"Raymond E. Feist - Riftwar 3 - A Darkness at Sethanon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feist Raymond E)

branches, seeking a warmth that only close physical
contact can provide. Below, on the floor of the forest, a
man sat in meditative pose. His legs were crossed and he
rested the backs of his wrists upon his knees, thumbs and
forefingers forming circles that represent the Wheel of
Life to which all creatures are bound. His eyes snapped
open at the first caress of the darkling wind and he
regarded the being who sat facing him. An old elf,
showing but the faint signs of age native to his race,
contemplated the human for a moment, seeing the
unspoken question. He nodded his head slightly. The
human picked up the two weapons that lay at his side.
The long sword and half-sword he placed in his belt sash,
and with only a gesture of farewell he was off, moving
through the trees of the forest as he began his journey to
the sea. There he would seek out another man, one who
was also counted friend to the elves, and prepare for the
final confrontation that would soon begin. As the warrior
made his way toward the ocean the leaves rustled in the
branches over his head.

In another forest, leaves also trembled, in sympathy with
those troubled by the passing darkwind. Across an
enormous gulf of stars, around a greenish yellow sun
spun a hot planet. Upon that world, below the cap of ice
at the north pole, lay a forest twin to that left behind by
the travelling warrior. Deep within that second forest sat


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a circle of beings steeped in timeless lore. They wove
magic. A soft, warm glow of light formed a sphere about
them, as each sat upon the bare earth, richly coloured
robes unblemished by stain of soil. All eyes were closed,
but each saw what he or she needed to see. One, ancient
beyond the memory of the others, sat above the circle,
suspended in the air by the strength of the spell they all
wove together. His white hair hung below his shoulders
held back by a simple wire of copper set with a single
jade stone upon his forehead. His palms were held up
and forward, and his eyes were fixed upon another, a
black-robed human, who floated opposite him. That
other rode the currents of arcane energy forming a
matrix about him, sending his consciousness along those
lines, mastering this alien magic. The black-robed one sat
in mirror pose, his hands held palm out, but his eyes
were closed as he learned. He mentally caressed the
fabric of this ancient elver sorcery and felt the inter-