"Debra Doyle & James MacDonald - Mageworlds 03 - By Honor Betray'd" - читать интересную книгу автора (Doyle Debra)

тАЬOur orders from the Resurgency are clear,тАЭ he said. тАЬWe must break the Space Force. We
must be sure that Commanding General Jos Metadi is dead. We must be doubly sure that all his children
are dead. Now that we have come this far, complete victory is our only safety.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩll get no argument from me on that, my lord.тАЭ
тАЬGood. Consider, then. We have here a message all but inviting us to Gyffer-a rich target in its
own right, with its shipyards and its weapons merchants and its planetary fleet. I believe, Mael, that if we
take the warfleet to Gyffer weтАЩll find General Metadi already there waiting for us.тАЭ
тАЬMost people,тАЭ said Taleion, тАЬwould avoid Gyffer like a soul-bane if they thought that was going
to happen.тАЭ
тАЬTrue enough,тАЭ the Grand Admiral said. тАЬBut thereтАЩs a big difference between the man who steps
ignorantly into a snare, and the one who walks into it with his eyes wide open. The first man is caught; but
the second has baited a trap for the hunter.тАЭ

Nyls Jessan smiled as he matched Captain Rosselin-MetadiтАЩs quick strides along the glidewalk
back to their storefront quarters. The morningтАЩs diversions so far had been varied enough to provide
amusement: first Tarveet of Pleyver dropping by to issue veiled threats before breakfast, then LeSoitтАЩs
call for assistance. Accepting the fealty of the Space Force CO had been . . . well, interesting. Beka had
kept a straight face throughout, and the Iron Crown hadnтАЩt slipped askew until the ceremony was almost
over.
The hastily formalized relationship had something in it for all concerned: the CO kept her
warships out of the hands of the Suivans, whose loyalty to the Republic had never impressed anybody;
the Resistance got the nucleus of a fighting fleet; and Jessan, somewhat to his own surprise, had a new
title.
General of the Armies of Entibor, he thought, and shook his head. What would they say on
Khesat if they knew?
тАЬDid you mean it?тАЭ he asked curiously.
Beka glanced over at him. The events of the morning so far had left her in a brittle and unchancy
mood: her blue eyes were brighter than usual, and her pale skin was flushed along the cheekbones.
тАЬMean what?тАЭ
тАЬThe тАШGeneral of the ArmiesтАЩ bit.тАЭ He laughed quietly. тАЬMy relatives will have heart palpitations if
they ever find out.тАЭ
She raised an eyebrow. тАЬWhy? IsnтАЩt the Domina of Lost Entibor good enough for them?тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm afraid theyтАЩd say just the opposite,тАЭ he told her. тАЬThe Iron Crown is too good for my
branch of the family. WeтАЩre supposed to stay out of galactic politics, marry into the minor aristocracy,
and keep on adding to the stable of extra heirs.тАЭ
тАЬToo bad,тАЭ she said. тАЬYou can apologize later. But right now I need you to run the fleet-I donтАЩt
want my ships coopted by the Space Force any more than our friend back there wants her vessels taken
over by the committee.тАЭ
тАЬUnderstandable,тАЭ Jessan said. тАЬNot that weтАЩve currently got any ships for the Space Force to
coopt. Except for Warhammer, of course, and I donтАЩt think theyтАЩd try that.тАЭ
тАЬDonтАЩt worry; weтАЩll get ships. As soon as word spreads around. And if that doesnтАЩt work-тАЭ
He frowned. тАЬYou canтАЩt take on the entire Mage warfleet with your bare hands.тАЭ
тАЬNo.тАЭ She halted, facing him, so that they both stood still while the glidewalk carried them past
the taverns and amusement centers of the upper Strip. тАЬLook. I thought about this a lot before I made up
my mind to do it. We both know that the whole Space Force couldnтАЩt have gone down when the Mages
took Galcen. WhoeverтАЩs running things on the MagesтАЩ side has to know that, too-and the more time the
Magelords take up with worrying about me, the less time theyтАЩve got to spend hunting for the rest of the
fleet.тАЭ
Jessan sighed. He hadnтАЩt forgotten his first meeting with Beka Rosselin-Metadi, when heтАЩd seen
her step out into the range of a dozen blasters for the sake of a clear line of fire. SheтАЩd been in disguise