The Summer Palace Read Online Free

world.
    â€œO
ler,
” he whispered, “I must do this. I am going to slay a Dark Lord by approaching him where his magic cannot help him. I know I must yield you up to do this, but I see no other way.”
    You will have no magic past this point,
something chided him.
    â€œI know,” he murmured. “I know. But am I not the
world’s
greatest swordsman? Have I not been practicing every day for years so that I can fight on my own, without magical aid?”
    We cannot guide you.
    â€œI understand that. I ask no guidance, no assistance. I must face the Wizard Lord without magic. He is too well guarded in Barokan, but in his Summer Palace he will think himself safe from me.”
    We cannot protect you.
    â€œI know.” Sword swallowed. “His guards will probably kill me—but I hope I can kill him before they do, to free Barokan and avenge my companions. I’ll use whatever stealth I can, and try to surprise them.”
    Go.
    And the
ler
were gone. Strength returned to his legs, his hands were steady once again—but he could feel a yawning, terrible emptiness in his heart and soul as he staggered past the boundary marker. The land around him felt dead and somehow less real than it had just a moment before.
    He could also feel a horrible weariness; he no longer had any magical reserves of endurance or strength, and he had had a very long day indeed. He had awakened in Morning Calm, decoyed several of the Wizard Lord’s men into the clutches of the
ler
of MorningCalm’s earth, then marched swiftly cross-country back to Winter-home; he had spent an hour or two prowling the streets without rest, then had climbed the wall, crossed the roof, and climbed the cliffs. His magic had given him the strength to do all this without pain, without succumbing to exhaustion, but now his magic was gone.
    A cold wind blew down from the east, from the plateau, and he shivered. He stumbled on, up the triangular canyon, toward the light of dawn, then paused and looked back. He could see nothing of Winterhome now; all he saw was the star-spattered western sky over Barokan.
    And that meant, he thought, that no one in Barokan could see
him
.
    There was no need to go farther tonight. He could rest here. He curled up at the side of the canyon, against the rocky wall, and fell instantly asleep.

[ 2 ]
    A few hours later Sword awoke, stiff from sleeping on the stony ground as he had, and immediately cursed himself for a fool. He should never have yielded to exhaustion as he had. The sun was more than halfway up the eastern sky, filling the canyon with daylight; he had been sleeping here in the open for hours. What if someone had passed by and found him here? Yes, it had been several days since the Wizard Lord left the Summer Palace, but there had presumably been servants left behind to finish closing it up, and he was unsure whether all of them had yet descended to Winterhome.
    For that matter, despite what he had told himself the day before, Sword was not really sure what schedule the Uplanders followed. They might already be on their way to Winterhome, as well, though he did not really think it likely. The stories said that they came down the cliffs only at the first snowfall, which was surely at least a month or two away.
    He shuddered, stretched, and then got slowly to his feet.
    He had gotten this far on half-formed ideas and desperation, but he knew he should formulate some real plans before going farther. He had decided that the Uplands were the only place he could go where the Wizard Lord would not find him, and he still believed that, but he had not really worked out any details beyond getting himself atop the cliffs. At the boundary he had told the
ler
that he intended to ambush the Wizard Lord when he came back up to the Summer Palace, but first he would have to survive until spring.
    He would need food and water and shelter. He knew that the Summer Palace could provide shelter, if he could get