登陆注册
5378500000106

第106章

Unhesitating, always with that same high serenity, Lakla and the O'Keefe, hands clasped like little children, drew closer to that wondrous shape.I could not see their faces, but I saw awe fall upon those of the watching dwarfs, and into the burning eyes of Yolara crept a doubt.Closer they drew to the Dweller, and closer, I following them step by step.The Shining One's whirling lessened; its tinklings were faint, almost stilled.It seemed to watch them apprehensively.

A silence fell upon us all, a thick silence, brooding, ominous, palpable.Now the pair were face to face with the child of the Three--so near that with one of its misty tentacles it could have enfolded them.

And the Shining One drew back!

Yes, drew back--and back with it stepped Yolara, the doubt in her eyes deepening.Onward paced the handmaiden and the O'Keefe--and step by step, as they advanced, the Dweller withdrew; its bell notes chiming out, puzzled ques-tioning--half fearful!

And back it drew, and back until it had reached the very centre of that platform over the abyss in whose depths pulsed the green fires of earth heart.And there Yolara gripped her-self; the hell that seethed within her soul leaped out of her eyes, a cry, a shriek of rage, tore from her lips.

As at a signal, the Shining One flamed high; its spirals and eddying mists swirled madly, the pulsing core of it blazed radiance.A score of coruscating tentacles swept straight upon the pair who stood intrepid, unresisting, awaiting its embrace.And upon me, lurking behind them.

Through me swept a mighty exaltation.It was the end then--and I was to meet it with them.

Something drew us back, back with an incredible swift-ness, and yet as gently as a summer breeze sweeps a bit of thistle-down! Drew us back from those darting misty arms even as they were a hair-breadth from us! I heard the Dwel-ler's bell notes burst out ragingly! I heard Yolara scream.

What was that?

Between the three of us and them was a ring of curdled moon flames, swirling about the Shining One and its priest-ess, pressing in upon them, enfolding them!

And within it I glimpsed the faces of the Three--implac-able, sorrowful, filled with a supernal power!

Sparks and flashes of white flame darted from the ring, penetrating the radiant swathings of the Dweller, striking through its pulsing nucleus, piercing its seven crowning orbs.

Now the Shining One's radiance began to dim, the seven orbs to dull; the tiny sparkling filaments that ran from them down into the Dweller's body snapped, vanished! Through the battling nebulosities Yolara's face swam forth--horror-filled, distorted, inhuman!

The ranks of the dead-alive quivered, moved, writhed, as though each felt the torment of the Thing that had enslaved them.The radiance that the Three wielded grew more in-tense, thicker, seemed to expand.Within it, suddenly, were scores of flaming triangles--scores of eyes like those of the Silent Ones!

And the Shining One's seven little moons of amber, of silver, of blue and amethyst and green, of rose and white, split, shattered, were gone! Abruptly the tortured crystal chimings ceased.

Dulled, all its soul-shaking beauty dead, blotched and shadowed squalidly, its gleaming plumes tarnished, its dan-cing spirals stripped from it, that which had been the Shin-ing One wrapped itself about Yolara--wrapped and drew her into itself; writhed, swayed, and hurled itself over the edge of the bridge--down, down into the green fires of the unfathomable abyss--with its priestess still enfolded in its coils!

From the dwarfs who had watched that terror camescreams of panic fear.They turned and ran, racing franti-cally over the bridge toward the cavern mouth.

The serried ranks of the dead-alive trembled, shook.Then from their faces tied the horror of wedded ecstasy and an-guish.Peace, utter peace, followed in its wake.

And as fields of wheat are bent and fall beneath the wind, they fell.No longer dead-alive, now all of the blessed dead, freed from their dreadful slavery!

Abruptly from the sparkling mists the cloud of eyes was gone.Faintly revealed in them were only the heads of the Silent Ones.And they drew before us; were before us! No flames now in their ebon eyes--for the flickering fires were quenched in great tears, streaming down the marble white faces.They bent toward us, over us; their radiance enfolded us.My eyes darkened.I could not see.I felt a tender hand upon my head--and panic and frozen dread and nightmare web that held me fled.

Then they, too, were gone.

Upon Larry's breast the handmaiden was sobbing--sob-bing out her heart--but this time with the joy of one who is swept up from the very threshold of hell into paradise.

同类推荐
  • 家诫要言

    家诫要言

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说阿弥陀经疏

    佛说阿弥陀经疏

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 祀义篇

    祀义篇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大小诸证方论

    大小诸证方论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 外科选要

    外科选要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 神诋传承

    神诋传承

    雷雨之天,龙昊天奇迹穿越,这不是真正的穿越,而是来到了另外一个空间,在这一个空间里面,龙昊天,作为时间空间异能的掌控者,不断的修行,甚至达到那最为高深的境界虚空之圣主宰境界,战天道,破混沌。天地万物,皆臣服于他,他创造了一个有一个奇迹,千万年的魔圣大战,以个人之力单挑三大魔帝,英勇无比,名垂天下。
  • 一座空山

    一座空山

    欢迎来到本系统!不必多言,各位看官,看着便可。
  • 重生之轮回龙尊

    重生之轮回龙尊

    天帝弃子龙殷含恨自堕万世轮回,本该平凡一生,经生老病死,奈何造化弄人,入苍天道祖法眼,携气吞山河之势,集天地气运一身,破这万道轮回。
  • 万三金的主母时代

    万三金的主母时代

    万三金冷冷看着,俏唇薄抿,面无表情,脸色却是孤煞苍白寂寥无比。溺死后重生,锋芒毕露。现代富家女,撞见未婚夫与男人滚床单,好死不死被灭口;***破落户女儿,未婚夫婿见死不救险溺毙,可有可无被退婚:这两个,哪一个比较惨?万三金无时间比较,左手账本右手算盘忙的不亦乐乎无可奈何,破落户女儿可没有现代富家女娇惯的权利。振兴家业,没问题,强抢有主男人,没问题,改嫁无良未婚夫,也没问题,接二连三为当家主母,更加没问题,最有问题的是,她肚里孩子的爹,是生还是死,谁能鸿雁南方捎个信?※※※※※※万三金你敬我一尺,我敬你一丈,若是犯到头上绝不忍让叶闻人如果我不是叶家闻人,我大可以尽情爱你,只可惜,对不起,我不敢爱你未轻寒你若主动投怀送抱,我可不要,你若拒人千里,我偏喜欢的紧(微微云:果然是个别扭的孩子啊)未清韵我可以赢尽天下所有男人,为何,偏偏赢不了你?※※※※※※片段一男人:你可会想念我女人:你若不消失,我怎会想念?片段二洞房花烛夜女人:你若继续效仿关公,天就亮了男人:你可知从何下手?片段三分娩阵痛时女人:混蛋杀千刀,给我滚进来!两个男人相视一眼,同时撞门:我在!
  • 雪野茫茫俄罗斯:勃留索夫抒情诗选

    雪野茫茫俄罗斯:勃留索夫抒情诗选

    本书是俄罗斯象征主义诗歌盟主勃留索夫的诗歌精选,译者按年代从勃留索夫的诗集(含未出版诗集)中选译(共141首),分为十辑。在十九世纪末二十世纪初俄罗斯文学与文化生活中,勃留索夫是个非同凡响的人物,被誉为“青铜和大理石”铸就的诗人。在诗坛上,勃留索夫还以诗歌理论家著称。
  • 斗鳄

    斗鳄

    裕仁天皇的堂妹桑田秀吉,是日本明治维新后第一代女探险家。她破例女扮男装,混入到中国的云南边境、印度尼西亚的苏门答腊丛林、泰国的阪勒蟒蛇区,进行动物考察,成为传颂一时的女杰。后来与动物学家佳田千岛结婚,生了两个女儿。大女儿叫佳田杏子,小女儿叫佳田秋子。姐妹俩相差两岁,个子长得一般高。性格有些差别——杏子比较尖刻,秋子比较憨厚。姐妹双双一再表示,要继承母亲未完之业,周游世界探险,考察毒蛇猛兽。太平洋战争爆发时,她俩刚从富士高中毕业。
  • 九心传说

    九心传说

    突然,在那深洞的中心,一点白光骤然亮起,而也就瞬间的功夫,一个大大的乳白色光球便从那深黑的洞口中脱出,向着脚下的大地飞射而来。“哇,我的女神啊,这、这,神怒了,这是神罚!”也不知是谁,突然出声打破这长久而凝重的沉寂。“神罚?”
  • 星际少女寻爱记

    星际少女寻爱记

    北堂不点一脚踩中违章时空隧道穿越而来,机缘巧合和叶千帆签订血之契约,然后叶千帆就莫名其妙一直出现在她周围。第一次在游乐园看书就算了,第二次出现在她的精神空间吃饭也没关系,第三次在星座塔换衣服也算情有可原,第四次......叶千帆忍无可忍的喊道“你半夜没事跑荒山野林干嘛。”
  • 网游之抗倭传说

    网游之抗倭传说

    一部中国人的血泪史,一场世界人民都饱受苦难的战争。一场场兄弟情意的战役,一次次为爱情而付出的战斗。没有党派之分,只为救国。没有尔虞我诈,只有抗战。现实里,只有普通人,没有什么武功心法。在牛逼的人物在游戏里也只是玩家大军中的一员。不会有人称霸,因为人各有所长。主角绝不会逆天,他只是一介学生。
  • 再见!夜先生!

    再见!夜先生!

    “签字。”男人从口中冰冷的吐出这两个字,同时修长的手指将那份文件冷冷地摔给病床上的她。“只要签了字,你就会放过萧氏,放过我得家人?”萧潇苦笑着用颤抖的双手拿起那一张————眼角膜捐赠协议。那一刻,萧潇感觉到,胸腔里有什么东西,碎了。两年后,Z城各大商业屏幕上,传来萧氏和齐氏联姻的消息,荧屏上的她,正挽着一个陌生而帅气的男人的胳膊,失掉焦距的眼睛溢满了幸福。“砰”地一声,坐在电脑前面的夜天玄捏碎了手中的红酒杯。