"Julia Gray - Guardian 01 - The Dark Moon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gray Julia)

Prologue

It was a night when mountains ground their teeth, when islands moved like
ships and the oceans boiled.
The birth of the Emperor's son had been prophesied many years before, but the
court seers and advisors had left nothing to chance. The maiden selected to be
the Emperor's seventh wife had been carefully chosen - from a noble family
whose fecundity was legendary - and the required conception had been timed
precisely nine median months in advance of the appointed day. All subsequent
omens had been meticulously monitored and taken into account as the pregnancy
progressed, and every contingency had been catered for. The midwives and
physicians came equipped with potions that would induce labour if prayers
alone proved ineffective.
In the event, and to the seers' delight, such measures were not required. The
Seventh Empress of the Floating Islands knew her duty, and her young mind
ordered her body into action.
Shortly before midnight on the fateful day, the Emperor's son was born. He was
a plump and strangely placid baby, who had to be coaxed into uttering his
first cry, but who nonetheless appeared physically normal. This came as
something of a relief, as many legends had spoken of strange and hideous
defects in children born when the multiple lunar influence was at its
strongest.
All those present were happily congratulating themselves on their success in
fulfilling the prophecy when the all but forgotten Empress screamed again,
signalling that her confinement was not over. The birth had been predicted by
augury. What had not been foreseen was the fact that there would be two
imperial children born that night.
Adina's second son could not have presented a greater contrast to his twin. He
was tiny, his skin mottled with purple as if it were bruised, and he screamed
incessantly - without the need of any prompting - from the moment he came into
the world. Worse still, his right arm was withered - the hand little more than
a tiny, grotesque claw - and his right leg was twisted so that the foot was
bent back upon itself.
Dazed from pain and exhaustion, the Empress stared at the baby as he lay
howling in the arms of a nervous midwife. No one knew what this unexpected
arrival portended, least of all Adina, but she understood instinctively that
it was up to her to dispel the cloud of uncertainty that now hung over the
previously joyful occasion.
'Show him to me.' Although her voice was hoarse and weary, the tone of command
was unmistakable.
In spite of her own fears, the midwife held out the baby to the Empress. When
Adina saw the full extent of his deformities, she could not hide the look of
revulsion on her face. She made no move to take the child, and the midwife
hesitated, waiting to be told what to do next. It was at that moment that the
baby chose to open his eyes for the first time, falling silent at last as he
gazed at his mother's face. It was Adina's turn to scream.
'Take it away!' she shrieked. 'Take it away!'
As her attendants hurried to obey, wrapping the baby in a swaddling cloth and
carrying him to the far side of the room, the Empress fought to regain her
composure.