"Mercedes Lackey - Mage Storms 1 - Storm Warning" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

had been inclined to think it was nothing more than a delayed reaction to all that
AnтАЩdesha had been through. Still, he was troubled. тАЬF-F-Falconsbane had no such
prescience,тАЭ he stammered.
Firesong only shrugged. тАЬFalconsbane never wished to know the future,тАЭ he
pointed out. тАЬHe assumed it would follow the course that he set. And you are not he;
the Star-Eyed could well have granted you such a gift along with all else.тАЭ
A very real possibility and, if so, it was yet another тАЬgiftтАЭ he wished that She would
take back. His face must have reflected that thought since Firesong smiled slightly.
тАЬThe most likely direction for threat is east, of course,тАЭ he continued. тАЬThis Empire
that the Valdemarans fear so much is rich with mages; I think it likely that they will not
end their conquest at the Hardorn border.тАЭ
As AnтАЩdesha sat there dumbly, Firesong expanded his speculations. The Empire
was a good prospect; the Adept was right about that. But AnтАЩdesha could not rid
himself of the surety that the danger was not coming from the Empire.
This was something more than mere warfare; something much, much worse.
When I was still hiding in FalconsbaneтАЩs body, and the two Avatars of the Star-
Eyed came to teach me the way toward freedom, did they not say something about
this!
Now that he came to think about it, he believed that they had. He had been guided
by a pair of spirits, who had once been fleshly. One had been a Hawkbrother, the
other, a ShinтАЩaтАЩin shaman. They had helped and taught him how to gradually
insinuate himself into his enemyтАЩs mind in such a way that Falconsbane thought the
thoughts directing his actions were his own. They had also taught him how to gain
access to the memories of FalconsbaneтАЩs many pasts.
At least once, and perhaps more often, they had hinted that if he succeeded in
regaining the use of his own body again, there was an even greater peril to be faced.
If only he could remember what they had said! But he had been too busy worrying
about his own survival to pay much attention to vague hints of terrible danger to
come. HeтАЩd had quite enough terrible danger on his plate at the time!
Firesong continued his speculations concerning the threat of this Empire, and he
tried in vain to suggest that the peril might be coming from elsewhere. Finally, he just
gave up when Firesong had the bit between his teeth about something, there was no
hope for anyone else to get anything in. It was best to just nod thoughtfully and let
him continue to expound.
But inside, his thoughts had a new target to circle around in worried, dizzy spirals.
The danger was not from the East, but from where? What could be worse than an
army, full of powerful mages and larger than anything Valdemar had ever seen,
bearing down on the border?
If only he could remember....
***
Karal patted his horseтАЩs damp neck nervously and tried not to be too obvious
about watching the Valdemaran Guards out of the corner of his eye. The horse
fidgeted and danced in place as it picked up his unease, and he dismounted to hold it
by its halter, just under the chin. It snuffled his chest but calmed as soon as he got
down on the ground beside its head; a light, warm breeze played across both of
them, gradually drying the horseтАЩs sweating neck.
He continued to stroke it, his nose full of horse scent, the familiar aroma calming
his own nerves. Nothing really bad had ever happened to him when he was around
horses, and he kept reminding himself of that, holding it to him as if he held to a luck-
talisman.