Dark Sun: Prism Pentad 4 - Obsidian Oracle Read Online Free

giant whipped his
     head back and forth in an ineffectual attempt to glimpse his prisoner's face without
     locking gazes. At last, it became apparent that this would not work, and Fylo gave up,
     once again fixing both crossed eyes on his captive.
    To Agis's surprise, a broad smile crossed Fylo's lips. “Fylo like seeing games,” he said,
     tightening his grip on the noble. “Fylo guess little man have brown eyes.”
    With a sinking feeling, Agis turned his attention inward, replacing the mental effigy of
     himself with the image of a rapacious dustgull. A surge of energy rose from the core of
     his being to give the creature life, then the bird took on an existence of its own. It
     became his harbinger, a construct of his thoughts, yet it was detached and able to
     function outside his own head.
    “Are you certain?” Agis asked, staring into the black depths of the giant's pupil. “Tou'd
     better look closer and be sure.”
    With that, the noble sent his harbinger to attack Fylo's mind. The bird streaked from
     Agis's eyes into the giant's, disappearing into what lay beyond.
    “What that?” Fylo demanded.
    Agis did not answer, concentrating instead on the terrain he had discovered inside the
     giant's mind. The region was gray and hazy, with half-formed thoughts whirling past like
     the wild winds of a silt storm. Once, the noble glimpsed a giant's fist floating past,
     blood spurting from between the fingers. Another time he saw a pair of human legs
     protruding from a huge mouth, kicking madly as the victim was swallowed whole. As a master
     of the Way, Agis had no trouble understanding the significance of the images: the giant
     was considering ways to kill him. The noble had to take control quickly, before Fylo
     turned one of the ideas into a plan of action.
    A craggy island drifted into view, with the crisp detail and solid aspect of a memory.
     Standing atop its sheer cliffs were six giants, all with humanlike faces. They were
     hurling boulders off the precipice, shouting, “Go live with dwarf, ugly!” and “Stay 'way.
     Fylo scare sheep!”
    Agis turned his dustgull after the passing island. If he could seize command of the
     memory, he could use it for his own ends and quickly force the giant to release him.
    Outside, a blast of hot, fetid air rushed over the noble's face. “Take bird back!” boomed
     the giant, squeezing so hard that Agis feared his ribs would snap.
    Fylo's demand surprised the noble. As a seasoned practitioner of the Way, he was
     well-versed at slipping into the thoughts of others. That the giant even understood that
     his mind had been invaded suggested he had an innate talent, for there could be no doubt
     that he was too dim-witted to have mastered the art through the normal avenues-rigorous
     study and discipline.
    “Don't kill me, or the bird will stay in your head,” Agis bluffed, barely able to gasp out
     the words.
    Fylo's grip did not grow any tighter, but neither did it slacken. “Stop, and Fylo not hurt
     you.” The giant's voice seemed at once determined and a little anxious.
    “Not until you let me go,” Agis countered.
    Even as he spoke, the noble continued to guide his harbinger toward the island inside the
     giant's mind. As soon as the dustgull's talons touched the rocky summit, the six giants
     who had been hurling boulders over the cliff turned around. They launched a barrage of
     rocks at the bird's featherless head, crying “Go 'way, ugly bird!”
    Agis summoned more spiritual energy, and visualized his dustgull changing into a mekillot.
     As the boulders began their descent, the bird grew a hundred times larger, its feathered
     wings changing to a bony carapace and its hooked beak into a blunt-nosed snout full of
     sharp teeth. The rocks struck the hulking lizard with a tremendous clatter, bouncing
     harmlessly off its shell and disappearing over the cliff.
    At first, the noble feared that his foe had taken control of