"Anthony, Piers - Adept - 06 - Unicorn Point" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

They passed the nadir of the Lattice, and began the gradual
incline toward the escape at the far side. Stile watched the
griffin above, ready to time his spell so as to stun it as their
heads came out of the chasm.

Suddenly Neysa faltered. Her stride broke, and she ground
to a painful halt. Stile was almost thrown from her back,
because he had been watching the sky rather than the Lattice,
and had not seen the obstruction. Now his eyes wrenched
downЧand there was no obstruction.

The demons were advancing, appearing from all the inter-
locking crevices of the demon warren. This was evidently no
surprise to them!

"NeysaЧwhat happened?" he cried, dismounting. He
could see that she was in pain.

She changed form, becoming a woman of about his own
age, petite and fit and attractive, but graying in the forehead,
exactly as in her mare form. "Founder," she breathed in
anguish.

Now he saw that her hands were held awkwardly, the fin-
gers gnarling, the joints swelling. Her feet, also, were swol-
len. She was in serious trouble. "Change to firefly form,"
he urged her. "That will take the weight off your feet."

But demons were closing in, and some had nets; they were
prepared for this also.

Stile sighed. He knew better than to try to reason with this
type of demon. He would have to back them off with magic.
He took a breath.

Abruptly the demons froze in place. Stile gaped; he hadn't
done it! This was very powerful magic; who had interceded?

8 | Piers Anthony

The griffin landed just above. It changed form. Suddenly a
young man stood there, hair tousled, handsome.

"Bane!" Stile cried, surprised and relieved.

"No, Mach," the man replied. "I am sorry; I did not
mean to drive you into the Lattice. I see Neysa ran afoul of
the demons' founder spell. My fault; I will abate it,"

"Mach!" Stile said. Normally he could tell them apart,