"03 - The Qualinesti - Paul B Thompson & Tonya R Cater" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dragonlance - Elven Nations (3))

Tamanier bowed. "Yes, Highness."

Kith-Kanan watched his castellan disappear into the crowd. Hefting the great

hammer, he said, "Ullie will be all right." Glenforth cleared his throat and pretended to be

studying the boulder before him.

Verhanna and the rest of the crowd stood back as the Speaker of the Sun and the

King of Thorbardin resumed their places at the stone. The valley rang with the sound of

iron on rock.

In short order, the stone became a cube, square on four sides and rough on top. King

Glenforth wasn't tall enough to bring the chisel to bear on the top of the boulder, so his

thanes formed themselves into a living stair, that he might climb onto the rock. It was

quite a sight, all the richly bedecked dwarves of Clans Hylar and Daewar, their thick

arms locked together, bent over and braced against the cornerstone. Glenforth set aside

the chisel and climbed up their backs. Once he was atop the stone, the thanes passed the

chisel to him.

"Well, Great Speaker," said the dwarf from his lofty perch, "now I am higher than

you! Will your councilors elevate you as mine did me?"


Kith-Kanan tossed the hammer to the top of the boulder, then faced his people. "You

heard the Thane of Thanes! Will the nobles of Qualinesti stoop so that their Speaker can

rise to the occasion?"

Half a hundred elves and men surged to the rock, ready to aid Kith-Kanan. Laughing,

the Speaker ordered them back, then chose three elves and three humans. They looped

their arms around each others' waists and bent to the rock. As the others cheered,

Kith-Kanan climbed nimbly atop the boulder. He and Glenforth stood side by side, and

the cheering continued. Finally Kith-Kanan raised his hands and waved for silence.