Read Online The Hidden City by David Eddings - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: David Eddings
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it’s going to work?’
‘There’s one way to find out.’
Sparhawk, of course, did not feel a thing. He was only the model, after all. It was a bit disconcerting to watch Berit’s appearance gradually change, however. When the combined spell had been completed, Sparhawk carefully inspected his young friend. ‘Do I really look like that from the side?’ he asked Vanion, feeling a bit deflated.
‘I can’t tell the two of you apart.’
‘That nose is really crooked, isn’t it?’
‘We thought you knew.’
‘I’ve never looked at myself from the side this way before.’ Sparhawk looked critically at Berit’s eyes. ‘You should probably try to squint just a little,’ he suggested. ‘My eyes aren’t as good as they used to be. That’s one of the things you have to look forward to as you get older.’
‘I’ll try to remember that.’ Even Berit’s voice was different.
‘Do I really sound like that?’ Sparhawk was crestfallen. Vanion nodded. Sparhawk shook his head. ‘Seeing and hearing yourself as others do definitely lowers your opinion of yourself,’ he admitted.
He looked at Berit again. ‘I didn’t feel anything, did you?’
Berit nodded, swallowing hard.
‘What was it like?’
‘I’d really rather not talk about it.’ Berit gently explored his new face with cringing fingertips, wincing as he did.
‘I still can’t tell them apart,’ Kalten marveled, staring first at Berit and then at Sparhawk.
‘That was sort of the idea,’ Sparhawk told him.
‘Which one are you?’
‘Try to be serious, Kalten.’
‘Now that we know how it’s done, we can make some other changes as well,’ Sephrenia told them. ‘We’ll give you all different faces so that you’ll be able to move around freely—and we’ll put men wearing your faces here in the palace. I think we can all expect to be watched, even after the Harvest Festival, and this should nullify that particular problem.’
‘We can make more detailed plans later,’ Vanion said. ‘Let’s get Berit and Khalad on their way first. What’s the customary route when someone wants to go overland from here to Beresa?’ He unrolled a map and spread it out on the table.
‘Most travelers go by sea,’ Oscagne replied, ‘but those who don’t usually cross the peninsula to Micae and then take a ship across the gulf to the mainland.’
‘There don’t seem to be any roads over there,’ Vanion frowned, looking at the map.
‘It’s a relatively uninhabited region, Lord Vanion,’ Oscagne shrugged, ‘salt marshes and the like. What few tracks there are wouldn’t show up on the map.’
‘Do the best you can,’ Vanion told the two young men. ‘Once you get past the Tamul Mountains, you’ll hit that road that skirts the western side of the jungle.’
‘I’d make a special point of staying out of those mountains, Berit,’ Ulath advised. ‘There are Trolls there now.’
Berit nodded.
‘You’d better have a talk with Faran, Sparhawk,’ Khalad suggested. ‘I don’t think he’ll be fooled just because Berit’s wearing your face, and Berit’s going to have to ride him if this is going to be convincing.’
‘I’d forgotten that,’ Sparhawk admitted.
‘I thought you might have.’
‘All right then,’ Vanion continued his instructions to the two young men. “follow that road down to Hydros, then take the road around the southern tip of Arjuna to Beresa. That’s the direct route, and they’ll probably be expecting you to go that way.’
‘That’s going to take quite a while, Lord Vanion,’ Khalad said.
‘I know. Evidently Krager and his friends want it to. If they were in a hurry, they’d have instructed Sparhawk to go by sea. ’
‘Give Berit your wife’s ring, Sparhawk,’ Flute instructed.
‘What?’
‘Zalasta can sense the ring, and if he can, Cyrgon can, too and Klael will definitely feel it. If you don’t give Berit the ring, changing his face was just a waste of time.’
‘You’re putting
‘There’s one way to find out.’
Sparhawk, of course, did not feel a thing. He was only the model, after all. It was a bit disconcerting to watch Berit’s appearance gradually change, however. When the combined spell had been completed, Sparhawk carefully inspected his young friend. ‘Do I really look like that from the side?’ he asked Vanion, feeling a bit deflated.
‘I can’t tell the two of you apart.’
‘That nose is really crooked, isn’t it?’
‘We thought you knew.’
‘I’ve never looked at myself from the side this way before.’ Sparhawk looked critically at Berit’s eyes. ‘You should probably try to squint just a little,’ he suggested. ‘My eyes aren’t as good as they used to be. That’s one of the things you have to look forward to as you get older.’
‘I’ll try to remember that.’ Even Berit’s voice was different.
‘Do I really sound like that?’ Sparhawk was crestfallen. Vanion nodded. Sparhawk shook his head. ‘Seeing and hearing yourself as others do definitely lowers your opinion of yourself,’ he admitted.
He looked at Berit again. ‘I didn’t feel anything, did you?’
Berit nodded, swallowing hard.
‘What was it like?’
‘I’d really rather not talk about it.’ Berit gently explored his new face with cringing fingertips, wincing as he did.
‘I still can’t tell them apart,’ Kalten marveled, staring first at Berit and then at Sparhawk.
‘That was sort of the idea,’ Sparhawk told him.
‘Which one are you?’
‘Try to be serious, Kalten.’
‘Now that we know how it’s done, we can make some other changes as well,’ Sephrenia told them. ‘We’ll give you all different faces so that you’ll be able to move around freely—and we’ll put men wearing your faces here in the palace. I think we can all expect to be watched, even after the Harvest Festival, and this should nullify that particular problem.’
‘We can make more detailed plans later,’ Vanion said. ‘Let’s get Berit and Khalad on their way first. What’s the customary route when someone wants to go overland from here to Beresa?’ He unrolled a map and spread it out on the table.
‘Most travelers go by sea,’ Oscagne replied, ‘but those who don’t usually cross the peninsula to Micae and then take a ship across the gulf to the mainland.’
‘There don’t seem to be any roads over there,’ Vanion frowned, looking at the map.
‘It’s a relatively uninhabited region, Lord Vanion,’ Oscagne shrugged, ‘salt marshes and the like. What few tracks there are wouldn’t show up on the map.’
‘Do the best you can,’ Vanion told the two young men. ‘Once you get past the Tamul Mountains, you’ll hit that road that skirts the western side of the jungle.’
‘I’d make a special point of staying out of those mountains, Berit,’ Ulath advised. ‘There are Trolls there now.’
Berit nodded.
‘You’d better have a talk with Faran, Sparhawk,’ Khalad suggested. ‘I don’t think he’ll be fooled just because Berit’s wearing your face, and Berit’s going to have to ride him if this is going to be convincing.’
‘I’d forgotten that,’ Sparhawk admitted.
‘I thought you might have.’
‘All right then,’ Vanion continued his instructions to the two young men. “follow that road down to Hydros, then take the road around the southern tip of Arjuna to Beresa. That’s the direct route, and they’ll probably be expecting you to go that way.’
‘That’s going to take quite a while, Lord Vanion,’ Khalad said.
‘I know. Evidently Krager and his friends want it to. If they were in a hurry, they’d have instructed Sparhawk to go by sea. ’
‘Give Berit your wife’s ring, Sparhawk,’ Flute instructed.
‘What?’
‘Zalasta can sense the ring, and if he can, Cyrgon can, too and Klael will definitely feel it. If you don’t give Berit the ring, changing his face was just a waste of time.’
‘You’re putting
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