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Catherine Archer ~ Dragon 1~ Catherine Archer
Cressida Cowell [How to Train How to Speak Dragonese (epub) i
Cheryl Dragon [Men of Alaska Sterling Sunshine [Loose Id] (e
Dragonlance Ergoth 01 A Warrior's Journey # Paul B Th
Dragonlance Heroes II 01 Kaz the Minotaur # Richard A Kn
Dragonlance Kingpriest 01 Chosen of the Gods # Chris Pier
Dragon Kin 01 Fire in the sky Michelle Hasker
Dragonlance Dhamon Saga 01 Downfall # Jean Rabe
Britta Ashley [Dragon's Lair Against Her Will [Blushing] (ep
Beverly Lewis [Amish Country The Crossroad (epub)

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.The bronze doors to the north wing stood open and unguarded.The Mistress had ordered the warriors to the walls to aid in the defense of the monastery.The sisters would be inside the Sanctuary now, preparing their powerful magicks to fight the dragon.Never mind decorum.Melisande ran through the dark corridor.The door that led to the Sanctuary of the Eye stood near the Mistress’s chambers, so that she might have easy access at any time.Usually the door was closed and locked.The Mistress was the only person in possession of the key.This day, the door was open.Firelight streamed out into the corridor, shining bright on the evil faces of the dragons in the murals.Entering the door, Melisande descended a long flight of stone stairs and ran the length of another corridor that delved deep into the mountain.Carved out of the mountain’s bones, the corridor’s walls were rough and irregular, the air chill.The smell of the earth mingled with the fragrance of incense and perfume wafting down the corridor from the Sanctuary that lay ahead.A cavernous chamber, crudely built, the Sanctuary looked as if it had been dug out of the rock by a single swiping scoop performed by a gigantic hand.The chamber was oval in shape, its walls and domed ceiling formed of jagged, broken, and crumbling rock.The stone floor was smooth, worn by the feet of the countless numbers of sisters.At the north end of the chamber stood an altar made of white marble.So large was the altar that a man could have rested his body full-length upon the altar and still found room to stretch.The altar was known as the First Miracle, for it was so wide that it could not have fit through the door and so heavy that a hundred men could not have lifted it.Yet, here it stood.According to the teachings, the earth itself had given the altar to the First Mistress as a gift.The marble altar was wonderfully carved in relief, portraying images of dragons.The altar was obviously old, for the white marble was starting to yellow with age.Dust had crept into cracks and crevices so that each carved scale of every dragon was clearly outlined in black.The top of the altar was smooth.An iron brazier, formed in the shape of two nurturing hands, stood beside the altar.One of the most important duties of the Sisterhood was to keep the sacred flame burning, for, the first Mistress had prophesied, if the sacred flame was ever doused, the dragons would win and Seth would fall.The fire’s fuel was peat, dug from the bogs down in the valley, formed into bricks and hauled up the mountain by peat men, the only males ever permitted to come close to the monastery (with the exception of the men chosen monthly for breeding).The men brought the peat to within five miles of the Sanctuary.The warrior women hauled it from that point the rest of the way.The sisters themselves carried the peat down the stairs to a small cavern off the main Sanctuary, where the bricks were blessed and sanctified by the Mistress.Incense and perfume were added to the peat to further purify the fire.A shaft in the ceiling carried the sacred smoke out the top of the mountain.On a cloudless day, the people in the city of Seth could look up into the mountains and see the thin curl of smoke rising from the brazier and take comfort in the knowledge that the Mistress was watching over them.Each sister knelt on a small wool rug decorated with the symbols of the Watchful Eye, the Nurturing Hand, and the Hand Defending.In one hand was the spear, in another the thunderbolt, symbolizing the two means of combating the dragons—the spear of the warrior and the thunderbolt of the Sisterhood’s magic.Melisande entered to find the sisters at their stations, kneeling, forming a circle around a large Eye that had been carved into the granite floor.The Eye was the Second Miracle, for it was said to have appeared the day the Mistress knelt before the altar and proclaimed that here she would fight the dragons.The sisters arranged their rugs so that each faced inward, toward the Eye.Their heads were bowed in prayer, their voices murmuring.All were here.All except the Mistress.Melisande wondered uneasily if the strain had proved too much for the elderly woman, if perhaps she had fallen ill.She was about to go search, when several of the sisters caught sight of her and bowed low to their High Priestess.Melisande could not leave now.Her sudden departure would cause consternation among the sisters, disrupt their concentration.The Mistress was a proud woman.She would not thank Melisande for coming to fetch her, as if she had forgotten or neglected her duty.If the Mistress was detained, she must have her reasons.Melisande bowed to the sisters.Gliding across the floor, she took her place at the head of the circle, in front of the marble altar.The sisters wore their sacred garments—gowns of pure white lamb’s wool, embroidered with symbols of the Hands and the Eyes along the hem of the gown and sleeves.Melisande’s gown was similar, except that her gown was black and trimmed in golden thread, to mark her standing as High Priestess.She inspected each of the sisters, to make certain that each had come properly prepared.Finding all in order, Melisande sank down thankfully onto her rug.The warmth of the fire from the brazier felt good.She realized only then that she was chilled to the bone and shivering.She had not noticed before now.She began to speak the ritual words of prayer, “O, Mistress of the Dragon, come to us in our time of need.”The words held new meaning for her now and she prayed them with a fervor she had never before felt.And, as if in answer, the Mistress of Dragons entered the chamber.She wore the trappings of her high office: a full-length gown of wool that had been decorated with thousands of tiny beads, designed to resemble the scales of a dragon.Twenty women had worked for five years to construct the gown.Every color scale in the stone jars was represented in the colors of the beadwork and the gown shimmered and gleamed in the firelight.The Mistress wore a golden crown formed of clasped hands, holding the Watchful Eye, a beautiful sapphire.The sisters bowed low, their heads touching the stone floor.Melisande bowed, then, rising to her feet, she took the Mistress by the hand and led her ceremoniously to the altar.The Mistress took her place beside the flaming brazier.Melisande bowed again and left to return to the head of the circle.One of the sisters spoke.Her voice was low, but so silent was the chamber that it could be clearly heard.“Melisande has blood on her sacred garment, Mistress.”Some of the sisters sucked in their breath, so that a soft sibilant gasp went through the chamber.Melisande had no need to search for the speaker, for she knew quite well who had spoken.Lucretta was five years Melisande’s senior and she had been certain she would be chosen High Priestess.The Mistress had chosen Melisande, however, and Lucretta had been furious [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]