of her own anger and blasted it at the young
nayid, sending her staggering back.
 Get out of here. Aleytys flung the words at her with anger and disgust.  I
don t need the kipu to handle you. Pull your tricks on me again and I ll smash
you. Flat!
Gapp stumbled through the doorway, disappearing into the mahazh. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]