"The Paths of Darkness 3 - Servant of the Shard" - читать интересную книгу автора (Paths of Darkness)

all the world, Sha'lazzi?" he asked calmly-too calmly. "Do
you know how much coin is in the coffers of House Basadoni?"
"House Entreri, you mean," the man corrected.
Entreri didn't deny it, and Sha'lazzi's eyes widened.
There it was, as clearly spelled out as the informant could
ever have expected to hear it. Rumors had said that old
Basadoni was dead, and that Sharlotta Vespers and the other
acting guildmasters were no more than puppets for the one
who clearly pulled the strings: Artemis Entreri.
"Charon's Claw," Sha'lazzi mused, a smile widening upon
his face. "So, the power behind the throne is Entreri, and
the power behind Entreri is ... well, a mage, I would guess,
since you so badly want that particular sword. A mage, yes,
and one who is getting a bit dangerous, eh?"
"Keep guessing," said Entreri.
"And perhaps I will get it correct?"
"If you do, I will have to kill you," the assassin said,
still in that awful, calm tone. "Speak with Sheik Soulez.
Find his price."
"He has no price," Sha'lazzi insisted.
Entreri came forward quicker than any cat after a mouse.
One hand slapped down on Sha'lazzi's shoulder, the other
caught hold of that deadly jeweled dagger, and Entreri's
face came within an inch of Sha'lazzi's.
"That would be most unfortunate," Entreri said. "For
you."
The assassin pushed the informant back in his seat, then
stood up straight and glanced around as if some inner hunger
had just awakened within him and he was now seeking some
prey with which to sate it. He looked back at Sha'lazzi only
briefly, then walked out from under the awning, back into
the tumult of the market area.
As he calmed down and considered the meeting, Entreri
silently berated himself. His frustration was beginning to
wear at the edges of perfection. He could not have been more
obvious about the roots of his problem than to so eagerly
ask about purchasing Charon's Claw. Above all else, that
weapon and gauntlet combination had been designed to battle
wizards.
And psionicists, perhaps?
For those were Entreri's tormentors, Rai-guy and
Kimmuriel-Jarlaxle's Bregan D'aerthe lieutenants-one a
wizard and one a psionicist. Entreri hated them both, and
profoundly, but more importantly he knew that they hated
him. To make things worse Entreri understood that his only
armor against the dangerous pair was Jarlaxle himself. While
to his surprise he had cautiously come to trust the
mercenary dark elf, he doubted Jarlaxle's protection would
hold forever.
Accidents did happen, after all.