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

speaking again.
'There was, however, one slight complication.'
'How is Adina? Is she well?' Dheran asked, genuine concern in his dark eyes.
'The Empress is in perfect health, although naturally tired and overwrought,'
the seer replied, marvelling at the fact that Dheran actually cared for his
seventh wife.
'Then what . . . ?'
'There was a second son,' Mirival said bluntly.
The Emperor stared at the seer in amazement. 'Twins? How can that be?'
'Fate has seen fit to present us with a mystery,' Mirival replied, 'but I can
at least offer one possible explanation.' He went on to describe the second
baby's abnormal appearance, and then expounded Shahan's theory about the
infant's acting as a shield against astrological influences.
'So the child split in two?' Dheran asked. 'Good and evil, so to speak?'
'You could put it that way.'
'That should make the Mentor's job easier, eh?' the Emperor commented, smiling
at his own cleverness.
'Quite so, Your Majesty,' Mirival agreed affably, though he knew it could not
possibly be that simple. 'However, it does present us with something of a
problem concerning the second child. Because he has already served his
purpose, we must decide what to do with him.'
'Ah,' Dheran responded, and frowned to show that he was giving the matter
serious thought. 'I see what you mean. What do you suggest?' After that it was
easy.
At the hour of midnight all the bells in the city of Makhaya began to ring in
celebration of the birth of the long-awaited imperial heir, and also to honour
the alignment of the four moons of Nydus in the sky above. The streets were
thronged with people eager to witness this rare event, something that only
occurred every seventy-five years and thus only once in most people's
lifetimes. This was a night when fates collided, when great events were bound
to happen, when history would be made, and everyone wanted to be a part of it.
Not even the near-certain threat of earth tremors would keep the onlookers in
their homes.
News of the birth of Adina's son was already spreading throughout the city as
the crucial moment arrived. As everyone looked upwards, the thin crescents -
which were all that was visible of the Red, White and Amber moons -grew
thinner still. Then, at the exact moment of conjunction, they disappeared
altogether behind the Dark Moon, the 'sky shadow' that was completely
invisible because it reflected no light. Its observers only knew it was there
because it hid the stars beyond and occasionally produced eclipses of the sun
or, as now, its fellow moons.
The sky became a deeper black and the distant stars shone brighter as the
whole world seemed to hold its breath. For a few moments the earth beneath
their feet shook, as the islands began to change course, but most people
hardly noticed. And then, as if by magic, the mirror images of the three
crescents appeared in the sky, growing brighter and more substantial as the
stately ballet of the heavens continued - and Makhaya's bells rang out in
earnest.
Inside the palace the clamour of the celebrations could barely be heard, and
the mood was far more serious. The impact of Mirival's words had been