"Eisenstein,.Phyllis.-.Elementals.2.-.1988.-.Crystal.Palace" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eisenstein Phyllis)

УThat would be the surest way.Ф
Everand looked up to the jagged battlements of his citadel, to the ruined towers
and the crumbled walls. He shook his head. УIn a contest with another sorнcerer,
IТd be the one more likely to die.Ф He lowered his gaze to the demon once more.
УTell me, slaveЧwhy has no other demon-conjurer killed him already? Surely his
work does harm to all of them. Or is he so very powerful that they dare not
try?Ф
УMy lord, they cannot touch him. They donТt know who he is.Ф
EverandТs eyebrows showed his disbelief. УHow is that possible? They have only
to ask their slaves for his name.Ф
УMy lord, his identity is the great secret of the demon worlds. Those he has
freed never reveal it to those still enslaved. All I know of him is that he
exists, and he is a man.Ф
УNo more than that?Ф
The beaked head wagged in a very human fashion. УNo, my lord.Ф
EverandТs lips tightened for a moment. УNot easy,Ф he whispered. УNot easy.Ф His
hands curled into fists at his sides. УHear me, my icy slave. This is my
commandЧthat if ever you should encounter the slightнest hint of his identity,
you will inform me immediately. I hope that is clear, Regneniel.Ф
УQuite clear, my lord. I am not the first demon to be given those instructions.Ф
УNo, I wouldnТt think so.Ф He looked down to the bare ground of the courtyard.
Here, and for a narrow space about the castle walls, Regneniel had frozen the
earth with its icy breath, frozen grass and shrubs and trees, frozen even
unsprouted seeds to death. Regneniel was a destroyer; its breath on the walls
would make stone fracture and mortar crumble until even the wretched ruins that
now stood fell to dust. The only structure such a demon could build would be of
ice, a frigid dwelling whose master would be forced to live in furs summer and
winter alike. Everand needed Fire demons to make him a proper castle, to fulfill
all his deepest desires. He glanced sidelong at the spark that had bloomed to
his bidding. With a nod, he snuffed it and stood in the darkness, a greater
darkness growing in his heart. Three lifetimes of study had yielded so little!
He raised his eyes to the castleТs single standing tower, its outline barely
visible against the starry sky. He lifted a hand toward it, and pale St. ElmoТs
fire leaped from its crenelations, slid down to the lower battlements, and
flickered across the ruined walls till the whole perimeter of the citadel was
crowned with simmering light.
УThey laugh at my sorcery,Ф he said in a low, tight voice. УThey call it ...
pitiful.Ф He looked down at the demon, a pale ghost at his feet. УYou are all I
have, Regneniel. Now between us we must find another way to gain power.Ф
The demon lowered its head to the ground. УI donТt know what to tell you, my
lord,Ф it murmured. УI am only an Ice demon.Ф
Everand rubbed the diamond with the palm of his ringless hand. УAll the
knowledge of the human realm, and more, can be found in the demon worlds. You
and I shall pick over that knowledge, and we shall find a way, Regneniel. They
shall eat their laughter, my icy slave; they shall choke on it. And he ... Ф His
voice dropped to a harsh whisper. УThis secret, nameless sorcerer. For what he
has done to me ... he shall die. Somehow. Someday.Ф
At his feet, Regneniel said, УYou command me, my lord, and I obey.Ф
* * *
By nature, Cray was as curious as he was stubborn. As long as Sepwin seemed to