"Tracy Falbe - The Rys Chronicles 03 - Judgment Rising" - читать интересную книгу автора (Falbe Tracy)

The howling din of his thoughts quieted, and his keen ears heard voices that gathered the pieces
of his shattered mind. He gazed up from the pit of his wretchedness and his senses leaped beyond
his eyes. Approaching along the edge of the canyon, he saw things with bodies the same shape as
his and they were on top of four-legged animals. The riders made noises with their mouths and
seemed to be communicating with each other.

He scrambled behind a boulder so they would not see him. His heart pounded with excitement that
mercifully distracted the despair that wracked his soul.

Voices! He remembered that once his mouth had made such sounds.

His lips moved between each shaking breath, but he did not know what to say. Crouching lower, he
watched the riders come closer. Their lifeforces made him ache for companionship but he dared not
reveal himself. With no knowledge of his own identity, he was too insecure to attempt to
communicate with them.

Suddenly, fear joined his chaotic feelings. The lifeforces of two of the riders were indistinct images
that shifted continually in his mind, and he could not focus on them. He had not guessed that his
perception could be blocked. After sorting through the sensations, he realized that energy barriers
confused his mental powers. An eerie familiarity crept over him, and he felt threatened.

They rode by his hiding spot, and he discreetly followed them, still savoring their words and
struggling to understand them.

тАЬNo, no, no. Your accent is terrible, Tytido. You are slurring the sounds. I canтАЩt understand you,тАЭ
Dreibrand criticized.

тАЬWhy put such strange sounds together? Your language is stupid,тАЭ Tytido complained. They had
been practicing Atrophaney since breakfast while riding the trail to the Secret City, and he was not
alone in his frustration as Dreibrand introduced new lessons and linguistic nuances. The other four
men chuckled timidly in support of TytidoтАЩs bold complaint.

тАЬPerhaps that is enough for now,тАЭ Dreibrand conceded. тАЬBut I only teach you the language of my
people for your benefit. The Empire has designs on the Wilderness and we must be able to
understand our rivals.тАЭ

Kashil, who related to DreibrandтАЩs concerns about imperial encroachment better than the others,
asked, тАЬBut, Sir, what will we talk to them about? I donтАЩt remember the Atrophane having much to
say when they came to conquer my homeland.тАЭ

The apt question disturbed Dreibrand. He owed Kashil an apology for the past as much as an
explanation of future plans. Dreibrand had still been an officer in the Atrophane military when the
Empire had conquered the Bosta Territory, where Kashil was from. Although Dreibrand had been
directly responsible for the eradication of Bosta independence, Kashil had not placed the blame for
an entire countryтАЩs aggression on one man. Instead, the runaway slave had been pleased to find
refuge from his oppression in the Wilderness. And if the leader of the Nufalese settlers happened
to be Atrophaney, then he considered it simply one of those strange quirks that made the world so
interesting.