"Paul S. Kemp - Erevis Cale 3 - Midnight's Mask" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kemp Paul S)

16 тАв Paul S. Kemp
mind leech but he could see enough to read the SojournerтАЩs
thin lips.
Meanwhile, Jak continued to cast.

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In a rush, Riven remembered why he had betrayed
Cale, why he had left the First of the Shadowlord bleeding
but not dead. The torrent of memories made his temples
burn.
He was a plant.
Only long practice allowed him to keep his face expres-
sionless. He suddenly became painfully conscious that a
mind-reading slaad stood beside him and another behind
him, and that the SojournerтАФa creature of obvious but
unknown powerтАФhovered across the chamber.
Riven, Magadon, and Cale had devised a plot back on
the Plane of Shadow to get Riven close to the Sojourner.
RivenтАЩs betrayal of Cale was designed to gain the slaadiтАЩs
trust, which it had. Magadon and Cale would then use
Riven as a beacon to bring them to the Sojourner.
Snippets of the exchange played in his mind.
Why me? Riven had asked, when Cale had related his
idea.
You already know why, Cale had answered, and Riven
had known why: because a betrayal by a former Zhent
and assassin was believable; because the Second of the
Shadowlord would surely covet the position of the First;
because Riven was a better killer than Cale.
It was believable enough that it was almost true. Hells,
perhaps it was true.
RivenтАЩs mind raced; he pored through his memories.
What had he really intended? He could not remember
many of the details. But he did remember that heтАЩd wanted
to keep other options available. And at that moment other
options were looking more and more appealing.
When Riven had told Azriim in Skullport that he

MidnightтАЩs Mask тАв 17
always sided with the winner, he had meant it. And while
he deplored being second to Cale in MaskтАЩs eyes, he also
had thought back then that they would succeed. Mask was
blessing him with more powers every tenday. HeтАЩd had no
intention of remaining the ShadowlordтАЩs Second forever.
But he could see now that his calculus had been off.
He had stood face to face with high-ranking members of
the Zhentarim, powerful priests, skilled warriors, all of
them powerful men and women, but he had never before