Shadowrun - Novel - 18 - Worlds Without End.pdf

Shadowrun Caroline Spector - Worlds Without End
mouths opened to smile, they revealed rows of
sharp, pointed teeth. Some sported wings while others
had antennae flowing back from their brows.
They all had the pointed ears that we elves share.
Giving rise, no doubt, to the rumors that they are our
descendants.
Spriggans danced with leprechauns while fir
darrigs tripped the unwary. Goblins and pixies tried
to swing each other out of the circle. They whirled
and danced and laughed. The shadows they cast
flickered and strobed. It was Dante's vision of Hell.
One of the dancers broke from the group and ran
over to us. It grabbed my hand and pulled me forward.
"Welcome, mother," it said. "We've been waiting
for you."
"What of my friend?" I asked.
80
WORLDS WITHOUT END
"He is of no account right now."
We were in the center of the ring. The sharp, wizened
faces of the faeries jerked in and out of
shadow. I had thought they were much smaller than
me at first, but now I saw we were the same height.
Or perhaps I was shrinking. Like Alice.
My feet moved along with the music now. I
looked down and saw my jeans and sweater were
gone, replaced by a long flowing gown made of
silver silk. We spun around and around and suddenly
.. .
I am on the deck of a large ship. It floats in the
sky. Magic propels it. Magic that brings both good
and evil to this world.
I'm dancing here.
Dancing with trolls. We sail through the dark
night sky, laughing and dancing like children. One
of the trolls is old and wizened. He wears a long
robe embroidered with patterns. His flesh is wrinkled
and thick like an elephant's. But he is kind.
And he is my friend.
The faces of these trolls flash before me, the
memory of them clear and bright as day. I'd thought
I'd forgotten them. But no, that was just a story I
told myself.
Now I'm standing'on the deck of the ship. It is the
afternoon. The ship is in the middle of a battle. The
trolls are fighting, but where is my friend? I go to
look for him.
I find him below-deck lying in a pool of blood.
He's broken his leg. I have some knowledge of heal-
81
Caroline Spector
Página 44