[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Bnn, the first Lepid, buzzed angrily.
Thiss acussation makess no sensse! protested Lzz, his voice so thick with
hissing that Laura could barely understand it. Everyone knowss that it iss the
function of the harvesst room to filter the emotionss of the fertile humanss, not
amplify them. And how if I wass feeding a little as I put the female back in her
place? How could my action have caused the dissparity in the balance of
emotionss in the Queen'ss chamber?
I don't know how it came about but you were the only one nearby when it
happened. Bnn's voice had lost none of its buzzing stridency. Deny all you like,
Lzz, but you know as well as any that the cycle liess in a delicate balance. Only
after fertilization will the eggss be more vulnerable. If you wissh to take part in the
mating sswarm, I ssugesst you admit your actionss before I am forced to report
you to Tmm.
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/custo...%20Scales%20Evangeline%20Anderson%20NCP.htm (190 of 266) [8/28/2005 6:29:40 PM]
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/customer/My%20Documents/eb...P%20E-Books/Butterfly%20Scales%20Evangeline%20Anderson%20NCP.htm
Both sets of wings were extended to full width now and Laura could see the angry
Lepids squaring off for some kind of conflict.
Brotherss, hive matess .... it need not come to thiss. He pushed between them, large wings fanning
anxiously. Let us sspeak as equalss. The voice was soft and cajoling as he continued to reason but Laura
could no longer understand anything he said for he had switched from English to the hissing tongue of the
Lepids. It sounded like a pit of angry snakes but it seemed to calm Lzz and Bnn down for gradually their
stiffly extended wings lowered. Soon Lzz turned and stroked the wall briefly, shutting away the
distressing site and emotions of the pregnant girls strapped to the wall.
Laura drew her head back, realizing that now the conflict was over, the Lepids had
a much greater chance of noticing her. Without the pregnant girls emotions
seeping out into the corridor, her own and Vince s feelings were more likely to be
detected. The soft hissing continued for another five minutes and then swept past
them and on down the twisting corridor, out of hearing.
Chapter 20
Staring out of the corner of his eye at Laura's face, Vince knew she'd seen
something truly awful and he could feel the horror pulsing between them in the
crowded space like a living thing. It occurred to him that they might be forming
some kind of an emotional loop since he still had the dust in his system--her
emotions feeding his and his feeding hers--sort of the way she'd described it to
him when she and her ex-husband tried to make love. But he couldn't risk asking
anything while the Lepids were still right outside the corridor, having their fight.
He waited, holding his breath while they ranted and hissed and gradually he
realized that he wasn't feeling anybody's fear or horror but his own anymore. He
felt weak and tired almost to death but he was relieved that the strange effects of
the dust seemed to be passing out of his system.
At last the Lepids moved on and it was safe to come out of the tiny narrow space
they'd squeezed themselves into. Vince had intended to come charging out, to
insist that Laura open the door across the hall so he could grab Kyra and find a
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/custo...%20Scales%20Evangeline%20Anderson%20NCP.htm (191 of 266) [8/28/2005 6:29:40 PM]
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/customer/My%20Documents/eb...P%20E-Books/Butterfly%20Scales%20Evangeline%20Anderson%20NCP.htm
way out of this God forsaken place. But as he left the support of the wall, a sudden
wave of weakness hit him, bringing him to his knees.
Vince? He could hear the concern in her voice and was vaguely aware that he
was glad that he couldn't feel it as well, but the world was wavering in and out
alarmingly and he couldn't answer.
Vince, come on, we've got to move!
Give me a minute, he wanted to say, but all that came out was, ...minute.... He
staggered upright, fighting the insidious weakness that was robbing his strength
but the lassitude that pulled at him was not to be denied. Dimly he remembered the
way he'd felt after his experience with the dust in Mike's, but this was a hundred
times worse. His legs felt like they had after two-a-days at football practice when
he was in high-school and the coach had made them run the bleachers a hundred
times in the hot sun.
Jelly, he thought hazily, hearing Laura dimly with one part of his brain while the
rest of him swam towards darkness. Turnnin' into a big jelly fish. Gonna melt right
here on the floor....
Vince, you're too heavy to move. They're coming! Vince, come on!
Dimly he was aware that Laura was tugging at his arm and it shamed him when he
realized the effort it must be costing her to touch him in this place where all the
emotions seemed magnified times ten. But despite the effort she was making, he
simply couldn't move.
No! Leave him alone! Who was she talking to? Vince tried to look around but
suddenly he was enveloped in a pair of large, rustling wings, like being wrapped in
a quilt made of clattering, ice-cold sea-shells. He felt a frigid fist open inside his
belly--they had him!
The sudden adrenaline dump was enough to throw off the weakness from the fairy
dust hangover and he lashed out, kicking and punching at the enfolding curtain of
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/custo...%20Scales%20Evangeline%20Anderson%20NCP.htm (192 of 266) [8/28/2005 6:29:40 PM]
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]