"Raymond E. Feist - Serpentwar 2 - Rise of a Merchant Prince" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feist Raymond E)

I


I


Raymond E. Feist


portal, managing to keep it open long enough to slip a tiny demon
through, before it collapsed upon itself, sealing the rift between the two
realms and stranding the tiny demon on the other side of the rift. There
was much consultation among the greater demons on reopening that
rift and gaining entrance to this new realm.


The demon wandered the halls, oblivious to the ravages around it.
Tapestries that had taken a generation to weave were torn from the
walls and trodden upon, soiled by dirt and blood. The demon cracked a
Saaur rib bone underfoot and absently kicked it aside. At last it came
to its secret room, the one it had claimed as its own while the Host of
the Fifth Circle resided on this cold planet. Leaving the demon realm
was a terrible experience, thought the young demon. This had been the
demon's first journey to this realm, and it wasn't sure it cared much for
the pain of transition.


The feasting had been glorious; never had it known such a wealth of
food, even though it was limited to scraps from the feasting pits,
thrown out by the mightiest of the host as they fed. But scraps or not,
the demon had devoured much and had grown. And that was creating
problems for itself.
It sat down, attempting to find a comfortable position as its body
changed. The feasting had continued for nearly a year and many of the
lesser demons had grown. This particular demon had grown faster than
most, though it still hadn't matured enough to have developed
significant intelligence or a sexual identity.


Looking down at the plaything, the demon laughed, a silent gaping of
jaws and sucking of wind. The mortal eye could not behold the thing
within the jar. The demon, who didn't have a name yet, had been most
fortunate to snare this particular soul. A great demon captain, almost a
lord, had fallen to mighty magic even as the great Tugor had crushed
and eaten the leader of the Saaur. One of the Saaur magic users, a
powerful one, had destroyed the demon captain, but at the cost of his
own life. The little demon might not be intelligent, but it was quick, and
without hesitation it had seized the fleeing soul force of the dead magic
user.