"Troy Denning - Return of the Archwizards 2 - The Siege" - читать интересную книгу автора (Denning Troy)

phaerimm have the first blow.
"If you will excuse us, Prince," Vala said, "it's time we let you return to
your work."
Escanor dismissed them with an easy wave. "Of course."
Vala drew Galaeron away, her iron grasp permitting no argument. Once they
were a few steps away, with their backs facing the suspicious stalactites, she
released his arm and began to twist her hands through the gestures of
Evereskan finger talk.
You're never going to get Escanor to look up. As Vala made the statement,
she was careful to remain alert to any alien presences in her mind. The
phaerimm were not so adept at telepathy that they could eavesdrop on a
person's thoughts without revealing their own presence, but it never hurt to
be carefulтАФnot around these enemies. Are you sure they were phaerimm?
No, Galaeron admitted, but it's better to be sure they aren't. You saw what
I was looking at?
Disguised as stalactites, Vala said. Her tempo was slow and awkward, for it
was a complicated language and she

had only taken up its study as a way to pass the time while Galaeron lay
immobile with a pair of broken ankles. Dry tips and a dark line where they're
pressing their bases to the ceiling.
Galaeron raised his brow. I missed the lines, he said. We can't run the risk
of alerting them. We have to take them ourselves.
Ourselves? Vala shook a fist downward to show emphasis. How?
You take the closest one, Galaeron instructed. Throw your sword. I'll blast
the other with a shadow bolt.
Vala's fingers turned slow and clumsy. / thought you were done casting
spells.
You have another way? Galaeron's gestures came so fast and sharp Vala could
barely follow his meaning. Maybe you can convince Escanor he's wrongтАФwithout
alerting the phaerimm?
The question required no answer. Vala knew as well as Galaeron that the
prince could not be persuaded that he had made a mistake. They had no choice
except to launch the attack on their own, and that meant Galaeron would have
to use shadow magic to have any effect at all on the phaerimm, and using his
shadow magic meant giving a little more of himself over to the darkness that
was slowly devouring him from within.
Resigning herself to the heartache of watching the Galaeron she knew slip
even deeper into shadows, Vala gave a curt nod, then asked, What about the
third one?
You're joking, Galaeron replied.
/ could be wrong, but I'm not joking. One above Escanor, one over the
mineral padsтАФ
That one I missed. Galaeron's fingers fell motionless for a moment, then he
said, /'// have to try a shadow door.
Bad idea, Vala said, even more concerned. Shadow magic was far more
dangerous for the wielder than

normal Weave magic. If a magic-user overreached his limits, he invited in just
the sort of darkness already consuming Galaeron. You're barely holding on as