Read Online Goldenhand by Garth Nix - Free Book Online Page B

away.
    The last star-shell fizzled out as Lirael looked back at Nick. She found it easier to talk to him in the dark. The Ancelstierrans would arrive shortly, and she presumed they would take him away again.
    â€œI’m not sure even Sabriel would know about the peculiar nature of the Hrule.”
    That sounded too much like boasting, Lirael suddenly thought. She stood up, a little flustered, and continued.
    â€œWell, I’d best be on my way. There are stretcher-bearers waiting to come over to take you in. I think you’ll be all right now. There’s no lasting damage. Nothing from the Hrule, I mean. No new lasting effects, that is . . . I really do have to get going. Apparently there’s some Dead thing or other farther south—the message wasn’t clear . . .”
    Lirael stopped talking and didn’t exactly bite her lip, but rather gripped it with her teeth in an agony of embarrassment. She’d just spouted a lot of nonsense. Nick would think she was a fool, since obviously he’d sent the message and the creature mentioned in the telegram was the Hrule, and it was dealt with and she wished she had never come, except that if she hadn’t Nick would probably have died and the Hrule would have done who knew what—
    â€œThat was the creature,” said Nick, but it wasn’t in the tone ofvoice of someone pointing out the blindingly obvious. “I sent a message to the Magistrix. I followed the creature all the way here from Dorrance Hall.”
    â€œThen I can go back to the guards who escorted me here,” Lirael said. She gestured behind her, oblivious to the fact that Anlow and the whole company of Guards were sneaking forward again like guilty children. “They won’t have started back for Barhedrin yet. That’s where I left my paperwing. I can fly by myself now. I mean, I’m still—”
    â€œI don’t want to go back to Ancelstierre,” Nick burst out. He tried to sit up and this time succeeded. Lirael reached out to help him, and touched his arm for a moment before immediately letting go. She felt foolish again, because of course he was just a wounded man who needed help; there was nothing about the touching that was anything else.
    â€œI want to come to the Old Kingdom,” said Nick. He looked up at Lirael, but she looked away, toward the approaching Ancelstierrans. They were following a zigzag lane through the wire and somebody was shouting very officiously, though she couldn’t make out the words.
    â€œI want to come to the Old Kingdom,” repeated Nick.
    â€œBut you didn’t come before,” said Lirael. She still didn’t look at him. “When we left and Sabriel said you should because of what . . . because of what had happened to you. I wondered . . . that is, Sam thought later, perhaps you didn’t want to . . . that is, you needed to stay in Ancelstierre for some person, I mean reason—”
    â€œNo,” said Nick. “There is nothing for me in Ancelstierre. I was afraid, that’s all.”
    â€œAfraid?” asked Lirael. She did look at him, but hesitantly, half-hiding behind the hair that fell across her face, as she had used to do back in the Glacier. “Afraid of what?”
    â€œI don’t know,” said Nick. He smiled again, a hesitant smile,seeking her approval. “Can you give me a hand to get up? Oh, your hand! Sam really did make a new one for you!”
    Lirael flexed the fingers on her golden, Charter-spelled hand, and once again regretted Sam’s desire to show off his work. Her hand was glowing like a candle, soft behind gold-colored glass. It was warm, and charming, but just too visible for her liking. There and then she decided the spell would go, whether it hurt Sam’s feelings or not.
    Nick held up his hands, one still bloody. He seemed confident she would take them.
    â€œI’ve had it for only a week,” said Lirael, slowly turning her