Page:Daany Beédxe.djvu/190

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as if the fog became a continuation of the buildings. He felt as if the force, contained in the stones, filtered through the clouds and sought to penetrate his body. His body was invaded by two opposing sensations; one was terror, he wanted to run away. The other, perhaps stronger, caught him making him defenseless and highly vulnerable, but with an indescribable dark pleasure.

The clouds passed rapidly through the square, so at times the buildings were clearly seen and then immediately disappeared. Little by little, the fog gave the warrior a sense of equilibrium. He stopped his thoughts and surrendered to perceive the event without any ideas.

He walked toward the north and before reaching the stairs below the columns; he stopped and turned to the south. The spectacle was truly impressive; the clouds had covered all the buildings surrounding the plaza, leaving the center building completely clear, the effect gave a sense of unreality. The central buildings were seen as an immense stone island in the middle of a sea of clouds.

In a few minutes the clouds covered the place, now were darker and threatening. Night Eagle absolutely could not see anything. Suddenly a prodigious thunder was heard and lightning fell very close; for an instant, light injected the heavy clouds. It seemed as if the brightness was going through each and every one of their recesses, producing different tones. The thunder echo reverberated, among the acoustic walls of the complex, as the waves made by water in a pond when a stone is dropped in the center. But almost at the same time, Night Eagle heard a chilling cry, which strangely did not reverberate and ranged from deep grave, to high-pitched tones and then descended. At first he thought it was the howl of a strange animal unknown to him, and then he figured it was the cry of a person, but eventually realized that it was not anything comparable and known. Immediately his spine skin contracted, and a cold sweat dropped down

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