"Richard A. Knaak - Legacy Of Blood" - читать интересную книгу автора (Knaak Richard A)

тАЬAre you sure thereтАЩs no sorcery about here, Fauztin? None at all?тАЭ

The feline features half-hidden by the cowl wrinkled further in mild offense. The wide shoulders of his
voluminous cloak gave Fauztin a foreboding, almost supernatural appearance, especially since he
towered over the brawnier Norrec, no small man himself. тАЬYou have to ask that, my friend?тАЭ

тАЬItтАЩs just that it makes no sense! Other than a few minor and pretty pathetic traps, weтАЩve encountered
nothing to prevent us from reaching the main chamber! Why go through all the trouble of digging this out,
then leave it so sparsely defended!тАЭ

тАЬI donтАЩt call a spider as big as my headnothing,тАЭSadun interjected sourly, absently scratching his
lengthy but thinning black hair. тАЬEspecially as it wasonmy head at the time . . .тАЭ

Norrec ignored him. тАЬIs it what I think? Are we too late? Is this Tristram all over again?тАЭ

Once before, between serving causes as mercenaries, they had hunted for treasure in a small, troubled
village called Tristram. Legend had had it that, in a lair guarded by fiends, there could be found a treasure
so very extraordinary in value, it would make kings of those fortunate enough to live to find it. Norrec
and his friends had journeyed there, entering the labyrinth in the dead of night without the knowledge of
the local populace . . .

And after all their efforts, after battling strange beastsand narrowly avoiding deadly traps . . . they had
found that someone else had stripped the underground maze of nearly anything of value. Only upon
returning to the village had they learned the sorry truth, that a great champion had descended into the
labyrinth but a few weeks before and supposedly slain the terrible demon, Diablo. He had taken no gold
or jewels, but other adventurers who had arrived shortly thereafter had made good use of his handiwork,
dealing with the lesser dangers and carrying off all they could find. But a few daysтАЩ difference had left the
trio with nothing to show for their efforts . . .

Norrec himself had also taken no consolation in the words of one villager of dubious sanity who had, as
they had prepared to depart, warned that the champion, socalled the Wanderer, had not defeated Diablo
but, rather, had accidently freed the foul evil. A questioning glance by Norrec toward Fauztin had been
answered at first with an indifferent shrug by the Vizjerei sorcerer.
 тАЬThere are always stories of escaping demons and terrible curses,тАЭ Fauztin had added at the time,
complete dismissal of the wild warning in his tone. тАЬDiablo is generally in most of the favorites whispered
among common folk.тАЭ

тАЬYou donтАЩt think thereтАЩs anything to it?тАЭ As a child, Norrec had grown up being scared by his elders
with tales of Diablo, Baal, and other monsters of the night, all stories designed to make him be good.

Sadun Tryst had snorted. тАЬYou ever seen a demon yourself? Know anyone that had?тАЭ

Norrec had not. тАЬHave you, Fauztin? They say Vizjerei can summon demons to do their bidding.тАЭ

тАЬIf I could do that, do you think I would be scrounging in empty labyrinths and tombs?тАЭ

And that comment, more than anything else, had convinced Norrec then to chalk the villagerтАЩs words
down as yet another tall tale. In truth, it had not been hard to do.
After all, the only thing that had mattered then to the three had been what mattered nowтАФwealth.