"Simon Hawke - The Iron Throne" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hawke Simon)

The Iron Throne
by
Simon Hawk

prologue

The Eve of the Dead. The winter solstice. The longest night of the
year. It was a fitting night to mourn. Aedan Dosiere, Lord High
Chamberlain of the Cerilian Empire of Anuire, stood at the arched window
of his tower study in the Imperial Cairn, looking out across the bay at
the flickering lights of the city. The palace stood upon a rocky island
in the center of the bay, at the mouth of the River Maesil.

The city of Anuire lay spread out before him on either bank and spilling
over into the bay itself, across dozens of small islands connected by a
web of causeways and bridges.

Tonight, every window in the city was illuminated with the glow of
candles that would burn until dawn.

It was like looking at the dying embers of a gigantic campfire, spread
out across the bay and rising on the hillsides of the banks. A dying
flame. An appropriate if rather maudlin metaphor, thought Aedan. He
sighed. The weight of his years rested heavily upon him. He was weary
and wanted very much to sleep.

But not tonight. Only the dead slept on this night.

Each year on the Eve of the Dead, the people of Anuire would lock their
doors and light their altar candles, fasting and keeping vigil until
dawn, for the constellation of their god had vanished from the sky.

On this cold, forsaken night, when the Crown of Glory slipped beneath
the southern horizon and Haelyn's Star lay hidden, the Shadow World drew
ominously near. And this year, for the first time since the old gods
died, the Iron Throne stood empty. The empire crumbles, Aedan thought.
The dream has died. And so he mourned, for what was, and what might
have been.

Why is it, he wondered, that we never think of growing old? When we are
young, we feel immortal.

Death is merely something to be challenged, never feared. But one can
only challenge death so many times. Depending on his moods, of course.

Death was an indifferent gambler. Sometimes, he allowed but one throw
of the dice. And sometimes many He was content to let the dice fall as
they may, because no matter how the game progressed, in the end, he
would always be the only one left standing at the table.