"Troy Denning - Forgotten Realms - The Cormyr Saga 02 - Beyond the High Road" - читать интересную книгу автора (Denning Troy)

the vampire continued to sleep. The silver-glowing dagger peeled the axe's seasoned handle away in
shavings as thick as coins, and it was not long before Emperel had sharpened it to a point. He sheathed his
dagger again, then kneeled beside the vampire and raised the stake. His arm was trembling.
"Torm, guide my hand," he whispered.
A bead of sweat dropped from his brow and landed on the vampire's shoulder. The monster's eyelids
snapped open, its angry eyes shining white in Emperel's enchanted vision.
Emperel brought the stake down, ramming it deep into the vampire's ribcage. Blood, icy cold and as
black as ink, seeped up around the shaft. An ear-piercing shriek filled the chamber, then something caught
Emperel in the breastplate and sent him tumbling across the stone floor.
He passed through a curtain of gossamer filament and crashed into a dirt wall, his head spinning and
chest aching. When he looked down, his mouth went dry. There was a fist-shaped depression in the center
of his breastplate, and he had not even seen the murderer's hand move.
Emperel spun to his knees-he was too dizzy to stand-and struggled to gulp some air into his lungs. A few
paces away, the vampire lay on its side, writhing in pain and slowly pulling the stake from its chest.
Emperel's jaw fell. He had slain more than a dozen vampires, and not one had done such a thing. Had he
missed the heart?
The vampire's white eyes swung toward the wall. Emperel raised a finger, pointed at its gaunt hands,
and shouted, "King's bolts!"
Emperel's bracers grew as hot as embers and sent four golden bolts streaking across the crypt. The
magic struck the vampire's hands with a brilliant golden flash, then sank into its flesh and spread up its arms
in a pale saffron glow.
The vampire jerked the stake from its heart, then struggled to its feet and turned toward Emperel. Gouts
of dark blood pumped from the hole in its chest, but it did not seem to care. It merely hefted the axe and
stumbled forward.
Emperel jumped to his feet and stepped to meet the monster, drawing his magic dagger and boldly
thrusting the palm of his steel gauntlet into its face.
"Back," he commanded, "in the name of Torm!"
The vampire slapped the offending arm down so forcefully that the steel gauntlet flew from Emperel's
hand. "Do I look undead to you?"
Emperel's mouth went dry, and he brought his magic dagger up, driving the silver-shining blade into the
thing's stomach and up toward the heart. The vampire-or whatever it was-closed its eyes and nearly
collapsed, then reached down and clamped Emperel's hand.
"How... treacherous," it hissed.
Emperel tried to twist the blade, but found the thing's grasp too powerful to fight. Struggling against a
rising tide of panic, he pulled away, then slammed an elbow into the side of its head.
The blow did not even rock the monster.
"By the Loyal Fury!" Emperel gasped. "What manner of devil are you?"
"The worst kind... an angry one."
The killer slammed Emperel into the wall, unleashing a cascade of pebbles and loose dirt, then pulled the
dagger free. The silvery glow had all but faded from the enchanted blade, and as Emperel watched, the
weapon grew cold and utterly black. The murderer tossed it aside and staggered forward, dark blood now
pouring from two wounds.
Unable to believe what he was seeing, Emperel raised his ring finger and said, "King's light!"
The amethyst setting burst into light, filling the chamber with a blue-white glow. Caught by surprise, the
murderer closed its eyes and turned away, momentarily blinded. Emperel, who had known what to expect,
leaped forward, drawing his sword and slamming a foot into the back of his foe's knee. The murderer hit
the floor rolling, tangling legs with Emperel and sweeping him off his feet.
Emperel landed hard, his head slamming against the stone floor. His vision narrowed and his ears began
to ring, then his foe was on him, tearing at his throat and denting his helmet. He raised his arm to ward off
the blows, and the murderer caught hold of his hand. His ring finger gave a sickening crack, then a terrible