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

was.тАЭ He allowed one eyebrow to rise. тАЬThere is a trifle more; we had an intimate
agent working to rid us of Ancar, an agent that had once worked independently in
Valdemar. This agent is now rather conspicuously missing.тАЭ
The agent in question had been a sorceress by the name of Hulda - Charliss never
could recall the rest of her name. He did not particularly mourn her loss - she had
been very ambitious, and he had foreseen a time when he might expect her value as
an agent to be exceeded by her liabilities. That she was missing could mean any one
of several things, but it did not much matter whether she had fled or died; the result
would be the same.
TremaneтАЩs brow wrinkled in thought. тАЬThe most obvious conclusion would be that
your agent turned,тАЭ he said after a moment, тАЬand that she used this dagger to place
suspicion on agents of one of AncarтАЩs enemies, thus embroiling us in a conflict with
Valdemar that would open opportunities for her own ambitions in Hardorn. We have
no reason for an open quarrel with Valdemar just yet; this could precipitate one
before we are ready.тАЭ
Charliss nodded with satisfaction. What was тАЬobviousтАЭ to Tremane was far from
obvious to those who looked no deeper than the surface of things. тАЬOf course, I have
no intention of pursuing an open quarrel with Valdemar just yet,тАЭ he said. тАЬThe envoy
in question was hardly outstanding; there are a dozen more who are simply panting
for his position. The woman was quite troublesomely ambitious, yes; however, if she
uses her magics but once, we will know where she is, and eliminate her if we choose.
No. What truly concerns me is Valdemar itself. The situation within Hardorn is
unstable. We have acquired half of the country with very little effort, but the ungrateful
barbarians seem to have made up their mind to refuse the benefits of inclusion within
the Empire.тАЭ Charliss felt a distant ache in his hip joints and shifted his position a little
to ease it. A warning, those little aches. The sign that his spells of bodily renewal
were fading. They were less and less effective with every year, and within two
decades or so they would fail him altogether....
One corner of TremaneтАЩs mouth twitched a little, in recognition of CharlissтАЩ irony.
They both knew what the Emperor meant by that; the citizens of what had been
Hardom wanted their country back, and they had organized enough to resist further
conquest.
тАЬIn addition,тАЭ Charliss continued smoothly, тАЬthis land of Valdemar is overrun with
refugees from all the conflict within Hardorn and from the wretched situation before
Ancar perished. Valdemar could decide to aid the Hardornens in some material way,
and that would cause us further trouble. We know that they have somehow allied
themselves with those fanatics in Karse, and that presents us with one long front if
we choose to fight them. Valdemar itself is a damned peculiar place....тАЭ
тАЬIt has always been difficult to insinuate agents into Valdemar,тАЭ Tremane offered,
with the proper diffidence. Charliss wondered whether he spoke from personal
experience or simply the knowledge he had gleaned from keeping an eye on
CharlissтАЩ own agents.
From beyond the closed doors of the Throne Room came the soft murmur of the
courtiers who were waiting for the doors to open for them and Court to begin. Let
them wait - and let them see just whose business had kept them waiting. They would
know then, without any formal announcements, just who had become the EmperorтАЩs
current favorite. The little maneuverings and shifts in power would begin from that
very moment, like the shifts in current when a new boulder rolls into a stream.
тАЬQuite.тАЭ Charliss frowned. тАЬIn fact, that Hulda creature was once one of my
freelance agents in the Valdemar capital. I was rather dubious about using her again,