"Dragonlance - Preludes 2 Vol 2 - Flint The King" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dragonlance)

Flint saw the two armed derro separate as they neared
him. Each held his battle-axe at the ready, and Flint looked
at the weapons with momentary envy, thinking of his own,
trail-worn blade.
With growing annoyance, Flint hefted his axe. His body
tingled with energy, anticipating battle. Though he did not
seek a fight with these mountain dwarves, he would be
cursed by Reorx before he'd back down from his hereditary
enemies.
"Can you prove you're not a spy?" asked one, taunting.
Flint stepped to the side, away from the fire. "I could if I
thought enough of such wide-eyed derro scum to be both-
ered with it," he snapped, his patience gone.
The nearest derro flung himself at Flint, his axe whistling
through the air. The hill dwarf darted backward in time to
also avoid the second derro, who charged in low. The two
mountain dwarves' axes met with a sharp clang of steel.
A sublime sense of heightened awareness possessed Flint
as he turned to parry a blow from his first attacker, then sent
the second derro reeling back with a series of sharp blows.
Hacking viciously, he knocked the fellow's weapon to the

ground just as the other one leaped back toward him.
Whirling away, Flint raised his own axe in a sharp parry.
The two blades clashed together, but the hill dwarf stared in
dismay as the haft of his axe cracked, carrying the head to
the ground. Suddenly Flint was holding only the haft of his
battle-axe. He stood there, defenseless, as if naked.
The second guard's pale, blue-tinged face split into a gro-
tesque grin at Flint's predicament. A sinister light entered his
eyes as he raised his axe, ready to crush the hill dwarf's skull.
Flint moved with all the quickness his years of battle expe-
rience could muster. He thrust the axe handle forward, us-
ing it to stab like a sword. The splintered ends of wood
struck the derro's nose, and the Theiwar dwarf cried out in
agony, blinking away blood.
Flint struck again, smashing the wooden stick over the
derro's knuckles, which gripped his axe. Crying out again,
the guard dropped his weapon, stumbling blindly from his
bloody nose and eyes. Flint quickly snatched the axe up and
swung menacingly at the suddenly retreating derro. He
turned on the one who was sprawled on the ground, urging
him along as well.
The two disarmed Theiwar sprang onto the wagon as the
driver lashed the horses. Whinnying with fear and snorting
white clouds of breath into the night air, the massive beasts
struggled to get the heavy wagon rolling. In moments it
lurched through the pass and started on the downhill trek to
the east and Newsea. As they rumbled away, the hill dwarf
got a good look at their pale, wide eyes staring back at him