"Douglass, Sara - Axis Trilogy 3 - Starman V.9" - читать интересную книгу автора (Douglass Sara)

"Now?" the Dark Man asked. "Do you experience other visions? Dreams, perhaps?"
Timozel's eyes flared, his suspicions aroused. "How did you know?"
"Oh," the Dark Man soothed. "You have the look about you. The look of a man troubled by visions."
"It is not visions that wrap my thoughts now, but dark nightmares that ensorcel my soul!"
"Perhaps you have misinterpreted -"
"How can I misinterpret the fact that Gorgrael has his talons locked into my soul! It is over! finished^ He stopped, appalled. He had never, never, mentioned Gorgrael to another person before. How would Gorgrael punish him, now he had shared the secret?
The stranger did not seem overly perturbed by Timozel's mention of Gorgrael. "Ah yes, Gorgrael is a good and dear friend of mine."
Timozel recoiled in horror, almost falling backwards in his haste to put more distance between himself and the cloaked man.
"Your friend?"
"Ah," the Dark Man said. "I fear you have fallen under the spell of the evil rumours about Gorgrael that sweep this.land."
Timozel stared at him.
"Timozel, my friend, how can Gorgrael be evil and dark when he fights the same things that you do?"
"What do you mean?" How could that appalling creature not be evil and dark?
"Consider this, Timozel. Gorgrael and Borneheld fight -fought - for the same thing."
"What?" Perhaps he should slice this stranger's head off and be done with it, Timozel thought.
"Listen to me," the Dark Man said, his voice soothing, calming. "Gorgrael hates the Forbidden - the Icarii and the Avar - as Borneheld did. Gorgrael wants to see them destroyed as much as Borneheld did. Both shared the same purpose."
Timozel struggled with the stranger's words. Yes, it was true that Borneheld hated the Forbidden and ached for their destruction. And Gorgrael wants the same thing?
"He surely does," the Dark Man whispered. "He surely does."
"But the Prophecy says ..." Timozel tried to remember exactly what it was that the Prophecy said.
"Bah!" The Dark Man grinned to himself under his hood. "The Prophecy is nothing but a tool of the Forbidden to cloud men's minds and blind them to their true saviour - Gorgrael."
"Yes...yes." Timozel thought it through. "That makes sense."
"And Gorgrael aches to kill Axis as much as Borneheld did."
"Axis." Now Timozel's voice was edged with unreasoning hatred.
"Who has brought the Forbidden back to crawl over Achar's lands, Timozel ?"
"Axis!" Timozel hissed.
The Dark Man spoke very slowly, emphasising every word. "Gorgrael is committed to killing Axis and ridding this fair land of the Forbidden. Is that not what you want?"
"Yes. Yes, that is what I want!"
"Gorgrael will help rescue Faraday from the foul clutches of Axis and the Forbidden."
"Faraday! He will help rescue Faraday?" Was there hope for Faraday yet?
"With your help, Timozel. With your help."
"With my help?" Could he redeem himself in Faraday's eyes?
"Ah, Timozel," the Dark Man said dejectedly. "Gorgrael is truly misunderstood and he fights for a true cause, but he is not a good war leader." He sighed, and Timozel leaned even closer, eager. "Timozel, he needs a war leader. He needs you and you need him. Together you can rid Achar of its foul corruption."
A small voice deep in Timozel's soul told him not to listen to this man, not to believe his smooth words. Had not Borneheld fought Gorgrael as well? Were not the Skraelings as evil as the Forbidden? But, caught as he was by the weight of the enchantments being woven about him and by the blackness that was eating into his soul, Timozel pushed those thoughts out of existence. Gorgrael would be the one to restore sanity and good health to Achar.
"He would give me command of his army?"
"Oh, surely. He knows that you are a great warrior."
Timozel sat back, enthralled. A command of his own, at last! Even Borneheld had not done that for him.
"Don't you see, Timozel?" the Dark Man asked, drawing the net of his lies closed. "Don't you understand? Gorgrael is the Great Lord of your visions. Fate must have sent me south to fetch you, to bring you north so that your Lord can give you control of his armies."
"Truly?" Perhaps there was still a chance the visions would be fulfilled. That there was still a chance he could do some good. Yes, fate must have manoeuvred this meeting.
"Very truly, Timozel."
Timozel thought about it, one thing gnawing at him. "But why has Gorgrael been disturbing my sleep with such dark dreams?"
The stranger reached out his hand and rested it on Timozel's shoulder. "The Forbidden are desperate to turn you from Gorgrael. They have been the instigators of those dreams, not Gorgrael. You will have no more bad dreams from now on."
Certainly not once I have a word with Gorgrael, the Dark Man thought. There had never been any need to disturb the boy's mind with such dreams - but Gorgrael was ever inclined to the melodramatic.
All doubts had gone from Timozel's mind now. At last he had found the right path. The visions had been true.
"Gorgrael will free Faraday from Axis' foul clutches?" he asked.
"Oh, assuredly," the Dark Man said. "Assuredly. He will be a master whom you will be proud to serve. You will sit by the fire with your Great Lord, Timozel, with Faraday by your side, sipping wine."
"Oh," Timozel breathed ecstatically, letting the vision engulf him.
"Now," the Dark Man rose with the Icarii grace that he could not completely repress, "why don't I take you to Great Lord? I have a boat, and in only a few short hours we shall reach his fortress. Your saviour's fortress. Will you come?"
"Friend." Timozel stood by the Dark Man's side, shaking sand from his cloak. "You have not told me your name."
The Dark Man pulled his hood closer. "I have many names," he said quietly, "but you may call me Friend."
As Timozel climbed into the boat he realised how familiar Friend's voice sounded. Why? Who was he? Where had he heard the voice before?