"David Eddings - The Dreamers 02 - The Treasured One" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

тАШIt doesnтАЩt really fit,тАЩ Keselo disagreed. тАШThe Amarite church might want to come
here to the Land of Dhrall to harvest gold and slaves, but theyтАЩd need to know exactly
how to get through all that floating ice, and Gunda and Padan have the only maps.тАЩ

тАШThatтАЩs true, I suppose,тАЩ Veltan conceded, тАШbut Narasan told me that he could field
a hundred thousand soldiers. ItтАЩd only take one opportunist to blow away any chance
of secrecy. I think thatтАЩs the answer to the origins of that second invasion in your little
boyтАЩs dream, Dahlaine.тАЩ

тАШIt would explain it, I guess,тАЩ I agreed. Then I looked at Keselo again. тАШJust exactly
what are тАЬslavesтАЭ?тАЩ I asked him. тАШI donтАЩt believe IтАЩve ever heard that word before.тАЩ

тАШYouтАЩve been very lucky, then. It was a fairly standard custom back in the early
days of the Empire for the Imperial armies to capture people of more primitive
cultures and then sell them to the landowners of the Empire itself, almost as if they
were cattle. Then the landowners would hire men with whips to drive the unfortunates
to do the actual farming. The practice fell into disuse a hundred or so years ago, but a
few decades back the Church realized the sheтАЩd been passing up a wonderful
opportunity to make money, so the slavers are back in business again, and at least half
of them are members of the clergy.тАЩ

VeltanтАЩs face went dead white. тАШIf those monsters even come close to the shores of
my Domain, IтАЩll destroy them!тАЩ

тАШNo, Veltan,тАЩ I told him quite firmly, тАШyou wonтАЩt. Killing anything is absolutely
forbidden, and you know it. If you tried something like that, youтАЩd be banished
forever, and it wouldnтАЩt be to the moon this time. YouтАЩd spend the rest of eternity in a
place of absolute darkness where the only sounds youтАЩd hear would be your own
screams of endless despair. IтАЩm sure weтАЩll be able to find some suitable alternatives,
but if you even try to kill anything, IтАЩll tie you up in a knot so tight that itтАЩll take you
about four cycles just to unlace your fingers from your toes.тАЩ

тАШSo thatтАЩs why you people had to rush around hiring armies!тАЩ Keselo exclaimed.
тАШIтАЩve never really understood why you didnтАЩt just obliterate the enemies with a wave
of your hand. It was because youтАЩre not permitted to kill anything, isnтАЩt it?тАЩ

тАШI want you to forget what you just heard, young man,тАЩ I told him firmly. тАШDo you
understand me?тАЩ
 тАШWhy, yes, I believe I do.тАЩ

тАШGood.тАЩ I looked over at my brother, тАШYouтАЩd better tell Narasan to start moving his
fleet, Veltan,тАЩ I suggested. тАШWeтАЩve finished everything here in ZelanaтАЩs Domain, so
itтАЩs time to move on. AshadтАЩs dream wasnтАЩt too specific about time. That seems to be
one of the characteristics of these dreams. Our Dreamers can give us all kinds of
details about whatтАЩs going to happen, but тАЬwhenтАЭ always seems a little vague.тАЩ

тАШDid Ashad happen to mention where the main battleтАЩs likely to take place?тАЩ
Veltan asked.

тАШHe said that it would be in the general vicinity of the Falls of Vash, little brother.