"Ed Greenwood - Band of Four 04 - The Dragon's Doom" - читать интересную книгу автора (Greenwood Ed)

benches. No women sat in the chamber; he and the knives of elder priests of
like mind had seen to that. She-priests were vicious and treacherous, but
alluring; there would be time enough to empower such when it came to open
strife, and such qualities could serve the BrethrenтАФand be the ready excuse
for slaughtering the women as soon as it became needful.
"The Serpent who spawned us all was never a god. He was a mortal man, a
great wizardтАФas were all his successors, Great Serpent after Great Serpent.
None of us particularly loves serving a tyrant, but this is how it must be.
Only one being can be master of the Thrael at a time. Once cast, the Thrael
exists as a web of magic whose backlashes slay many linked to it if someone
tries to wrest control of the Thrael from its creator, or craft a second
Thrael that comes into contact with the first. When we pray to the Great
Serpent, we send calls along the Thrael to him, calls he can hear. If he
chooses to do so, he sends us back spells or healing energy or raw power,
drawing on his own manifest powerтАФwhich is that of all of us who are touched
by the Thrael. Literally, our lives, and those of the sacrifices we slay in
specific ways, empower the Thrael and the Great Serpent, and he returns power
to us as he sees fit. Forgive this blunt speaking, but 'tis time and past time
you heard it shorn of all the 'holy' nonsense we must always cloak it with, to
conceal this central secret from lay believers."
Caronthom sighed, threw back his head, and continued, "So I say again: The
Serpent was a man, not a god. Great elder magics create his recurring
manifestation, and that of the Dragon who opposes him. Divine magics, if you
preferтАФmagics we no longer understand or know how to control, augment, or
destroy. From the Serpent we have his teachings, the secrets of the Thrael
spells and of its workingтАФand the sacred writings of what has gone before,
which stand as lessons to us in what to do and not to do to win power."
He strode slowly along the benches, meeting the gazes of some priests
thereon directly, and added, "Wherefore this council is met. As always, we
must scheme and work and refine our plots, when seeking to win greater power
in AglirtaтАФfor no god aids us. We all saw Ghuldart try and fail to craft the
Thrael, and witnessed his fateтАФand I feel no shame in admitting that,
overambitious foolishness aside, Ghuldart was the most confident and powerful
seeker amongst us who desired to master the Thrael. None of us is powerful
enough to survive those castings."
The second priest rose. "Every word you utter is blunt truth, Caronthom. It
should be clear to even the youngest and most restless amongst us that this
council's most urgent business has now been determined."
He began his own slow walk along the benches. "You know me as Raunthur the
Wise. Hear now my latest wisdom, and know it for no more than truth. We came
here to discuss how to win power in the Vale, but could decide nothing until
we saw if Ghuldart could ascend to the rank of Great Serpent over us. His
failure means we must find and recruit a wizard powerful enough to become the
new Great Serpent, so as to conquer Aglirta at last. Each of usтАФeven as we
work against the officers and authority of the boy kingтАФmust seek suitable men
to become our leader. To borrow the words of the Old Viper who taught
Caronthom and myself, 'The tyrant we must obey must be found.' "
One of the younger priests moved restlessly, and Caronthom pounced.
"Yes, Thuldran? Speak!"
The young priest flushed and looked down. Both elder priests moved to stand