Read Worlds Without End for Free Online Page B

stoop-shouldered for an elf. His hair was tied back into a ponytail and was shot through with premature gray. A perpetual expression of misery lined his face and made his eyes look sunken and bruised. He knew he would never be anything more than a low-level bureaucrat.
    Sometimes there was no explaining UGE.
    “I said, ‘Is there a problem?’ ”
    Clovis finally looked up from the screen. His beady eyes swung from Caimbeul to me.
    “It says here that you’re visiting relatives in Tír na nÓg. But it doesn’t list who those relatives might be.”
    “Is that necessary?” I asked.
    “How do we know you really have relatives in the Tír? Maybe you’re from that other place, come to cause trouble.”
    “That other place?”
    “Tir Tairngire. The fallen ones.”
    I glanced at Caimbeul and he rolled his eyes. Nothing worse than a patriotic officious prick.
    “And perhaps we have relatives who don’t want every low-level clerk knowing who their relatives are.” I said.
    His flat piggy nose flared slightly.
    “That’s not for you to decide.” he said. “Now tell me or you don’t get on that plane.”
    I leaned forward across the table then and grabbed his collar. For a moment I thought he might resist, but the force of my will kept him from moving. It was as easy as a snake hypnotizing a rat.
    “Listen to me, little brother.” I said in Eireann sperethiel. My accent might have been a bit off, but otherwise I was letter perfect. “You are playing in things far beyond your knowledge or concern. You wish to know who we are to visit? Then come closer and I shall tell you.”
    I jerked him across the table and whispered a name in his ear. The blood fled from his already pasty cheeks. As he pulled away, I let him see me—really see me. These are the kinds of tricks I hate—obvious displays of power—but he’d slotted me off.
    “Now you can well imagine how annoyed this person would be if they discovered their name came up in this sort of situation.” I said. “So I would suggest that we all forget this unfortunate incident.”
    Old Clovis was only too happy to oblige. He gave us back our papers like he’d just discovered they’d been tainted with VITAS. We were ushered onto the plane without further delay. I settled into the thick leather upholstered seats of the first-class section and smiled at the attendant who handed me a glass of single malt scotch.
    “Was that really necessary?” asked Caimbeul after she moved away.
    “What?” I said, letting my eyes go wide and innocent.
    “That show you put on back there.”
    The plane gave a little lurch as it backed from the gate. I glanced out the scratched window. Below me I could see the orange lights on the ground.
    “No.” I said. “We could have missed the flight snaking around with him. But I didn’t have the patience for it. Besides, he’s going to be too scared to tell anyone. He believes in the omnipotence of the Elders. You could see it in his eyes.”
    “But you showed him ..
    “I showed him what would impress him the most. Some people are so literal.”
    “I missed you.”
    “What?” It was a strange and unexpected non-sequitur. And I couldn’t believe my ears.
    “Well, I didn’t miss the arguing. But I missed you when you get like this.”
    I didn’t say anything to that.
    It wouldn’t have made any difference anyway.

She’s running.
    The forest is alive with sounds and smells. In the distance, the dying rabbit cries sound like a child’s screams. The heavy scent of new-dug earth hangs in the air. Branches slap against her face, and no matter how she tries to push them away, they keep coming back.
    Something is behind her. She doesn’t know what it is—only that it will kill her if it can. Looking over her shoulder, she tries to see what it is. So she doesn’t see when she steps off into space.
    She’s falling now.
    Falling with nothing to save her.
    8
    I jerked awake as the plane passed into the Veil. It was a nasty jolt of