Read Online The Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - Free Book Online
Authors: Andrzej Sapkowski
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his mount, but his boot remained stuck in the stirrup. He fell. The mare neighed and rushed onto the bridge as it wobbled over the gap. The dwarves ran across shouting and swearing.
"Faster, Geralt!" Jaskier shouted over his shoulder as he ran behind the dwarves.
"Jump, witcher!" shouted Dorregaray, jostling around in the saddle and struggling to control his now wild horse.
Behind them, a whole section of path collapsed. A cloud of dust went up, created by the landslide and the crashing of Niedamir's wagons as they broke to pieces. The witcher managed to hang on to the straps of the magician's saddlebags. He heard a scream.
Yennefer fell with her horse, then rolled aside. She threw herself to the ground and protected her head with her hands, trying to remain out of reach of the hooves that kicked out blindly. The witcher let go to rush toward her, avoiding a rain of stones and jumping over the fissures which formed under his feet. Clutching an injured shoulder, Yennefer rose to her knees. Her eyes were wide and there was a cut above her eyebrow. Blood trickled down to her earlobe.
"Get up, Yen!"
"Geralt, look out!"
An enormous block of rock, which had broken loose from the wall with a grating noise, came down directly behind them with a thud. Geralt dropped to shield the sorceress with his body. The block exploded and broke into thousands of fragments as fine as wasp stings.
"Hurry!" cried Dorregaray. From his horse, he waved his wand, reducing to dust the other rocks that had come loose from the wall. "To the bridge, witcher!"
Yennefer made a sign with her hand, stretching out her fingers. Nobody understood what she shouted. Stones evaporated like raindrops on white-hot iron upon the bluish arch which had just formed above their heads.
"To the bridge, Geralt!" cried the sorceress. "Follow me!"
They ran behind Dorregaray and some unhorsed archers. The bridge swayed and cracked, beams bending, throwing them from one balustrade to the next.
"Quickly!"
The bridge collapsed all at once with a deafening racket. The half that they had just crossed tore itself apart and fell with a crash into the void, taking with it the dwarves' wagon which smashed onto a row of rocks. They heard the dreadful neighing of the panicked horses. The party that remained on the bridge continued holding on, but Geralt realized that they ran on an increasingly steep slope. Yennefer, breathing heavily, cursed.
"We're falling, Yen! Hold on!"
The rest of the bridge creaked, split apart and swung down like a drawbridge. Yennefer and Geralt slid, their fingers clutching at the cracks between the log. Realizing that she was gradually losing her grip, the sorceress gave a shriek. Holding on with one hand, Geralt drew his dagger with the other and drove it into a crack before hanging on to it with both hands. The joints of his elbows started to strain as Yennefer held on tightly to his sword belt and scabbard that he wore across his back. The bridge gave way and tilted more and more towards the vertical.
"Yen," groaned the witcher. "Do something... damn it. Cast a spell!"
"How?" she replied in a low, hot-tempered growl. "I'm holding on with both hands!"
"Free one of your hands."
"I can't..."
"Hey!" shouted Jaskier from higher up. "Can you hang on? Hey!"
Geralt didn't consider it helpful to reply.
"Throw a rope!" demanded Jaskier. "Quickly, god damn it!"
The Reavers, the dwarves and Gyllenstiern appeared beside Jaskier. Geralt heard the muffled voice of Boholt:
"Wait a minute. She'll fall soon. We'll pull the witcher up afterwards."
Yennefer hissed like a snake as she clung to Geralt's back. The bandolier bit into the witcher's torso painfully.
"Yen? Can you get a hold? Can you use your feet?"
"Yes," she groaned. "In theory."
Geralt looked down at the river boiling between the sharp stones against which rolled a few logs from the bridge, the body of a horse and a corpse dressed in the vivid colours of Caingorn. Amongst the rocks, in the
"Faster, Geralt!" Jaskier shouted over his shoulder as he ran behind the dwarves.
"Jump, witcher!" shouted Dorregaray, jostling around in the saddle and struggling to control his now wild horse.
Behind them, a whole section of path collapsed. A cloud of dust went up, created by the landslide and the crashing of Niedamir's wagons as they broke to pieces. The witcher managed to hang on to the straps of the magician's saddlebags. He heard a scream.
Yennefer fell with her horse, then rolled aside. She threw herself to the ground and protected her head with her hands, trying to remain out of reach of the hooves that kicked out blindly. The witcher let go to rush toward her, avoiding a rain of stones and jumping over the fissures which formed under his feet. Clutching an injured shoulder, Yennefer rose to her knees. Her eyes were wide and there was a cut above her eyebrow. Blood trickled down to her earlobe.
"Get up, Yen!"
"Geralt, look out!"
An enormous block of rock, which had broken loose from the wall with a grating noise, came down directly behind them with a thud. Geralt dropped to shield the sorceress with his body. The block exploded and broke into thousands of fragments as fine as wasp stings.
"Hurry!" cried Dorregaray. From his horse, he waved his wand, reducing to dust the other rocks that had come loose from the wall. "To the bridge, witcher!"
Yennefer made a sign with her hand, stretching out her fingers. Nobody understood what she shouted. Stones evaporated like raindrops on white-hot iron upon the bluish arch which had just formed above their heads.
"To the bridge, Geralt!" cried the sorceress. "Follow me!"
They ran behind Dorregaray and some unhorsed archers. The bridge swayed and cracked, beams bending, throwing them from one balustrade to the next.
"Quickly!"
The bridge collapsed all at once with a deafening racket. The half that they had just crossed tore itself apart and fell with a crash into the void, taking with it the dwarves' wagon which smashed onto a row of rocks. They heard the dreadful neighing of the panicked horses. The party that remained on the bridge continued holding on, but Geralt realized that they ran on an increasingly steep slope. Yennefer, breathing heavily, cursed.
"We're falling, Yen! Hold on!"
The rest of the bridge creaked, split apart and swung down like a drawbridge. Yennefer and Geralt slid, their fingers clutching at the cracks between the log. Realizing that she was gradually losing her grip, the sorceress gave a shriek. Holding on with one hand, Geralt drew his dagger with the other and drove it into a crack before hanging on to it with both hands. The joints of his elbows started to strain as Yennefer held on tightly to his sword belt and scabbard that he wore across his back. The bridge gave way and tilted more and more towards the vertical.
"Yen," groaned the witcher. "Do something... damn it. Cast a spell!"
"How?" she replied in a low, hot-tempered growl. "I'm holding on with both hands!"
"Free one of your hands."
"I can't..."
"Hey!" shouted Jaskier from higher up. "Can you hang on? Hey!"
Geralt didn't consider it helpful to reply.
"Throw a rope!" demanded Jaskier. "Quickly, god damn it!"
The Reavers, the dwarves and Gyllenstiern appeared beside Jaskier. Geralt heard the muffled voice of Boholt:
"Wait a minute. She'll fall soon. We'll pull the witcher up afterwards."
Yennefer hissed like a snake as she clung to Geralt's back. The bandolier bit into the witcher's torso painfully.
"Yen? Can you get a hold? Can you use your feet?"
"Yes," she groaned. "In theory."
Geralt looked down at the river boiling between the sharp stones against which rolled a few logs from the bridge, the body of a horse and a corpse dressed in the vivid colours of Caingorn. Amongst the rocks, in the
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