"Raymond E. Feist - Serpentwar 1 - Shadow of a Dark Queen2" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feist Raymond E)

Horde had come to the gates of Ahsart, City of Priests.
Soon disaster followed.


Jarwa steeled himself against the sounds of agony that
carried through the twilight. The cries were of his people as
they were led to the feasting pits. From what those few able
to escape had said, the captives who were quickly
slaughtered were perhaps the fortunate ones, along with
those who had fallen in battle. The invaders, it was said,
could capture the souls of the dying, to keep them as
playthings, tormenting them for eternity as the shades of
the slain were denied their final place among their ancestors,
riding in the ranks of the Heavenly Horde.
Jarwa looked down upon the ancient home of his people
from his vantage atop the plateau. Here, less than a half day's
ride from Cibul, the ragged remnants of his once-mighty
army camped. Even in this the darkest hour of the
Empire of Grass, the presence of the Sha-shahan caused his
warriors to stand tall, throw back their heads, and look
toward the distant enemy with contempt. But no matter the
posture of these warriors


their Sha-shahan saw something in their eyes no
of the Nine Oceans had ever seen before in the
countenance of a Saaur warrior: fear.


Jarwa sighed, and turned without whis tent. Knowing full
well that no he hated to face the alien. Pau!z;
Jarwa said, 'Kaba, I have no faith in this priest from
another world.' He spit the word.
Kaba nodded, his scales grey from years of the hard life
on horseback and from serving his Sha-shahan. 'I know
you have doubts, my lord. But your Cupbearer and your
Loremaster concur. We have no choice.'
'There is always a choice,' whispered Jarwa. 'We can
choose to die like warriors!'
Softly Kaba reached out and touched Jarwa on the
arm, a familiarity that would have brought instant death
to any other warrior of the Saaur. 'Old friend,' he said
softly, 'this priest offers our children haven. We can fight
and die, and let bitter winds sing away the memory of the
Saaur. There will be no one left to chant remembrance to
the Heavenly Horde of our valor, while fiends eat our
flesh. Or we may send our remaining females and the
young males to safety. Is there another choice?'
'But he is not like us.'
Kaba sighed. 'There is something ...