"Jane Lindskold - Firekeeper Saga 2 - Wolf's Head, Wolf's Heart" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lindskold Jane)

Lord Ivory shut the door behind them, but Allister was certain that with Whyte Steel on the other side it
would open again. Then he turned his attention to the chamber.

It wasn't large, maybe five feet to a side, but there were six sides, each of equal length. As if to make up
for its comparative smallness, the room was very high. The windows at the top of each wall were narrow
slits. Set halfway up each wall was a pale block of stone carved with intricate patterns.

Allister had seen their like before, elsewhere in the castle. They were remnants of Old Country magic,
enchantments thatтАФif tales more than a hundred years old were to be believedтАФhad once shed a soft,
clean light all through the building. It was said that such routine magics had continued to function for years
after the Plague, but had gradually failed because no one remained who knew how to renew their power.

Ever quiescent, the carved blocks inspired awe, but they could not hold Allister's attention long, not with
the huge treasure cabinet that was built into half the room demanding his attention.

The cabinet was crafted from polished maple the reddish-gold of honey, and fit neatly into three angles of
wall. Its doors were closed, but a silk ribbon braided in the sea green and gold of the royal house hung
from the faceted crystal door pulls. Two keys depended from the ribbon: a silver one, twin to that which
Lord Ivory had used to open the door to the treasure room, and a smaller, golden one set with emeralds.

"Well, I see that the king need not always bring the Keeper of the Keys whenever he wishes to change
his hat," Allister said, trying to lighten his own mood. "How kind of Valora to leave these behind. Shall
we see what is in the cabinet?"

Shad nodded.

As expected, the golden key opened the cabinet, revealing that the doors had been cleverly hinged so
that they folded back into a neat packet that did not impede access to the interior, even in this small
space. Good workmanship, perhaps from the days when the Old Country still ruled, but nothing that a
competent carpenter could not do today.

Within, three sets of shelves were revealed. To the left, on the highest shelves, were the crowns worn by
the previous Gustins. Allister recognized several as those worn by Valora's father. He guessed that the
other set of masculine-styled crowns had belonged to Gustin I, also called Gustin Sailor. There were
many of these, as if Gustin Sailor had enjoyed showing off his newly won privilege. That fit what Allister
had heard of the manтАФhis own great-grandfather.

Below the crowns there were a few scepters, but these had never been much used in Bright Bay. Allister
recalled Prince Tavis saying that his own mother had said they were damned heavy to hold for long
periods of time. She had preferred a gavel of solid oak with which to hammer for silence. The lower
shelves on this side were empty, waiting for future monarchs to fill them. Allister felt a momentary surge
of awe when he realized that he and Shad would be among those to hold that honor.

The right-side set of shelves held much more prosaic treasures: ornate boxes containing rings and
bracelets, jeweled weapons, pendants, and other such pretties. These were personal property of the
kings and queens of Bright Bay. Seeing slight scuffing on one empty section of shelf, Allister guessed that
Valora had taken away her own boxes. He wondered if she had made free with anything belonging to,
say, her father or grandmother.

Allister barely glanced at the jewelry, his attention claimed by a set of closed doors in the center of the