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

created. He knew it would take the rest of his life to transform the long-abandoned wilds into
towns and farmlands. He and the other settlers had only begun the process. They still relied on the
remnants of civilization left by the first unfortunate Nufalese, such as the road carved into the
mountainsides that they called the High Road.

A ring of ruined cities was connected by the High Road that encircled the valley just above the
forest canopy. Despite the sad history evident in the broken streets, the settlers had already
reoccupied two of the old sites. Because the High Road created easy access, the settlers had
explored the cities above the forest before attempting to reach the ruins at the overgrown center
of the valley.

Only last year had Chilo, with companions of course, discovered an old trail through the forest
between Elendra and the southeastern loop of the High Road. It was a short trail that only dipped
into the forest, but Dreibrand considered it a good beginning. He knew in time that they would
overcome the dangers of the forest and make many paths across the valley.

And now they would prove his belief and use ChiloтАЩs trail. They were a large enough group to cope
with a fenthakrabi attack if it should occur.

While everybody took a break, Dreibrand asked Chilo to guide them on the forest trail. Chilo, a
middle-aged man from the Nuram Tribe that dwelled west of the Rysamand, had joined them three
years ago, and he was pleased to take the lead.

тАЬCan we reach Elendra before sunset?тАЭ Dreibrand asked.

тАЬOh yes, Lord Dreibrand,тАЭ Chilo answered. He tended to address his leader with careful formality
although Dreibrand did not insist upon it. People close to him openly used only his first name, and
the other settlers generally called him Sir. Dreibrand saw no need to require more when he lived
the same as any of them.

Eager to see ChiloтАЩs trail, Dreibrand called an end to the rest and they started backtracking. Chilo
did not have trouble finding what he said was the beginning of his trail. If, in ancient times, a
marker had been placed at the junction, there was no sign of one now, but Dreibrand trusted Chilo.
The Nuram man was at ease in the empty land and had a talent for finding paths. The year before,
while hiking into the mountains east of Elendra, Chilo had seen a city perched on a cliff above a
chasm. Because of its hidden location, everyone had taken to calling the place the Secret City.
Dreibrand planned to visit the remote ruin for the first time in a few days.

As Dreibrand rode down into the valley, the ruins rising from the forest were directly in front of him,
teasing him with mystery. When Dreibrand had first occupied Nufal five years earlier, he had been
surprised by the amount of ruins in the valley. He had not seen evidence of such extensive building
in the Jingten Valley, where the rys lived in the Rysamand Mountains. He had wondered if Nufal was
the older civilization. When he had asked King Shan about this, the rys had said that he did not
know, but then, somewhat reluctantly, he had agreed with the theory.

The group followed Chilo under the canopy of climax growth and Dreibrand lost sight of the ruins.
The bright budding foliage on the old trees softened the cranky aura that seemed to radiate from
the valley. Like many of the other settlers, Dreibrand attributed a dark mood to their land, but he
was not afraid. He loved Nufal and some day new settlements would replace the haunted ruins and
revive the land. Much like himself, Dreibrand knew that the land only needed a new way to live so