Shadowrun - Earthdawn - Mother Speaks Read Online Free Page B

sound of a thousand birds screeching filling my ears. By that time I had fallen from the horse. The left side of my body, from my face down to my waist, felt horribly cold even as a burning sensation cut through my flesh. My left arm shook violently.

    I looked up at you in the window, saw your startled, horrified faces. Tears formed in my eyes. I didn't want you boys to see me like that. I felt shame mixed with fear. My fingers dug into the soft ground and I tried to raise myself with my right arm. Pain cut through me as I moved my body. But still I tried to rise.

    Then a pair of tanned leather boots stepped up in front of me, filling my vision. I suddenly felt like a child confronted by an angry adult. One of the boots pulled back to kick me in the face. I rolled to my right, but not fast enough. The boot swung forward.

    My vision flashed to black, and for a moment I couldn't remember what was happening.
    Then I felt the ground slam into my face. I tried to get up again, focusing on a spell—a fireball, I think. I tried to bring my thoughts to the astral plane, but it was no use. I could not think properly.

    The booted foot came for me again, and I tried to catch it with my right hand.

    There was not a chance. It slammed into my face once more.

    I rolled onto my back. A huge man stared down at met his features angry and dark, though he smiled with dirty teeth. I turned my head and saw the swordmaster adept surrounded by enemies, her melee illuminated by fluid red torchlight. One of her opponents suddenly drove a sword point through her abdomen. She gasped, her face freezing in pain, then another sword slashed down into her shoulder.

    Something, another movement, caught my attention to the left of me. Just as I was shifting my gaze, I saw the boot rising high over my head. After that, oblivion.

    7

    I awoke in pain. Darkness ate at my vision. The floor beneath me seemed to be made of stone, though I could not be sure. The burns on my body confused my sense of touch.
    Memories of movement—riding in a cart, and even walking, came to me, but I couldn't remember any images.

    My voice cracking and barely audible, I spoke. "Hello?"

    No reply came back. But as I listened carefully, I heard t he sound of breathing, a few whispered words, soft crying, and a gurgling laugh no louder than water running slowly over a rock.

    Gingerly I touched my right hand to the left side of my body. The burns had hardened—
    like thick scars. Someone had taken the trouble of healing me with magic. I tried for a moment to get up, but the pain bit too deeply into my flesh. A wave of dizziness passed over me. I put my head down against the stone floor and fell back asleep.

    When the door opened, the room flooded with dim red torchlight. The noise of the door opening startled me awake. The flames, though not bright, hurt my eyes and my vision blurred. I saw figures in the doorway. Around me people of many races—dwarfs, elves, humans, orks, trolls, and others—stood up and made their way toward the door. Someone by the door shouted at us, but in a language I didn't recognize. I tried to get up, but could not.

    A whip cracked beside me, and I cringed in surprise. Again came words I couldn't understand. Shadows moved about the room. Suddenly someone grabbed me and pulled me up. The rough jostling cracked some of my scarred flesh, and fresh pain coursed through me. At that moment, all I could think of was, "What did I do? What have I done?"

    I was standing now, being pushed forward by someone, forcing me to walk weakly toward the door. To my right I saw an old man on the ground, crying. The man with the whip snapped it against the downed man again and again. Drops of blood rained against my face as the whip snapped back. The sight drove me into a fury, albeit a quiet one. I could barely walk, let alone rescue the old man. I thought for a moment that I had to do something— rush the slave master, shout at him to stop. But I could find no