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.Anna. Where is she? I shouted at no one. Help me! I screamed to the darkness.The trail to the jetty was off to the left, but in the darkness and punishing sleet, Icouldn t see it.I crawled on my knees,feeling for it with numb, cold fingers.Lightning crackled in webs through thesky, and the jetty became visible.Allaround it, a dozen or so creatures thatappeared to be human-like twirled in thewaves with their arms raised to the sky.Anna was nowhere in sight. Anna! Iscreamed.It had to be the Na Fir Ghorm.Only this time, it appeared they hadclaimed her. No! Again, lightningflashed, illuminating the jetty.I saw herjust a few yards out from the base on thebeach at the water s edge. Anna!Slipping and sliding more than anythingelse, I descended the trail, clothes andskin shredding on the rocks and vegetation.In darkness, I stumbled to the base ofthe jetty and headed to where I had seenher.My feet stung as if perforated byneedles and my breath came in shudderinggasps through chattering teeth. Anna! I screamed, helpless in thedarkness to locate her.I found the water sedge, not by sight or feel because my feetwere too numb with cold, but by sound.Iheard my boots splashing.I knew she wassomewhere just ahead of me.Not wantingto kick her accidentally, I crawled on myknees, hand outstretched in front of me.There.As cold as the water, I found her,stiff and rigid as a corpse. Demons! Ishouted. Devils! They had conjured thisstorm. I pulled her into my lap and felt herneck.A flutter of a pulse flickered belowmy numb fingers.Perhaps it was my ownpulse instead. No! I screamed.As quickly as they had come, theclouds dissipated.I squinted as the sunstreaked through holes in their dissolvingforms.Melting ice covered the beach.Inmy arms, Anna appeared like a painting inwhich the colors were all wrong.Her lipshad a sickly bluish hue that I d never seenin nature.Ice clung to her tangled hair. No, I sobbed, still rocking her bodyagainst mine. Why didn t you take me? Iscreamed. Why not me?Miss Ronan got to me first but saidnothing.Francine had plenty to say evenbefore she had reached the base of the jetty.Things I d never heard come fromher lips before. We ve got to get her warÀo get hemedup, Francine said when she reached me. Lad, turn her loose.I folded in tighter around Anna, rackedwith shudders. Liam, listen to me, Francine said,pulling on my good arm, looped aroundAnna s chest. You must let us take her orshe ll die. No. I couldn t let her go. You re not thinking straight, Liam.Letus help her.Somewhere far away, my reason calledto me and drew me back.I released myhold on Anna and she was immediatelypulled away.Francine patted her back hard. She s near death.Her breathing is tooshallow to issue water from the lungs,Miss Ronan said. Take her legs, Francine orderedMiss Ronan. Can you walk, lad? Yes, I answered, stiffly getting to myfeet. Of course he can, Miss Ronanbarked, following Francine up the beachwith Anna stretched between them. Hewas only cold a short while.Deirdre met us at the door. I vealready heated the water bottles andcollected the blankets like you told me todo, Miss Ronan, she said as the womenhauled Anna into the kitchen. Put a blanket on the floor, Deirdre, Miss Ronan said, lowering Anna s feet. Then get me a knife from the wall.Asmall one. She nodded to Francine. Layher down.We need to get her off her backas soon as possible in case she got waterin her lungs.A knife in Miss Ronan s hands wasterrifying. What are you going to do? Iasked.She stared up at me with a look so fullof malice I shuddered. Shut up. Liam, lad.Go strip out of your wetclothes and wrap in one of thoseblankets, Francine said, gently cradlingAnna s head as she lowered it to the floor.I did so as quickly as possible, thensank to my knees at Anna s side.MissRonan took the knife from Deirdre and held it up to me, as if taunting.Then sheripped it through the front of Anna s shirtand down both legs of her jeans. Bring a blanket, Miss Ronan orderedDeirdre.She rolled Anna onto it on herside. You too, she commanded, eyesboring into mine. Me too what? He isn t warm enough to help her.You should use the girl, Francine said.Ronan glared at her. How stupid areyou? With his blood, he is already fullyrestored.We need him.His touch andvoice will encourage her to fight [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]
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