"David Eddings - Belgariad 3 Magicians Gambit" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

the folly of those who followed him. For a year they laughed and mocked. Then
they laughed no more, for their women were barren and bore no children. The
people withered and in time they perished and were no more.
The people who followed Gorim came with him to Prolgu. There they built a city.
The Spirit of UL was with them, and they dwelt in peace with the creatures who
had sustained Gorim. Gorim lived for many lifetimes; and after him, each High
Priest of UL was named Gorim and lived to a great age. For a thousand years, the
peace of UL was with them, and they believed it would last forever.
But the evil God Torak stole the Orb that was made by the God Aldur, and the war
of men and Gods began. Torak used the Orb to break the earth asunder and let in
the sea, and the Orb burned him horribly. And he fled into Mallorea.
The earth was maddened by her wounding, and the creatures which had dwelt in
peace with the people of Ulgo were also maddened by that wounding. They rose
against the fellowship of UL and cast down the cities and slew the people, until
few remained.
Those who escaped fled to Prolgu, where the creatures dared not follow for fear
of the wrath of UL. Loud were the cries and lamentations of the people. UL was
troubled and he revealed to them the caves that lay under Prolgu. The people
went down into the sacred caves of UL and dwelt there.
In time, Belgarath the Sorcerer led the king of the Alorns and his sons into
Mallorea to steal back the Orb. When Torak sought to pursue, the wrath of the
Orb drove him back. Belgarath gave the Orb to the first Rivan King, saying that
so long as one of his descendants held the Orb, the West would be safe.
Now the Alorns scattered and pushed southward into new lands. And the peoples of
other Gods were troubled by the war of Gods and men and fled to seize other
lands which they called by strange names. But the people of UL held to the
caverns of Prolgu and had no dealings with them. UL protected them and hid them,
and the strangers did not know that the people were there. For century after
century, the people of UL took no note of the outer world, even when that world
was rocked by the assassination of the last Rivan King and his family.
But when Torak came ravening into the West, leading a mighty army through the
lands of the children of UL, the Spirit of UL spoke with the Gorim. And the
Gorim led forth his people in stealth by night. They fell upon the sleeping army
and wreaked mighty havoc. Thus the army of Torak was weakened and fell in defeat
before the armies of the West at a place called Vo Mimbre.
Then the Gorim girded himself and went forth to hold council with the victors.
And he brought back word that Torak had been gravely wounded. Though the evil
God's body was stolen away and hidden by his disciple Belzedar, it was said that
Torak would lie bound in a sleep like death itself until a descendant of the
Rivan line should again sit upon the throne at Riva - which meant never, since
it was known that no descendants of that line lived.
Shocking as the visit of the Gorim to the outer world had been, no harm seemed
to come of it. The children of UL still prospered under the care of their God
and life went on almost as before. It was noticed that the Gorim seemed to spend



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