"Richard A. Knaak - Dragonlance - Lost Histories 4 - Land of the Minotaurs" - читать интересную книгу автора (Knaak Richard A)

And they'll probably try to make me emperor at that point. He snorted, not so much out of the
ridiculousness of the possibility but rather at the realization that he was already well on his way to
becoming such a figurehead. Already the others looked to Kaz as their leader. His reputation, instead of
being sullied by rebellion against his former masters, had earned him respect in the eyes of many. His
past glories in the circus also lent him an air of strength, for he was the only one of his rank who had
ever chosen retirement rather than demanding his right to challenge the emperor for the throne.

Kaz grunted. He knew he had to return to Helati and tell her that her brother had missed yet another
rendezvous. Hecar should have returned from the capital long ago. There was no denying now that
something must have happened. Paladine protect you, Hecar! Why couldn't you listen to me? Going
back to Nethosak was asking for trouble!

The tall, dark-furred minotaur started back to the dwelling he shared with his mate of two years'


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standing. Perhaps it would have been better to remain in the icy south, but after the snow wraiths and
dwarves of frozen Farahngrad, the warmer and quieter north had looked extremely inviting. More
important, the time in the south had brought Kaz and Helati closer to one another in a shorter time than
even he could have dreamt. Instead of journeying across all of Ansalon, the two had instead decided to
settle in a quiet, wooded region far south of their homeland. Hecar, never one to abandon his sister, had
decided to build a place there, too.

In settling down, Kaz had found a peace that had escaped him all his life. He had really known nothing
but battle since he had been young enough to train, and now he realized that quiet solitude, combined
with sharing that quiet with someone he loved, was preferable. He and Helati had made a home for
themselves, acting in many ways more like humans than like minotaurs. Kaz saw nothing demeaning in
that. Despite his race's obvious superiority in some matters, the minotaurs truly were deficient in most
important aspects of life. Humans could appreciate things that most minotaurs, not understanding, would
have scoffed at. Humans were not perfect, but they were admirable in some ways.

Of course, he had met one of the greatest humans, so perhaps, Kaz thought, his opinion was biased.
Huma of the Lance, the now legendary hero of the war against Takhisis, the dark goddess, had been one
of the bravest, most honorable warriors Kaz had ever known. It was a friendship that should not have
thrived, but it had, ending only when the young knight had died vanquishing the Dragon Queen. Kaz had
been there, a part of the epic battle. He had witnessed the humanity behind the hero, and the lesson had
stayed with him, influencing his own decisions and behavior. Like Huma, he had come to want only
peace and a quiet life.

But that never seems to be the way. He snorted. I try to live in peace and only end up mired in one battle
after another. Not that I haven't purposely walked straight into a few.

The first newcomers arrived shortly after the trio had settled here. Once the first travelers arrived, it
seemed to him as if half the minotaurs in the empire followed. Worse, they all seemed to know who he
wasтАж and had been. The past that Kaz had thought buried seemed more alive than ever.

I will not go back to Nethosak! he thought, snarling quietly. I will not go back there again!