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

As he panted for breath, Torio felt a peculiar sick knowledge that he had not Read the whole story. The
minor Adepts were retreating, and from behind themтАФ

"Wulfston! There are other men up there!"

His warning came too late. New attackers suddenly dropped out of the sky.

They leaped from the top of the quarryтАФstronger Adepts, able to protect themselves from injury in the
fallтАФand they were armed.

Knives and swords flashedтАФeach man was a living weapon, a sword in one hand, a knife in the other,
blades on their feet, on their elbows, leaping toward Wulfston, toward Torio.

Death came slashing through the air, the attackers using gravity, only guiding their fall to be certain to land
on their victims.

It took a mere split-second, too short a time for Wulfston and Torio to run, with no shelter closer than
the house far down the pathway.
Torio Read death upon him, three men falling toward him, one slashing for his head even as the young
Reader lifted his sword and prepared to take at least one of them with himтАФ

Flame!

Screams!

In midair, the falling men burst into flame!

Their kicking and writhing changed their course тАФthe one attempting to decapitate Torio bounced off the
quarry wall, sword clattering on the rocks as he landed uncontrolled, the pain of broken legs unfelt in the
agony of burning flesh.

The seven who had dropped on them burned and screamedтАФfive able to stand, dancing and shrieking as
the fire ate from the outside in.

"Wulfston!" Torio screamed in the men's agony. "Kill them! Kill them!" His own flesh seemed to sear
and flake off as theirs did, so caught was he in their death throes.

Instead, a sheet of flame engulfed the other attackers watching from the quarry rim, sending them
screaming and writhing and dancing the hideous dance of death as their flesh cooked off their bones,
taking their hearts and brains last.

Only as the last man died could Torio stop Reading, cutting off the pain but leaving him blind, closed in
on himself, sweating and shakingтАФand then vomiting as the stench of burnt flesh assaulted him anew.

Finally, he had to Read again. Still trembling, he Read slowly outward, finding only corpses.

They were all dead. There was no more pain.

Wulfston, as open to being Read as a nonAdept, was fighting not to pass out.