"Boreal Moon - 02 - Ironcrown Moon" - читать интересную книгу автора (May Julian)

УBefore I do that, I require tangible proof of your goodwill. ItТs only just, EminencesЧand my request isnТt difficult of fulfillment. As a first step in subverting ConrigТs Sovereignty, I believe we must undermine his control in the region where the island is most vulnerable: the vassal kingdom of Didion. Did-ion is a keystone state whose lands adjoin those of the other three realms. It is susceptible to a Salka sea invasion from the east, the west, and most especially from the north, through the Green Morass. Its king, Honigalus, is a weakling, but he is unswervingly loyal to Conrig.Ф
УWhat has this to do with us?Ф the Conservator hissed impatiently.
УAs the first step in achieving my revenge, and your reconquest of Blenholme, I ask you to help me assassinate Honigalus, his three children, and his wife, who stand in line to the throne. If this is done, the kingТs younger brother will inheritЧa hothead prince named Somarus who is violently opposed to the Sovereignty. IТm very well acquainted with Somarus and his ambitions. HeТs highly susceptible to my coercion. And if this princely creature of mine were perceived by neighboring Tarn to be a legitimate heir to the throne and not a fratricidal usurperЧas would be assured if Salka were clearly seen to be responsible for his brotherТs deathЧthen Sernin Donorvale and the Sealords of Tarn would have no scruples about allying with Didion in an attempt to throw off ConrigТs hated dominion. The Sovereignty would be plunged into chaotic war, making it easy for your own army to seize the advantage.У
УIt sounds like a clever scheme, if somewhat convoluted.Ф The Conservator of Wisdom spoke wistfully. УBut history has shown that our fighters have not the physical agility nor the military competence to withstand human beings on land. This is why most of us have remained in the Dawntide Isles for these many centuries, only venturing to attack the groundlings on rare occasions, from the seaЕ and why the Salka who still dwell in BlenholmeТs Little Fen and the northern estuaries inhabited by humans live furtive, inconspicuous lives.Ф
Beynor said, УThe high sorcery of the Known Potency will make you superior to any weapon humanity can wield, be it natural or supernatural.Ф
УTell us how this can be,Ф said the First Judge. He uncorked a flask and poured a viscous fluid into a gold cup, sniffed it, and took a tentative lap. His tongue was purple, and nearly the length of BeynorТs forearm.
The young sorcerer strode to the golden tripod and cupped his hands beneath the inactive sigil. УLook upon it, Eminences! Apparently naught but a finely carved little stone ribbon, twisted to resemble a figure eight. But a finger slid along its surface discovers that the thing has but a single side and a single edge! A twofold wonderЕФ
УDo not touch the Potency!Ф the Supreme Warrior bellowed. УNever touch it again!Ф Beynor froze but did not flinch. After a moment, he let his hands fall to his sides and withdrew from the tripod, smiling.
УContinue,Ф said Master Kalawnn, with a reproachful glance at his colleague.
Beynor nodded. УProperly conjured, this small object defies the Beacon-folkТs control of their own sorcery. It forces them to yield up arcane power through moonstone sigils without causing pain to the conjurer. The mere touch of the living Potency liberates any other active sigil from the LightsТ control, as well as from the control of the former owner. A liberated sigil retains its efficacy, without exacting the former pain-price. Think what this might mean to wielders of minor-sigil weaponry such as flame-stones and stunners.Ф
УIncredible!Ф Kalawnn exclaimed.
УNot at all, Master. IТve also discovered that the Potency can instantly activate dead sigils without the usual agonizing ritual, whether the Lights will it or nill it. You Salka might also use the Potency to safely empower newly fashioned Great Stones. Just imagine what ten Weathermakers could do to ConrigТs army and navy! Or even one DestroyerЕФ
УAt the present time, we are unable to make new sigils,Ф Kalawnn admitted, shaking his ponderous head. УAll that we have left are those minor stones brought to the isles by the refugees fleeing Bazekoy.Ф
Beynor kept a lid on his elation with difficulty. The chief sorcerer of the Salka had confirmed what Beynor and Kilian had previously only deduced to be true: the monsters would already have used Great Stones as weapons against humanity if they had owned any.
УStill,Ф Beynor said, Уthe Potency can be a great boon to you. Even the lesser sigils conjure more powerful sorcery than talented humans are capable of. King ConrigТs alchymists and warriors will flee in terror before your conquering magic!Ф
The Supreme Warrior gave a skeptical grunt. УThat remains to be seen. In my opinion, if we have only minor stones to assist us, humans might retain a strong advantageЧespecially on landЧas they did in BazekoyТs day. Even our Great Stones did not deter his warriors for long. They slew the sigilsТ owners from afar with their arrows, then were able to smash the dead stones before we could retrieve and reactivate them. Only three Great Stones ever came to the Dawntides, those that Rothbannon took away from us. They eventually were handed down to you. In your incredible stupidity, you misused them, and now only this Unknown Potency is left.Ф
УA more prudent course is open to us,Ф the Conservator of Wisdom said.
УAs Kalawnn observed, we lack the ability to make new Great Stones at the present time. But that situation could change.Ф
Beynor forced himself to speak nonchalantly in the face of this shocker. УAnd how might that come to pass, Eminence? Nothing IТve studied so far in your archives tells of the origin of moonstone sigils.Ф
The Conservator turned to the Master Shaman. УColleague, please explain matters to this groundling protege of yours. My voice grows weary.Ф
УThousands of years ago,Ф Kalawnn said, Уour people discovered that a certain precious mineral had the power to conjure the magic of the Coldlight Army. The mineral was never abundant, and obtaining it was a difficult and dangerous business. With the passing of time and the changing climate, the two sources of the mineral, known as the Moon Crags, became inaccessible to our people. Indeed, the very location of the smaller crag has been lostЧwe know only that it lies atop a mountainЧwhile the larger crag is situated deep within the Barren Lands of the far north, in a place now colder and more inhospitable than it was in ages past.Ф
The Conservator said to Beynor, УIf the Unknown Potency does indeed have the power you describe, we might undertake a special effort to reach the Barren Lands Moon Crag once again. It might take a number of years to accomplish the task. But if we fashioned powerful new Great Stones and activated them through the Potency, then our victory against humanity would be certain rather than problematic. The Lights would have no way of betraying us, as they did so perfidiously when Bazekoy first threatened our homeland.Ф
The other Eminences murmured in agreement. Beynor stood like a statue, fighting the nausea swelling inside him. HeТd been so certain that they were ready to acquiesce to his schemeЧand now this!
Well, there remained one bargaining tool that could mend the situation. Mentioning it now might lead the Eminences to suspectЧrightly enoughЧ that he was planning treachery after the action in Didion; but he had to risk it.
УItТs understandable that you feel you must hold off reclaiming your heritage until you obtain Great Stones,Ф he said carefully. УHowever, I might point out that there are three other Great Stones already in existence that could be used to further the Salka cause without delay. In my opinion, these sigils alone would enable you to secure a strong initial foothold on High Blenholme while your valiant shamans simultaneously undertake the Moon Crag quest.Ф
Kalawnn said, УI presume you refer to those owned by your sister, Conjure-Queen Ullanoth, which supposedly came to her as a gift from your dead mother, along with four minor stones.Ф
УHmm. IТd forgotten about those,Ф the Conservator said. УThe young witch was said to have found them hidden among the roots of a swamp tree, after being guided by a dream.Ф
УThatТs so,Ф Beynor said. УThe important sigils are called Sender, Weather-maker, and Subtle Loophole. My sister rarely uses their high sorcery these days, since she has accumulated an enormous pain-debt employing them in the service of her lover, King Conrig.Ф
УShe uses them against us!Ф Ugusawnn snarled. УIn our failed attack last year, the Conjure-Queen employed her Loophole sigil to see us coming, and smote our landing force with a great storm conjured by Weathermaker. After that, even with the queen disabled by pain, human ships attacked these very isles. Our fighters were crushed like fishlice!Ф
УIТm aware that recent Salka assaults against Moss were repelled.Ф Beynor gave the Supreme Warrior an apologetic shrug. УForgive me, Eminence, for saying that the actions were poorly planned, using insufficient numbers of warriors who relied upon brute strength rather than appropriate magic.Ф
The huge eyes of Ugusawnn gleamed like baleful rubies. He bared his crystalline teeth at Beynor, and each was twice as long as a manТs hand. УDo you know a better way to fight the Conjure-Queen and her allies?Ф
УSuppose your forces were equipped with numbers of Concealers and Interpenetrators. I know your people possess such minor stones, as well as many others, but they are reluctant to use them because of the price. Liberated by the Potency, these sigils can assure victory! If you mount a stealthy attack on Royal Fenguard from the upstream side, using my special knowledge of the castleТs defenses in that area, you could penetrate the fortress walls and move about under cover of invisibility. Queen UllanothТs Great Stones would be yours before she or her ally King Conrig realized what was happeningЕ because, with the Potency, you would not have to kill the queen before taking her Great Stones for yourselves.Ф
The First Judge was aghast. УWhat are you saying?Ф
УAs you are aware, Eminence, a living sigil will ordinarily burn or even kill an unauthorized person who ventures to seize it. Even if the bonded owner is separated from the sigils, the owner can often command it from a distanceЧ perhaps causing great harm or mischief. But a moonstone liberated by the Potency is severed from its former owner at once. Recall what I said: a liberated stone becomes rebonded painlessly to the Potency wielder without the usual lengthy and painful ritual.Ф
The Conservator of Wisdom spoke with heavy sarcasm. УIt is good that we need have no fear that you might manage to appropriate your sisterТs three Great Stones for yourself, Beynor of Moss!Ф
УAlas, no, Eminence,Ф Beynor lied. УThe curse of the Beaconfolk places them beyond my reach forever. But not beyond yours.Ф
УAll this sounds like a splendid course of action,Ф the Supreme Warrior sneered, Уbut in my opinion it has as many holes as a sponge. It relies too much on this groundlingТs help and I donТt trust him. We canТt even be sure heТs told us the truth about the Potency.Ф
The Master Shaman said mildly, УBeynor is the son of my departed friend, Conjure-King Linndal. He has never given me reason to doubt his friendship toward the Salka people. He returned the Potency to us without condition. We know for a fact that he is incapable of using sigil magic himself. His assessment of the situation in Moss coincides with my own knowledge of UllanothТs affairs. I think we should consider the proposal to invade Moss very carefully. That isolated corner of High Blenholme would provide us with a perfect staging area for the main attack upon the rest of the island. Numbers of our people already reside in MossТs fens and in the swamps along its principal rivers. And I agree with Beynor that the Conjure-QueenТs three important sigils would immediately give us an enormous advantage over human enemies.Ф
УThen letТs go against Moss right away!Ф said the First Judge, hoisting high his golden cup for emphasis. УWhy muck about with this assassination of the Didionite king? What benefit is that to us?Ф
УIt gains you my gratitude,Ф Beynor said in a loud, cold voice. УAnd itТs a sure method of fatally weakening ConrigТs Sovereignty. If you kill Honigalus, I promise to help activate the Potency immediately afterwards and help you attack Moss. If you refuse me, I wonТt share my knowledge with you.Ф
УI say we should simply put this presumptuous tadpole to the torture,Ф growled the Supreme Warrior. УHeТll tell us everything we need to know about the Potency inside of an hour. Once our search parties are equipped with lib-crated minor sigils that the Lights canТt meddle with, weТll locate the Barren Lands Moon Crag in short order. We wonТt need this snotty groundlingТs help to reconquer Blenholme if we have plenty of new Great Stones. No human force could stand against us!Ф
УBazekoyТs did,Ф the Conservator said bleakly. УRemember that.Ф
УBecause the Lights betrayed us,Ф the Warrior thundered. УThey allowed him to winЧperhaps for their own perverse amusement. This time, the situation will be different.Ф
УDoing things my way would be so much more efficient, Eminences,Ф urged Beynor. УI can speed your conquest because IТm human. I know human strategy. I know human weaknesses and strengths. And more than anything in this world, I want to destroy Conrig Wincantor and my sister Ullanoth.Ф
A prolonged silence fell over the chamber.
УHow strange,Ф mused the First Judge, as he licked the last mucilaginous drops from his cup, Уthat Conjure-Queen Ullanoth should have discovered a hidden cache of sigils so fortuitouslyЧalthough we know that many such must have been secreted away during our long retreat from BazekoyТs host. I wonder if other lost Great Stones might be located using her Subtle Loophole, that most puissant tool for windsearching? If we owned a liberated Loophole, then it would be unnecessary for us to launch a long and arduous expedition to the Barren Lands Moon Crag.Ф
Beynor felt his gorge rise anew at this terrible possibility, which had never occurred to him. What a catastrophe if the monsters located and took control of DarasiloТs Trove before he could steal it away from KilianЕ
But the ConservatorТs next words wiped away BeynorТs dismay and kindled fresh hope. УIt seems to me that the young sorcererТs proposal to help us seize the Conjure-QueenТs sigils has considerable merit. We should not reject it lightly.Ф
УI agree,Ф said the Master Shaman. УFurthermore, torturing the human as Ugusawnn urges can produce unsatisfactory results. Humans have such frail bodies compared to our own.Ф
УIf I die under the Supreme WarriorТs ministrations before telling you the secret of the Potency,Ф Beynor said reasonably, Уyou will have thrown away any chance of abolishing the pain-yoke of the Lights, or regaining your ancestral island home.Ф