"L. Sprague De Camp - The Unbeheaded King" - читать интересную книгу автора (De Camp L Sprague)

bei. I know, because when I was King, the secret service
was on its toes. Then they will set traps for me, hoping
I'll try to rescue Estnidis. And then...."

Jonan brought the edge of his hand sharply against his
neck. He alluded to the bloody Xylanan custom of cutting
off the king's head every five years and throwing it up for
grabs, the catcher to be the next king. Karadur's magic
had enabled ]onan to escape his own beheading. Ever since,
Xylar bad sought to recapture its fugitive king, to drag him
back and resume their interrupted ceremony so that his
successor could be chosen in the time-honored way.

"Besides," Jonan continued, "so long as Gorax remains
your slave, we have this aenal vehicle to approach the
palace from aloft. You yourself said that, if you permit
him to alight, that were the end of his services. Any earth-
bound attempt were rendered that much harder. Why think
you I brought this along?" He pointed to the coil of rope
lying at one end of King Ishbahar's tub. "Could you magic
that rope as you did the one in Xylar7"

Karadur shook his head. "Alas, nay! It requires the cap-
ture of a spirit from the Second Plane, for which I have
no present facilities." Then Karadur tned another tack. In

THE UNBEHEADED KING

his high, nasal voice, he droned on "But Jonan dear' The
world harbors many attractive women. Why must you
remain fixated upon this one? She is a nice girl; but you
have enjoyed many women, both dunng your kingship and
since. So it is not as if she were the only possible
mateтАФ"

"I've told you before," growled lonan, "she's the one I
chose myself Those other four wives were picked for me
by the Regency Council Nought wrong with them; but
'twas an arrangement political. What would an ascetic old
sage like you know of love?"

"You forget that I, too, was once young, difficult though
you may find that to believe."

"Well, if King Fusinian of Kortoh could risk his life to
rescue his beloved Thanuda from the troll Vuum, I were
a recreant knave not to make an effort "

"There are still those other women of whom you have
had carnal knowledge since your escape "