the carpet gave way completely, and a sudden burst of wind grabbed it and threw it away, towards the safety they were looking for, but not the way they wanted to go there.
Shim did his best to stay in control, and almost succeeded, but it wasn't enough. The carpet crashed to the ground, making Amanda roll away and sending the dwarf headfirst against a tree.
She was the first to get up. She was confused and hurting, she probably had bruises in places she hadn't even known the sheer existence of so far, but she was alive.
She look around, searching for Shim, and in doing that she finally realized where she was: in front of the university.
Then she saw the dwarf, collapsed against the trunk of one of the trees lining the courtyard. She rushed to check if he was fine. He was unconscious and had a vicious cut on his forehead – the collision must have been quite hard to do such damage to his hard skull – but at least he was breathing. There wasn't much she could do for him but pulling him to a covered place before wind and rain got there as well. Neither she had a lot to say about the place to choose: the university seemed to be the only building the hurricane wasn't hitting. The actual problem was how to get in, but that she would worry about once she was there.
She lifted the dwarf from his armpits, trying not to shake him too much, and started pulling, surprised by his heavy weight. She could only take a few steps before she had to surrender to the truth: she wasn't going anywhere like that.
Then her gaze fell on the carpet, heaped not too far. She hurriedly fetched it and managed to pull Shim on it, then she grabbed one edge and started pulling again. The weight wasn't changed, obviously, but this way she was able to move him more easily, so much so that she reached the stairway to the entrance. Then the carpet became useless, and she had to lift the dwarf little by little, step by step, to the archway. She got there breathless, ready to look for something with which to break a window and enter. To her big surprise, she didn't need to. The door was closed, but unlocked.
Even though she didn't understand, she wasn't going to complain. She opened it and brought in Shim, who didn't seem about to wake up. She rolled the carpet and set it under his head. Now she needed to find something to cover him. In the basement there were sheets used every now and then to cover desks and furniture. They weren't the best choice, but there was nothing else she could think of, so she headed to the stairs, opened the basement door and stood there astonished for a sight she would never have been able to foresee.
The center of the room had been almost completely emptied, and now there stood a large metal frame in which several crystals were mounted. In the middle of it, a man wearing a ceremonial tunic. He stood with his arms open and flung upward, and she could almost hear power crackling around him as he murmured barely audible and completely unintelligible words. Crystals were reacting to whatever he was doing, pulsing with a dark and regular light, like a huge heart beating in the chest of a giant. Something that looked like the before-unheard crossbreed between light and smoke was spiraling away from the frame, rising to the ceiling where it seemed to disappear.
Even though she had never seen something of the like, she didn't need anyone to suggest her what it was. After all it couldn't just be an accident that the university was right in the middle of the quiet zone.
The man seemed to be so absorbed in what he was doing that he was unaware of her presence. Amanda stood for a while, uncertain about what to do. She had no idea of what could happen if she interrupted the magician, but she didn't think things could be any worse than they already were.
She unsheathed her wand, that she had managed not to lose this time. It was very much alike the ones carried along by police officers: its bolts stunned their targets but caused no
Shim did his best to stay in control, and almost succeeded, but it wasn't enough. The carpet crashed to the ground, making Amanda roll away and sending the dwarf headfirst against a tree.
She was the first to get up. She was confused and hurting, she probably had bruises in places she hadn't even known the sheer existence of so far, but she was alive.
She look around, searching for Shim, and in doing that she finally realized where she was: in front of the university.
Then she saw the dwarf, collapsed against the trunk of one of the trees lining the courtyard. She rushed to check if he was fine. He was unconscious and had a vicious cut on his forehead – the collision must have been quite hard to do such damage to his hard skull – but at least he was breathing. There wasn't much she could do for him but pulling him to a covered place before wind and rain got there as well. Neither she had a lot to say about the place to choose: the university seemed to be the only building the hurricane wasn't hitting. The actual problem was how to get in, but that she would worry about once she was there.
She lifted the dwarf from his armpits, trying not to shake him too much, and started pulling, surprised by his heavy weight. She could only take a few steps before she had to surrender to the truth: she wasn't going anywhere like that.
Then her gaze fell on the carpet, heaped not too far. She hurriedly fetched it and managed to pull Shim on it, then she grabbed one edge and started pulling again. The weight wasn't changed, obviously, but this way she was able to move him more easily, so much so that she reached the stairway to the entrance. Then the carpet became useless, and she had to lift the dwarf little by little, step by step, to the archway. She got there breathless, ready to look for something with which to break a window and enter. To her big surprise, she didn't need to. The door was closed, but unlocked.
Even though she didn't understand, she wasn't going to complain. She opened it and brought in Shim, who didn't seem about to wake up. She rolled the carpet and set it under his head. Now she needed to find something to cover him. In the basement there were sheets used every now and then to cover desks and furniture. They weren't the best choice, but there was nothing else she could think of, so she headed to the stairs, opened the basement door and stood there astonished for a sight she would never have been able to foresee.
The center of the room had been almost completely emptied, and now there stood a large metal frame in which several crystals were mounted. In the middle of it, a man wearing a ceremonial tunic. He stood with his arms open and flung upward, and she could almost hear power crackling around him as he murmured barely audible and completely unintelligible words. Crystals were reacting to whatever he was doing, pulsing with a dark and regular light, like a huge heart beating in the chest of a giant. Something that looked like the before-unheard crossbreed between light and smoke was spiraling away from the frame, rising to the ceiling where it seemed to disappear.
Even though she had never seen something of the like, she didn't need anyone to suggest her what it was. After all it couldn't just be an accident that the university was right in the middle of the quiet zone.
The man seemed to be so absorbed in what he was doing that he was unaware of her presence. Amanda stood for a while, uncertain about what to do. She had no idea of what could happen if she interrupted the magician, but she didn't think things could be any worse than they already were.
She unsheathed her wand, that she had managed not to lose this time. It was very much alike the ones carried along by police officers: its bolts stunned their targets but caused no
Similar Books
