Silevethiel Read Online Free Page B

sighed, defeated. Whatever was causing her to inch closer towards death was beyond the reach of his Sight.
    Knowing the best thing he could do was to get her out of the storm, he carefully lifted Irewen onto his horse. He settled behind her in the saddle and let her body rest comfortably against his chest.
    “She is fading,” he told Brégen, unable to mask the anxiety in his voice. “I can do no more for her here. We must seek shelter.”
    The Guardian nodded swiftly, then bolted to the east.
    “Naralé, Silwen,” Laegon shouted, feeling the mare respond with spirited vigor at the sound of her name. “Naralé!”
    Laegon’s tension continued to build. Silwen dashed after Brégen, closely following the lion as he hastily guided them to safety. The prince did his best to ignore the dark shadow looming ominously behind them. He sensed its deathly tendrils reaching viciously for the princess. They were in a hopeless race against the power of the dead.
    “Hold on, Irewen,” he whispered in her ear while silently willing Silwen to run faster. “Stay with me. Do not let go.”
    Irewen felt nothing—no pain, no fear, no sorrow.
    Not lumbered by the clutches of time, she floated aimlessly amidst the void that had consumed her mind. Her body was completely weightless, caught in the precarious realm between life and death. She had no sense of purpose or direction. She had no memories of the past and no dreams for the future. She didn’t know where she was, nor did she care.
    Irewen Donríel, Princess of Dargon, simply was.
    Suddenly, a brilliant light burst through the blackness, and a glorious warmth enveloped her body. She heard the hushed whispers of a man, struggling to reach her through the emptiness. She yearned for the stranger’s company and longed for his words to penetrate into the endless abyss where she remained trapped.
    A distant glimmer of hope sparked in her heart. She abruptly felt life.
    Her fragile dreams were quickly destroyed. A threatening darkness emerged behind her. Fear immediately consumed her body. She struggled to lift herself from the boundless void. The man’s urgent words of encouragement finally reached her. She frantically scrambled towards his desperate voice, to no avail. No matter how fast she willed herself to move, the menacing shadow lurched forward, expertly closing the brittle divide separating her from death.
    It seemed as though she was trying to swim through a sea of molasses, and she sank further into the murky depths. With harrowing despair, she realized she could not escape. Losing the strength to fight, she panicked.
    No! Her anguished plea was swallowed by the blackness. Please, do not take me! No!
    A sweet purring voice suddenly fluttered through her mind. «Come to me, Irewen. Follow me to the light.»
    Irewen watched in amazement as the enchanting figure of a pure white lioness hovered above the abyss. Sparkling crystal blue eyes gazed down upon her, and a powerful paw reached into the darkness. The chains pulling her deeper into the void instantly disintegrated.
    Relief flooded her body. She felt herself slowly ascending towards the lioness, and she reached for the safety of the animal’s welcoming paw. After a few agonizing moments, her fingers finally touched the velvety soft fur. She was hauled from the deadly chasm, smiling with unequivocal joy.

3
    IREWEN TOOK A DEEP BREATH. SLOWLY, SHE OPENED her eyes, waiting patiently while her pupils gradually adjusted to the flickering orange light of the fire. Her mind was a muddled confusion of bizarre dreams, and she struggled to distinguish fantasy from reality. Trying desperately to remember what had happened, she examined her surroundings the best she could, completely shocked to discover she was in a cave.
    The rock was unlike any she’d ever seen; thin white veins streaked its warm caramel color and shimmered incandescently in the subdued light. With enough room for someone about three heads taller than herself to