"03 - All Shadows Fled - Ed Greenwood [1.0]" - читать интересную книгу автора (Avatar Trilogy)

around her eerily translucent face despite the gusting wind. Beside her, the
blood-spattered lady ranger Shar shot her an amused look through her own
wind-whipped hair.
Elminster glared severely at the ghostly Witch of Shadowdale. "There is a little
matter of bringing a trio or more of Malaugrym into Faenin, and allowing'them to
wander off untraced and untrammeled, to work their wanton wills across the
land."
"Work their wanton wills'Е I like that;'twould fit nicely into a purple Harper
ballad," Sylune replied serenely. "My choice, Old Mage, was between the lives of
these three heroesЧnay, no wincing, now; they've more than earned the titleЧand
those of a few shapeshifters. / think my decision was the right oneЕ and if you
disagree so strongly, why did you not take action yourself? You must have been
here watching us."
"Been here, aye. Watching, no," the Old Mage replied, eyes on the hillside below
themЧwhere, at his magical bidding, the horribly distorted bodies of the
Malaugrym were rising into the air and catching fire. "I was tossing meteor
swarms over the turrets of Telflamm, half a world away."
"By the gods, the bardic phrases keep flowing, likeЕ" The ghost sorceress paused
meaningfully.
"Nightsoil from a hurled bucket?" Belkram offered helpfully.
Sylune rolled her eyes and continued, "And your reason for thisЕ ah, fiery
behavior?"
El grinned. "I was feeding a wild magic area to make it grow into a shield
against Red WizardsЕ so I could turn my attention closer to home."
Belkram caught the first whiff of burning flesh and spun around, raising the
gory daggers he held ready in both hands. Seeing the source of the smell, he
relaxed. A certain grim satisfaction grew on his face as he watched the bodies
of their foes burn. Sharantyr gave the midair cremation a single quick glance
and turned her gaze back to the Old Mage.
"I know you well enough, Elminster," she said levelly,
"to know that such words always lead us to another of your 'little tasks'Е and
I'd appreciate knowing what this one is without a lot of clever tongue-fencing.
Several MalaugrymЧone in particularЧhave about used up my patience for today."
As she stared challengingly at the Old Mage, Shar flexed her aching jaw. Her
mouth, scorched by a Malaugrym tentacle whose foul taste she could still
remember, was throbbing painfully, and her tongue was a thick, numb thing.
As her companions looked at the usually merry Shar in surprise, Elminster
inclined his head and said, "Plain speaking is wise in any case, Lady Knight.
Know, then: thy swords and spellsЧand all of ye, with themЧare urgently needed
in the coming defense of Shadowdale. I'm here to send ye where ye're most needed
in that fight."
"The Zhentarim?" Sylune asked shortly. It was more statement than question.
As if her words had been some sort of cue, the world around them was suddenly a
cold place of endlessly streaming white flames, and her companions stood frozen
amid the conflagration. The last thing the Witch of Shadowdale heard was
Elminster's disgusted cry: "Ah, no! Not again!" And then his tattered words were
whirled away from her, and all that was left was the ceaseless roaringЕ
After what must have been a very long time, Sylune knew herself again. She was
all that was left of the woman widely known as the Witch of ShadowdaleЕ
She was Sylune. Still a ghostЕ and still in Faerun. Hanging in the heart of the