"Paul Kidd - The Nobles 05 - The Council of Blades" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kidd Paul)

ISBN: 0-7869-0531-X
8564XXX1501

TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd.
201 Sheridan Springs Road 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton
Lake Geneva, WI 53147 Cambridge CB1 3LB
U.S.A. United Kingdom
Dedicated, with much love and laughter,
to all the folk of "Furry Fandom"
who helped us through our darkest hours.
 1
Seen from high up in the pure, sharp nighttime sky, the cool lake surface sparkled with the light of stars.
A flawless, glittering carpet spread out to the horizons and beyond; the black arch of the sky blended
perfectly with the waters of the Akanamere far below. The whole world seemed to be suspended in a spell
of silence as the count-less movements of heaven, earth and sea all blended into a timeless, frozen hush.
Suspended in a crystal ball, a flier could ride the cold night winds and dream unruffled dreams.
Hanging high above the waves, a single lonely figure rode the winds with stubby wings. Brilliant in
plumes of orange, red and gold, the great bird whirred onward through a cool mountain breeze; a fantastic,
addled crea-ture fashioned from ten parts tail and two parts beak, to one part brain.
The great bird streamed like a fistful of silken ribbons through the sky, drawn by a point of light which
glittered oh so brightly just above the open sea. He swirled across the inky sky, saw what lay ahead, and
suddenly felt his spirits soar.
Cradled in its tiny harbor, the city-state of Sumbria shone against the darkness like a cup of fallen stars.
The clean white walls shot upward from the shoreline like rearing foam, while the towers and streets
seemed strung with iridescent pearls. The great, giddy bird stared down at the sight in awe, his beak
hanging open as the lights dazzled his eyes. He hovered clumsily, tail dangling and great yellow feet
pumping at the empty air, flicking his head this way and that as he tried to make sense out of an astonishing
new world.
Suddenly the bird folded up his wings and dove. He shot low across the rooftopsтАФacross the
battlements and walls. Past ranks of guards in barbute helmets of white steel and crossbowmen dressed in
brigantines. Past the catapults mounted on the battlements and the silken banners streaming in the breeze.
The bird rolled happily in the swirling currents of city air, his long tail swishing like noisy streamers in his
wake. He turned a giddy loop-the-loop, and let out a raucous peal of joy.
All across the city, dogs began to howl. Fresh milk curdled, the chickens mislaid, and something rather
unpleasant happened to all the cheese.
. . . And still the firebird sang! He caroled out a love that wrapped itself about him like a phoenix flame;
he sang with a delight as pure and fresh as morning dew. He clucked, he shrieked and yodelled at
frequencies far above mere mortal hearing bands, crumbling mortar on high rooftops and sending gargoyles
sliding off on sud-den one-way journeys to the streets below.
Great, expressive eyes suddenly fell upon a blaze of color far below; with a cry of joy, the bird dove off
between two marble towers, frightened a nest of stirges half to death, and swooped to a halt outside a
magnifi-cent banquet hall.
Cracked glass panes opened out into an empty ball-room all set out for a marvelous feast. The firebird
pressed himself against the windows, peering avidly within, beating at the glass like a great brain-damaged
moth. Hanging there before his eyes was an immense, sparkling chandelier, its crystals ablaze with dancing
points of light.
The shine of pretty baubles made the firebird's head whirl. He stared, hypnotized, at the crystal beads,
each one glimmering with magic spells. His beak opened and silently mouthed a hiss of awe.
Sparklies!
Frantic with greed, the bird clawed his way high up into the skies. In a high tower beside the hall, a