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.But the monster s grip was too tight.Desperate to leave some sign that wouldbe recognized, he slippedKlia s ring from his finger and let it fall, and with it a prayer that it befound by a friend.Page 49 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlAlec had just had time to drop his bow and draw his sword before theblackness bore down on him. Seregil! he yelled, caught in darkness and the grip of the blacknightmare.A dra gorgos-or at leastthat s what he thought he d heard Seregil shout before the world went black.He tried to fight, butsomething hit his arm, numbing it except for a burning pain in his hand.The hilt slipped from his fingers and his consciousness with it.CHAPTER 8No Stomach for MagicSEREGIL WOKE IN darkness, chilled to the bone and caught in a wave ofgut-wrenching nausea.His mouth was filled with the mingled bitterness of bile and iron; his teethgrated against a thin, flat metalplate that pressed on his tongue.He shuddered at the sensation and anotherwave of nausea threatened.The sour reek of vomit was strong, and a rushing, pounding sound filled hisears.Wherever he was, itTopPage No 32was dark and moving.As his mind cleared, he recognized the sounds.A ship.Bilairy s Sack, I m in a ship s hold.How the-?Moving his arms and legs carefully, he ascertained that although no bonesseemed to be broken, hewas shackled hand and foot.Gagging, he tried to sit up, but his head felt tooheavy.He collapsed backon his side and felt rough planking against his bare skin.Metal dug into histemple, and the plate betweenhis teeth shifted, cutting the side of his mouth.He was naked, too.Just his luck.They ve got me in branks.He rolled slowly onto his back, trying to ease the pressure of the ironcage around his head.Roughchain bit into the underside of his jaw, holding the wretched apparatus inplace.The last thing he recalled was the ambush in the forest.How in the nameof the Four had he gotten ona ship? And in this condition, too?What became of Phoria s message sticks? he wondered dully.And what willshe do when noword arrives?He was still too addled from the dra gorgos attack to get further thanthat, but knew from experiencethat the illness was probably his usual reaction to magic.His first thoughtwas that someone had sent himhere by a translocation spell, but if so, the effects would be wearing off bynow.Instead, he was stillwretchedly sick, and it was making it hard to concentrate.And since he wasn tgiven to seasickness,something must be acting on him, probably some spell on the shackles.He neverknew how a new magicPage 50 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlwould affect him, but more often than not it was unpleasant.This certainlyfit the pattern.He pulled weakly at the shackles and heard the dull drag of heavy chainsagainst wood.There was along bar between his hands, making it impossible to use them effectively, andanother between his feet.He dragged his right hand awkwardly to his face and used his lips and cheek toexamine the thick metalband around his wrist.It was a handspan wide, and he could feel neither locknor seam.He twisted hiswrists and the bands cut into his flesh; too tight to wiggle out of, even ifhe disjointed his thumbs.Thatwas almost a relief; it had been a long time since he d had to use suchdrastic measures and he was inenough pain as it was.As his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, he found he could make out athin sliver of light faroverhead that was mostly likely a hatchway.Squinting, he made out the heavystaples his chains weresecured to, and then, further away, the shapes of others bound as he was. Ah- ek! It was impossible to speak properly around the branks. Ar-ek? ere are you? Suddenly the darkness was filled with frantic voices, all of them asgarbled as his own, and none ofthem Alec s
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