Read Online The Moons of Mirrodin by Will McDermott - Free Book Online
Authors: Will McDermott
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rises.”
“Sun?” asked Glissa.
“You know,” said Slobad, “round things in the sky. Four of them. They come up. They go down. Make world bright; make world dark.” The goblin waved his arms in a funny pattern around his head. “You can’t tell me you don’t know suns, huh?”
“We call them ‘moons,’ ” said Glissa. “It’s an ancient word for heavenly bodies that circle around the world. I know what a sun is. I’ve seen them in my … dreams. Suns are much brighter and hotter, I think.”
“Suns give light and heat, huh?” said Slobad. “That’s right. That’s what goblins know about suns. We have four suns. No moons. Just suns.”
“Okay,” said Glissa, not wanting to argue. “They’re suns. Now can I go to sleep?”
Slobad nodded, so Glissa lay back on the furs and closed her eyes. She had no choice but to trust the odd, fast-talking goblin. She needed rest, and she would need his help to get out of here. Even so, she pretended to sleep for some time, just in case Slobad tried to attack.
After a while, Glissa did sleep and dreamed of the levelers attacking her in the Tangle. She was surrounded and they were advancing, their blades spinning in front of them. She could see the bodies of her parents in a heap nearby. Her mother’s hand and ring were nowhere to be seen, and Lyese’s long hair had been sliced off, leaving a bloody scar across the top of her head. Tears welled up in Glissa’s eyes, and she rubbed her arm across her face to wipe them away.
Now the levelers changed into flying beasts that buzzed around her head. She swatted at them with her sword, but they kept coming. She could hear laughing and looked over to see a robed figure where her dead parents had been just moments before. The laughing changed to screams, and Glissa saw that the figure held Kane off the ground by his neck. Kane was screaming. Glissa shouted, then saw green tendrils of energy erupt from her hands, snaking up her arms.
THE GLIMMERVOID
Glissa started awake in a cold sweat. Was that a dream or a flare? she wondered. How could it have been a flare? The events she had dreamed had never happened to her, as far as she knew. Who was that robed figure? He had been in the Tangle the night her parents died. Was he the master of the levelers? Glissa sat up and looked down at her hands but saw no green energy surrounding them.
“You’re awake, huh?” said Slobad, who was sitting at the table, eating. “Good. Can you walk? We leave soon, but Slobad can’t carry you home. Too big. No good, huh?”
Glissa looked at her leg. The swelling was almost gone, but the ankle still ached. She untied the leather bandage and saw that the copper around the wounds looked odd. It was green, but that was just molder—the process that gave Tangle trees their green coloring. All copper looked that way if not polished regularly. No, the metal itself seemed to have bubbled up around the wounds. As Glissa removed the leather strap, some of the metal flaked off, and pus oozed from the wounds again.
The elf wiped her ankle clean, wincing at the pain, then replaced the bandage. She pushed herself up and tested the ankle. It held her weight, and she could endure the pain. “I can walk,” she said.
Slobad came over and poked at the bandage with his clawed hand.
“Ow! What did you do that for?”
“You can’t walk long on that leg,” said Slobad. “I saw, huh? The metal is corroding. Infection spreading. You’ll never make it to the Tangle, huh? Too far. You need healer soon. We go to leonin.”
“Leonin?” asked Glissa. “Who is that? Is he far away?”
“Stupid elf,” said Slobad. “Do you know nothing about the world outside Tangle? The leonin are your neighbors, huh? Their tribes live in the Glimmervoid. Not far. Slobad lives on edge of Glimmervoid. It’ll take two or three rotations to walk to leonin city. We find a healer there.”
The little goblin went to his workbench and began putting tools and
“Sun?” asked Glissa.
“You know,” said Slobad, “round things in the sky. Four of them. They come up. They go down. Make world bright; make world dark.” The goblin waved his arms in a funny pattern around his head. “You can’t tell me you don’t know suns, huh?”
“We call them ‘moons,’ ” said Glissa. “It’s an ancient word for heavenly bodies that circle around the world. I know what a sun is. I’ve seen them in my … dreams. Suns are much brighter and hotter, I think.”
“Suns give light and heat, huh?” said Slobad. “That’s right. That’s what goblins know about suns. We have four suns. No moons. Just suns.”
“Okay,” said Glissa, not wanting to argue. “They’re suns. Now can I go to sleep?”
Slobad nodded, so Glissa lay back on the furs and closed her eyes. She had no choice but to trust the odd, fast-talking goblin. She needed rest, and she would need his help to get out of here. Even so, she pretended to sleep for some time, just in case Slobad tried to attack.
After a while, Glissa did sleep and dreamed of the levelers attacking her in the Tangle. She was surrounded and they were advancing, their blades spinning in front of them. She could see the bodies of her parents in a heap nearby. Her mother’s hand and ring were nowhere to be seen, and Lyese’s long hair had been sliced off, leaving a bloody scar across the top of her head. Tears welled up in Glissa’s eyes, and she rubbed her arm across her face to wipe them away.
Now the levelers changed into flying beasts that buzzed around her head. She swatted at them with her sword, but they kept coming. She could hear laughing and looked over to see a robed figure where her dead parents had been just moments before. The laughing changed to screams, and Glissa saw that the figure held Kane off the ground by his neck. Kane was screaming. Glissa shouted, then saw green tendrils of energy erupt from her hands, snaking up her arms.
THE GLIMMERVOID
Glissa started awake in a cold sweat. Was that a dream or a flare? she wondered. How could it have been a flare? The events she had dreamed had never happened to her, as far as she knew. Who was that robed figure? He had been in the Tangle the night her parents died. Was he the master of the levelers? Glissa sat up and looked down at her hands but saw no green energy surrounding them.
“You’re awake, huh?” said Slobad, who was sitting at the table, eating. “Good. Can you walk? We leave soon, but Slobad can’t carry you home. Too big. No good, huh?”
Glissa looked at her leg. The swelling was almost gone, but the ankle still ached. She untied the leather bandage and saw that the copper around the wounds looked odd. It was green, but that was just molder—the process that gave Tangle trees their green coloring. All copper looked that way if not polished regularly. No, the metal itself seemed to have bubbled up around the wounds. As Glissa removed the leather strap, some of the metal flaked off, and pus oozed from the wounds again.
The elf wiped her ankle clean, wincing at the pain, then replaced the bandage. She pushed herself up and tested the ankle. It held her weight, and she could endure the pain. “I can walk,” she said.
Slobad came over and poked at the bandage with his clawed hand.
“Ow! What did you do that for?”
“You can’t walk long on that leg,” said Slobad. “I saw, huh? The metal is corroding. Infection spreading. You’ll never make it to the Tangle, huh? Too far. You need healer soon. We go to leonin.”
“Leonin?” asked Glissa. “Who is that? Is he far away?”
“Stupid elf,” said Slobad. “Do you know nothing about the world outside Tangle? The leonin are your neighbors, huh? Their tribes live in the Glimmervoid. Not far. Slobad lives on edge of Glimmervoid. It’ll take two or three rotations to walk to leonin city. We find a healer there.”
The little goblin went to his workbench and began putting tools and
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