"Maggie Furey - Artifacts of Power 2 - Harp of Winds" - читать интересную книгу автора (Furey Maggie)

PrologueMaggie Furey тАУ Aurian 02 тАУ Harp of Winds

Prologue

Long ago, there had been four great magical weapons fashioned to be used only by
the Magefolk, But their history had been lost, together with the artifacts
themselves, in the Cataclysm, the horrific wars of magic which had wrought
changes on land and water alike. Lost also had been the history of the non-human
Magefolk: the Winged Ones, the Dragonfolk and the mighty LeviathanтАФor so said
the ancient legends.
Young Aurian, daughter of renegade Mages, growing up lonely and neglected in her
mother's Valley, knows nothing of these tales. Yet when she meets Forral, a
wandering swordsman, the encounter will change not only their lives, but the
future course of history.
Aurian's father, Forral's friend Geraint, has perished in a dreadful accident
through misuse of his Fire-magic, and her grieving mother, the Earth-Mage Eilin,
is obsessed with using her powers to restore the ValleyтАФthe barren crater left
by the explosion. Appalled by Eilin's neglect of her daughter, Forral decides to
stay and care for her. A close, loving bond develops between child and
swordsmanтАФuntil Forral discovers, to his dismay, that Aurian is experimenting
with her father's Fire-magic. To distract her from such dangerous activities, he
offers to teach her swordplay, giving her a sword as a birthday gift. Aurian is
becoming a gifted swordswoman until overconfidence results in a mistake which
almost kills her. Eilin, on the advice of the Magefolk healer Meiriel, sends her
to the city of Nexis, and the Academy, where the few remaining Magefolk dwell,
to be properly trained as a Mage.
Homesick, and desperately missing Forral, Aurian turns to the Archmage Miathan,
quite unaware of his future plans for her. His interest earns Aurian the enmity
of the ambitious Weather-Mage Eliseth, and her cohorts, Bragar and Davorshan,
though she becomes friendly with Finbarr, the Archivist, and D'arvan,
Davorshan's twin, who is unable to access his own powers. As Aurian grows
towards adulthood, her determination to excel in magic is diverted by the return
of Forral, who accepts the post of Commander of the Nexis Garrison, with its
position on the Ruling Council, with Miathan and the merchants' representative,
Vannor, Aurian resumes her sword training and makes Mortal friends at the
Garrison тАФespecially Maya, Forral's Lieutenant, and Parric, the Cavalrymaster.
The bond between Aurian and Forral ripens into mature love, but matings between
Mortals and Magefolk are forbidden. For Aurian's sake, Forral rebuffs her,
leaving her baffled and hurt.
Elsewhere in Nexis, a young man sees his mother die in a fire. Anvar, son of
Tori the Baker, puts out the blaze using some mysterious force, but his father,
blaming him for the accident, sells him as a bondservant to the Archmage. Anvar
discovers that he is really Miathan's son, and has Mage blood, but Miathan
steals his powers, binding him with a spell of silence before sending him to the
kitchens as a slave. After months of toil and brutality, he escapes, seeking his
lover Sara, who was pregnant when they were parted. Before he is recaptured, he
discovers that she has lost the child, and is now married to Vannor.
When Anvar is recaptured, Aurian takes pity on him, defending him against
Miathan. The Archmage gives Anvar to her as her servant, and his life improves,
but he distrusts her. Soon, however, he begins to worry about his mistress.