"Elizabeth Haydon - Symphony of Ages - Threshold" - читать интересную книгу автора (Haydon Elizabeth)

тАЬNo?тАЭ

тАЬNo. You?тАЭ

Hector inhaled deeply, breathing in the salt and the heavy scent of ash, thinking of Talthea and their son,
and their unborn child. тАЬYes. Each night.тАЭ He broke his gaze away and looked down through the mist at
the waves cresting under the pier. тАЬOf nothing else.тАЭ It was the only thing that made the day bearable, the
knowledge that the night would come, bringing such dreams.

Anais nodded thoughtfully. тАЬWhen awake, I can summon their faces if I try,тАЭ he said, тАЬbut at night I
dream of the World Tree.тАЭ

Hector blinked and turned to face his friend. тАЬSagia?тАЭ

Anais nodded again. тАЬAnd the forest Yliessan where I was born.тАЭ

In the heat of the afternoon sun, Hector felt suddenly cold at his friendтАЩs mention of the great tree; it was
the sacred entity of AnaisтАЩs people, the Lirin, the children of the sky. Sagia was one of the five
birthplaces of Time, where the element of Ether was born, and its power was the heartтАЩsblood of the
Island.

тАЬWhat do you see in these dreams, Anais?тАЭ

Anais inclined his head as if to facilitate recall of the vision. тАЬI am standing in Yliessan at the base of the
Tree, staring up its massive trunk to the lowest limbs that stretch out over the canopy of the other trees in
the forest. Its silver bark is gleaming. Around the Tree are lines of Lirin of all strains, Lirindarc, the forest
dwellers; Lirinved, the In-between, the nomads who live in both forest and field, making their home in
neither; the Lirinpan from the citiesтАФthey are all waiting. The Liringlas, my own people, the skysingers,
are at the end of the line, weaving flower garlands as they wait.

тАЬOne by one, they climb into the lowest branches, then higher, building shelters of sorts, nests, for lack of
a better word. The Liringlas are adorning the trunk of Sagia with the floral garlands.тАЭ Anais closed his
eyes, concentrating on the vision. тАЬThey are singing. The Lirin are taking refuge in Sagia, awaiting the end
in Her arms.тАЭ

SevirymтАЩs voice shattered the stillness of the docks.

тАЬHector! Hector! Ship! A ship is coming into port!тАЭ

The men at the dockтАЩs end turned in surprise and stared harder into the mist.

At the outer reaches of their vision they could see it after a moment, sails spilling wind as it approached
the lower landing at the southern tip of the main jetty. Hector ran back down the pier, followed a moment
later by Anais, where they met up with the other three.

Jarmon was shaking his head. тАЬFools,тАЭ he muttered, watching the vessel as it disappeared into the steam
rising off the seawall. тАЬMust be lost. CanтАЩt be a shipтАЩs captain in the world who doesnтАЩt know the peril at
this point.тАЭ