"Jean Lorrah - Savage Empire 05 - Sorcerers of the Frozen Isles" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lorrah Jean)

So Wulfston had gone home to secure his seaside kingdomтАФand Lenardo had urged Torio to continue
to work with the Adept. "Wulfston knows how to teach people to obey him," his teacher had said, "and
still to love him. That is an ability you must have before you can rule your own land."

Ruling a landтАФit was not what Readers were born to in the Aventine Empire. But Lenardo insisted that
Torio's insecurity stemmed from youth. He had been only eighteen when his teacher told him that, and a
Magister ReaderтАФor at least Lenardo and Master Clement insisted he was.

Torio had never taken the formal tests of his powers, but if there was one thing he was secure about, it
was that he would have passed the most stringent tests the Council of Masters might have devised. His
Reading was the one stable element in his lifeтАФit had to be, for he had been born blind. Without his
Reading ability, he would have spent his life as a helpless liability to the family he had been born into. As
it was, he perceived the world far better than any sighted nonReader.

But what was he supposed to do with those powers now? All the rules had changed. Grown up in the
communal life of the Academy, barred by law from owning property or holding public office, now Torio
had treasures beyond imagination, and lands held in his name that he would rule one day. Expecting to be
sworn to celibacy once he entered the top ranks of Readers, now h┬г was told he could marry if he so
desired, without risking the loss of his powers.

He often thought about that possibilityтАж about Melissa. When his thoughts turned to her, they
lightenedтАФone good thing about this journey to Zendi was that he would get to see Melissa again! In the
past year he had seen her only three times in person, although as Readers they had frequent mental
contact.

In the midst of his pleasant reverie, the sunny day suddenly plunged into blackness. Torio heard a
rumbling, felt the jostling of a crowd. He was being pulled along, trying to escapeтАФ

The noise grew louder, nearer, more terrifying, bearing down as people shouted incoherent
warnings-Screams!

The tug at him was suddenly goneтАФhe was alone in a crowd, lost, panicked, as something rumbled and
rolled over human flesh, crushing bones, the smell of blood and fear sweat risingтАФ "Torio!
TorioтАФwhat's the matter with you?" At Wulfston's voice, Torio suddenly realized that he was Reading
something actually happening not far away. He focused his powers, and foundтАФ

"WulfstonтАФa man's being crushed to death! We've got to help him!"

"Where?" was Wulfston's only question. They were still in the Lord Adept's landsтАФhe would never
withhold his powers when one of his people needed him.

"This way!" answered Torio, and set off at a gallop, first along the road, then off it toward a stone quarry
scarring the side of the range of hills that would intersect the road in a few more miles.

Wulfston did not need to be told what had happenedтАФwhen they reached the scene, everything was
instantly obvious.

These people were a family, earning their living by cutting rock from the hillside for building in Wulfston's
lands or in Zendi. The quarry was new, for the latest Lords of the Land had begun a spate of building
such as had not been seen in most people's lifetimes.