"Paul Kearney - Monarchies of God 4 - The Second Empire" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kearney Paul)

swift, or careful in our flight. No, for what itтАЩs worth, weтАЩre away. Maybe theyтАЩre going to let the jungle
finish the job. Maybe they could not bring themselves to kill a fellow sorcerer. Or there may be another
reason weтАЩre alive. Ask the wizard! HeтАЩs the one has been closeted with their leader.тАЭ

They both looked at Bardolin. тАЬWell?тАЭ Hawkwood said at last. тАЬWeтАЩve a right to know, I think. Tell us,
Bardolin. Tell us exactly what happened to you.тАЭ

The mage kept his eyes fixed on the fire. There was a long silence while his two companions stared
steadily at him.

тАЬI am not entirely sure myself,тАЭ he said at last. тАЬThe imp was brought to the top of the pyramid in the
middle of the city by Gosa. He was a shape-shifterтАФтАЭ

тАЬYou surprise me,тАЭ Murad snorted.

тАЬI met their leader, a man named Aruan. He said he had been high in the ThaumaturgistsтАЩ Guild of
Garmidalan in Astarac a long time ago. In the time of the Pontiff Willardius.тАЭ

Murad frowned. тАЬWillardius? Why, heтАЩs been dead these four hundred years and more.тАЭ

тАЬI know. This Aruan claims to be virtually immortal. It is something to do with the Dweomer of this land.
There was a great and sophisticated civilisation here in the west at one time, but it was destroyed in a
huge natural cataclysm. The mages here had powers hardly dreamt of back on the Old World. But there
was another difference . . .тАЭ
тАЬWell?тАЭ Murad demanded.

тАЬI believe they were all shifters as well as mages. An entire society of them.тАЭ

тАЬGodтАЩs blood,тАЭ Hawkwood breathed. тАЬI thought that was not possible.тАЭ

тАЬSo did I. It is unheard of, and yet we have seen it ourselves.тАЭ

Murad was thoughtful. тАЬYou are quite sure, Bardolin?тАЭ

тАЬI wish I were not, believe me. But there is another thing. According to this Aruan, there are hundreds of
his agents already in Normannia, doing his bidding.тАЭ

тАЬThe gold,тАЭ Hawkwood rasped. тАЬNormannic crowns. There was enough of it back there to bribe a king,
to hire an army.тАЭ

тАЬSo he has ambitions, this shifter-wizard of yours,тАЭ Murad sneered. тАЬAnd how exactly do you fit into
them, Bardolin?тАЭ

тАЬI donтАЩt know, Murad. The Blest Saint help me, I donтАЩt know.тАЭ

We will meet again, you and I, and when we do you will know me as your lord, and as your friend.
The parting words of Aruan burnt themselves across BardolinтАЩs brain. He would never reveal them to
anyone. He was his own man, and always would be despite the foulness he now felt at work within him.

тАЬOne thing I do know,тАЭ he went on. тАЬThey are not content to remain here, these shifter-mages. They are