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     I am coming too. Charm started to follow them.
     No, my love & you will only distract me. Stay with the kitten & I think it needs
    some encouragement to eat.
    Charm glanced towards the little white fluff and sighed.  Yes, I suppose & 
    Nikki allowed herself to be led into what she now thought of as the  wizard s lair ,
    where she had trained with Rysdale the day before. Once there, he dropped her hand and
    dove into a huge chest, where he withdrew a very large orb. Nikki was immediately
    reminded of a crystal ball, except it wasn t, not at all. It was opaque; at least it was when
    he first set it at the center of the table.
    The wizard passed his hand over it and spoke in an arcane language that Nikki did not
    recognize, and the orb started to clear. What it finally displayed seemed almost
    unbelievable to Nikki.
    It was another world, dark, misty, with gnarled and knobby trees whose leaves were
    gray instead of green and inhabited by creatures much like the one at the garden s edge.
    However, there was one other in that world, and he definitely did not seem to fit in. The
    monstrous creatures surrounding him seemed afraid to get to close to him as he
    whispered incantations, and when he turned his face, Nikki was astonished.
    He looked exactly like Rysdale and could have been his twin.
    She immediately, however, noted the differences. His wizard s high-peaked hat was
    made of black and dusted with small red crystals, as were his silk robes. His long hair
    was not white like Rysdale s soft white waves, but black and tinged with steel gray as
    was his beard, and his eyes were coal-black. Nikki fancied she saw evil in their depths.
    They couldn t be twins & could they?
     Ah &  said Rysdale.  Good & I have the exact location. He turned to Nikki.  We
    must take the orb outside, and there I must draw the creature near if he has retreated into
    the woods again.
     And then what?
     And then, my dear, we send him back to the hell he came from.
     What about that other guy the bad mojo one?
     Baudali my twin? Yes, he may return here on the same wave of magic. A problem
    we shall have to deal with, I suppose, but one thing at a time.
     So he is your brother your twin brother. Nikki was stuck on this one point.
     He is.
     But, he is nothing like you I mean he has your look on the surface, and there is
    where it ends, she said, touching his arm.
     He chose another path & his needs were always & different than mine. He touched
    Nikki s shoulder.  We have no time for this now & come along.
    * * *
    Damon stepped through the portal Rysdale had created for him to travel to and from
    Inverness and the MacFares. He stood for a moment as he studied his surroundings. He
    was at the very far corner of the Great Room, and every fiber of his being was on edge.
    He had a bad feeling. Something felt off.  Rysdale? Nikki? he called out doubtfully.
    Nothing.
    He started towards the kitchen, where he was certain he would find Charm, and did in
    fact discover her seated at the long, wide farmer s table with a fluff of white in her lap
    and a baby bottle in her hands.
    He was caught off guard for a moment and grinned at her.  Now where did that come
    from? I haven t been gone that long.
    She looked up at Damon and smiled warmly.  She is the only one that escaped the
    beast, Damon, and I do believe she is a survivor. She has decided to drink my concoction.
    I wasn t sure if the formula I came up with would work to replace poor Mama Cat s milk,
    but it has & 
    Damon smiled in spite of himself and walked over to pet the green-eyed kitten.  I am
    sorry, Charm, I know you were looking after Mama Cat and her little brood. What are we
    dealing with now? Is the beast getting that close? Damon had learned of this
    complication the day he had left for Scotland.
     Nikki heard this baby crying & that s why she went into the woods. It was mewling,
    and oh, Damon, poor Nikki came across the poor, tattered remains.
     I am sorry, so sorry Charm & I know you had grown attached. He frowned and felt
    an anxiety he had not felt since he was human.  Where is Nikki now?
     Yes, I was very attached &  Charm sighed heavily.
    Suddenly Damon lost all patience.  Charm & Nikki, where is Nikki now?
     She went off with Rysdale to put an end to the beast. Charm said quietly as she
    looked up at Damon and went very quiet.
     Bloody hell! Damon swore and then inclined his head.  Forgive me, Charm, but
    Rysdale should not be putting Nikki at such risk.
    A small smile curved her lips.  Ah & why then, don t you join them. They went into
    the garden.
     In the garden or in the woods? Damon snapped.
     No & he would never take Nikki into the woods. Charm now frowned.
    Damon felt something close to fear clutch at his nerve endings. What was this? Fear
    and anxiety all within moments of one another and why? Without another word, he
    turned from Charm and headed for the kitchen door.
    He was in a fury. He had left Nikki in Rysdale s care so that the wizard could help her
    get into her slayer mind and expand her abilities. She wasn t here to fight monsters from
    other dimensions. He had told Rysdale he would attend to the creature upon his return.
    This present situation was totally unacceptable.
    * * *
    Nikki looked into the orb, and her delicate brows were up with surprise. A dark hole
    had formed and expanded, though Rysdale seemed oblivious as he chanted, eyes closed,
    arms spread out, and palms heavenward at her side.
    The grotesque creature had inched its way towards them, and Nikki held her stake [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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