"Julia Gray - Guardian 02 - The Jasper Forest" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gray Julia)

cliffs. He had drifted into a labyrinth of stone, that rose from the ocean to
form a water-born maze.
When the second realization came, it sent a desperate surge of energy pulsing
through his mind and body. The rocks, no matter how strange their shape,
represented land, the first he had seen since the Floating Islands had left
him floundering in their massive wake. He might yet survive this ordeal.
Even though his dreams still tugged at the edges of his vision, Terrel could
see one thing clearly now. The sides of the rocks were so precipitous that
there was no chance of him disembarking there. What was more, there would be
no point in even making the attempt. These stone pinnacles were clearly
barren, devoid of any source of sustenance. The sparse vegetation might suck
life from cracks in the surface, but he could not, and in any case, it was far
above him, out of reach.
The next thought that came brought another spark of hope - and one on which he
forced himself to act. If this was some part of a foreign land, then it was
possible that the water below him was not the ocean that had propelled him
into exile. If this was a river, then he might be able to drink.
Leaning down to the edge of the raft was a slow and arduous task that made his
head spin and his vision blur, but hope lent him the power to persevere.
Dipping a finger into the water, he brought it to his mouth and dribbled a few
drops onto his swollen tongue. Pain stung him, filling his cheeks, his teeth
and eyes as well as his lips, but that was nothing compared to the
wretchedness that filled him as his half-dead senses recognized the dread
taste of salt. He retched convulsively, his empty stomach heaving. He knew
better than to try to drink any more. He might as well have swallowed poison.
Exhausted by his efforts, and his spirit crushed, Terrel lay where he was
and fell into another feverish hour of sleep. When he awoke, it was to find
that the raft had not moved. Whatever current had been pushing him along had
been caught up by the enveloping spires of grey stone, so that he was
travelling round in slow circles, going nowhere. He would have cried out then
- if he'd had either the strength or the voice for it тАФ because it seemed that
he was doomed to stay in that rock-bound lagoon for ever. A pointless end to a
pointless journey. The final nightmare тАФ and the death of his promise.
'Alyssa!'
In his mind he was shouting, crying out in futile misery. But the only sound
that came from his ruined mouth was a choking hiss of agony that echoed from
the diffs about him, then died away into silence. He fell back into the shadow
of the Dark Moon.
A new ghost, a new voice, crept into his dreams. He recognized neither. Nor
could he understand what it said. The words were gibberish; meaningless sounds
sent to A second interloper was talking now, but he made no more sense than
the other. They seemed to be calling.
Was it to him? Terrel had no idea what they were saying, but he could
recognize the urgency in their tone. Was this new torment in this world or
the next?
The voices persisted, overriding the other delusions in his fevered mind,
giving him no rest. At last, reluctantly, he opened his salt-encrusted eyes.
And saw two men in canoes, watching him from the edge of the lagoon.
Chapter Two
For a few moments, Terrel assumed that the two men were simply more of his