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

number of possible candidates.тАЭ
 Charliss smiled, ever so slightly, with approval. Good. Even if the man did not
possess humility, he could feign it convincingly. Another valuable ability.
тАЬYou happen to be my current personal choice, Tremane,тАЭ the Emperor replied,
and he smiled again as the manтАЩs eyebrows twitched with quickly-concealed surprise.
тАЬIt is true that you are not an Adept; it is true that you are not in the direct Imperial
bloodline. It is also true that of the nineteen Emperors, only eleven have been full
Adepts, and it is equally true that I have outlived my own offspring. Had any of them
inherited my mage-powers, that would not have been the case, of course....тАЭ
He allowed himself a moment to brood on the injustice of that. Of all the children of
his many marriages of state, not a one had achieved more than Journeyman status.
That was simply not enough power to prolong life - not without resorting to blood-
magic, at any rate, and while there had been an Emperor or two who had followed
the darker paths, those were dangerous paths to follow for long. As witness the idiot
Ancar, for instance - those who practiced the blood-paths all too often found that the
magic had become the master, and the mage, the slave. The Emperor who ruled with
the aid of blood-rites balanced on a spiderтАЩs thread above the abyss, with the
monsters waiting below for a single missed step.
Well, it hardly mattered. What did matter was that a worthy candidate stood before
him now, a man who had all the character and strength the Iron Throne demanded.
And what was more, there was an opportunity before them both for Tremane to
prove, beyond the faintest shadow of a doubt, that he was the only man with that kind
of character and strength.
тАЬYour duchy is in the farthest west, is it not?тАЭ Charliss asked, with carefully
simulated casualness. If Tremane was surprised at the apparent change of subject,
he did not show it. He simply nodded again.
тАЬThe western border, in fact?тАЭ Charliss continued. тАЬThe border of the Empire and
Hardorn?тАЭ
тАЬPerhaps a trifle north of the true Hardorn border, but yes, my Emperor,тАЭ Tremane
agreed. тАЬMay I assume this has something to do with the recent conquests that our
forces have made in that sad and disorganized land?тАЭ
тАЬYou may.тАЭ Charliss was enjoying this little conversation. тАЬIn fact, the situation with
Hardorn offers you a unique opportunity to prove yourself to me. With that situation
you may prove conclusively that you are worthy of the Wolf Crown.тАЭ
TremaneтАЩs eyes widened, and his hands trembled, just for a moment.
тАЬIf the Emperor would be kind enough to inform his servant how this could be done
- ?тАЭ Tremane replied delicately.
The Emperor smiled thinly. тАЬFirst, let me impart to you a few bits of privileged
information. Immediately prior to the collapse of the Hardornen palace - and I mean
that quite precisely - our envoy returned to us from King AncarтАЩs court by means of a
Gate. He did not have a great deal of information to offer, however, since he arrived
with a knife buried in his heart, a rather lovely throwing dagger, which I happen to
have here now.тАЭ
He removed the knife from a sheath beneath his sleeve, and passed it to
Tremane, who examined it closely, and started visibly when he saw the device
carved into the pommel-nut.
тАЬThis is the royal crest of the Kingdom of Valdemar,тАЭ Tremane stated flatly,
passing the blade back to the Emperor, who returned it to the sheath. Charliss
nodded, pleased that Tremane had actually recognized it.
тАЬIndeed. And one wonders how such a blade could possibly have been where it