"Jean Lorrah - Empire 03 - Captives of the Savage Empire" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lorrah Jean)

nothing to her."

Now the king knew that the Reader spoke the truth about what he was thinking, but he also thought it
nothing but common sense, such as any man ought to think. He had the young man hauled off to the
dungeon, threatening to cut his tongue out if he continued to tell lies about the princess. That night,
however, another suitor for the princess' hand arrivedтАФa great and powerful warlord from a neighboring
land.

Languishing in his dungeon, the Reader Read the plans of the warlord. He had brought with him an army,
claiming it was his gift to the princess, for surely it must be strength of arms that was her heart's desire.
But he was also prepared for rejectionтАФin which case his army, thus smuggled into the heart of the
kingdom, would turn on the people. They would kill the king, and the warlord would take the princess by
force and make himself king of all the land.

Knowing this, the Reader begged and pleaded with his guards to arrange an audience for him with the
king. As it happened, the king had planned to test the young man's claims, for he could see great value in
someone who could tell him his enemies' secretsтАж if such an impossible claim proved true. So the next
morning he had the Reader brought before him, and the Reader told him the plan of the warlord. The
king had his own army, disguised as common people, surrounding the warlord's army when he made his
offer to-the princess. She rejected him, of courseтАФand he turned and shouted to his men, "To arms!"

Just as quickly, the king's men threw off their disguises, and in a battle at the king's feet they slaughtered
their enemies. The Reader was elatedтАФhe had proved his value, and was sure the king would change his
mind and allow him to marry the princess.

But the king saw only danger in a man who knew what was in people's mindsтАФhe immediately
envisioned his son-in-law plotting to kill him and take the throne, and no reassurances would make him
trust the Reader, nor would the pleadings of the princess mitigate his decision.

He knew, of course, that the Reader was a double-edged sword: If he did not like the way the king
treated him, he might run away to work against him with one of his enemies. Therefore he had the young
man hamstrung, so he could not run away, and he tortured him to force him to Read for him.

In less than a year the king had conquered all the neighboring lands. He always knew the size of the
enemies' armies, where they were located, all the battle plans. He also captured the fine, strong, warrior
son of one of his enemiesтАФa man who saw opportunity in ingratiating himself with a king he could not
conquer. Soon plans were underway to marry the princess to the warriorтАФfor she had learned well the
lesson her father had taught her. The Reader might have been willing to give her her heart's desire, but he
had not the strength to win her and then protect her. So she gave up her desire for someone to love her in
exchange for someone who would be very much like her father, shower her with presents, and protect
her against her enemies.

On the eve of the wedding, while the bridegroom and his prospective son-in-law were drinking
themselves into a stupor with the wedding guests, the Reader was of course left alone in his room in the
castleтАФwhat need to chain him in the dungeon once he was lamed? The treatment he had received for
revealing his gift had worked on his mind in the past yearтАФand he had learned to walk again, if with a
hideous limp. When the revelers were thoroughly drunk, he set fire to the castle, went to the room where
the princess lay guarded only by women, whom he killed, and carried the girl off into the night.

In the morning, the king and his would-be son-in-law were found dead, along with most of their guests.