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

УNo, my lord.Ф
All of them thinkЕ the explosion was an attempt on my life. Even Con! Not true. I believeЕ someone demolished my quarters to get at the Trove of Darasilo. You remember Kilian had it. We never foundЕ impossible to wind-search sigilsЕ we thought he hid it somewhere in palaceЕ heТd never entrust it to another.
УI agree,Ф Snudge said. УShall I tell His Grace about this?Ф
УHere!Ф Conrig protested. УThereТll be no secrets kept from me!Ф
Tell him.
УSire,Ф Snudge said firmly, Уin matters of high sorcery, you must always be guided by the judgment and wisdom of your Reverend Brother. However, heТs given me permission to tell you his concerns. Do you remember the secret trove of inactive sigils and the two magical books that I discovered in the rooms of the former Royal Alchymist, Kilian Blackhorse?Ф
УYes. Our search after KilianТs arrest turned up nothing, so I assumed they had been lost. Gossy said so, too. If the things had turned up, he planned to destroy them to keep them away from that cunning little bastard, Beynor of Moss. He and Kilian were cooking up some conspiracy together.Ф
УYour brother believes that the sigils were hidden somewhere in the Royal AlchymistТs apartment by Kilian, before Lord Stergos himself took up residence there. He also thinks that the tarnblaze assault was an attempt to uncover the items so that they might be stolen away.Ф
Conrig nodded. УSo we can presume that either Beynor or Kilian himself was responsible for the explosion?Ф
BeynorЕ exiled among Dawntide Salka. No way to escape. Queen Ulla assured us. But KilianЕ friends at abbeyЕ The windvoice trailed away.
Snudge said, УLord Stergos thinks Beynor couldnТt have done it himself. HeТs a virtual prisoner of the Salka on a remote island in the eastern Boreal Sea. Kilian is confined under house arrest in Zeth Abbey, but he has many friendsЧas we know too wellЧwhom he may have converted to his cause.Ф
Conrig was on his feet, clenching his big fists. He began to pace back and forth. A flash of lightning lit the room, followed almost at once by a crash of thunder. УDamn that scheming wizard! I knew I should have lopped off his treacherous head. But our mother couldnТt bear losing her precious brother!Ф
Queen Mother Cataldis was a gentle but steel-willed woman. Neither Conrig nor Stergos could bring themselves to oppose her.
Three visiting BrothersЕ scholarsЕ outside library yesterday when all the others were away at the Solstice Eve feast.
УLord Stergos says there were three suspicious Brothers of Zeth working near his apartment yesterday,Ф Snudge said. УBy the library.Ф
The High King bent over the bandaged man. УGossy! Can you tell Snudge their names?Ф
Cant recall. Ask Dean of Studies, Vra-Edzal.
Snudge reached for a wax tablet and stylus that lay on a bedside table beside a tray of medicines, wrote the name down, and handed the tablet to the king. УThis man will know, sire.Ф
DeveronЕ examine my rooms. See if there really is a hiding placeЕ empty. Those unholy tools of the Beaconfolk must not reach KilianЕ Aah! The painЕ very bad.
УNever fear, my lord. IТll do as you say. If DarasiloТs Trove has been stolen, the thieves canТt have gone far yet. WeТll catch them.Ф
The sigils and books must be destroyed. You know what Kilian and Beynor would do with them. Even my dear brother mightЕ Promise me!
УI promise, my lord.Ф
The painЕ the pain Е No more, Deveron. Summon the doctors and IТll take the poppy draft. God have mercy on meЕ
УWhatТs he saying?Ф Conrig demanded.
УHeТs finished speaking. He wants the doctors. HeТs in agony.Ф
Conrig strode to the door and shouted for the medical attendants to return. They flocked back, and several of them lifted the burn victim, parted the ointment-smeared bandages covering his mouth, and administered the narcotic draft that had been refused earlier.
УYou must leave him now, Your Grace,Ф one of the doctors said. УHe will sleep for many hours.Ф
Conrig scowled, but he finally turned away and beckoned Snudge to follow. When the two of them were alone in the corridor, the king asked sharply, УWhat did you promise Lord Stergos you would do?Ф
УPursue the mysterious Brothers,Ф Snudge said evasively, Уpresuming they stole the sigils and the books.Ф
УIf those three are the villains who burned poor Gossy,Ф the king said with quiet menace, Уthey shall have their own close acquaintance with flame.Ф
УPerhaps theyТre still hiding in the palace. But itТs more likely that they escaped in the confusion and fled the city. A search must begin at once, sire. YouТll need to summon this Vra-Edzal. He can provide the names and descriptions of the three, and perhaps even arrange for drawings of their faces. This would greatly assist both the windsearchers and the untalented hunters. The Lord Constable, Earl Marshal Parlian, and the other members of your Privy Council will have to know about this.Ф
Including Duke Feribor Blackhorse, who might have played a key role in the disaster! But there was no way of proving that, nor even any chance now of discussing the possibility with Stergos.
УHmm.Ф Conrig looked away, thinking. УI must decide how much to tell my counselors. Unfortunately, we canТt avoid giving out some sort of description of the stolen trove. But it should be as vague as possibleЧold books of great value only to alchymists, and a few small stone carvings. WeТll offer a large reward, but make it seem that the most important consideration is capturing those who wounded Stergos and destroyed the library. All of the searchers will be sworn to secrecy. Others will learn soon enough about this damned collection of moonstone sigils, but we must keep their dread capability secret. Only you and I and Stergos must ever know of that.Ф
УNot the Conjure-Queen?Ф Snudge asked softly. УHer Subtle Loophole would readily scry the location of the stolen things.Ф
УGod forbid! If Ullanoth found them before we did, it could bring on a catastrophe far worse than the one we already face. You do understand that, donТt you, Snudge?Ф
УYes, sire. I was not sure you did.Ф
УImpudenceЕФ
УHowever, you face something of a dilemma here, sire. I think Queen Ullanoth is bound to learn something about the theft before long. News of the palace fire will spread from one end of the island to the other. Fortunately for us, thereТs no easy way for her to get her hands on the trove, even if she scries its location. Her Sending is unable to take back anything to its point of origin. SheТd have to come after the trove using her natural body. That would be quite difficult for her, given the situation in Moss and her present state of physical frailty.У
УWhat are you driving at? WhatТs the dilemma?Ф
УIf the thieves arenТt captured in short order, you may be forced to ask for her help. To prevent the trove from falling into the hands of Kilian or Beynor.Ф
УGodТs Eyes! Of course. One of them certainly planned the theft.Ф
УOr both,Ф Snudge said. УThis is what Lord Stergos believes. He asked me to inspect the scene of the conflagration. Perhaps I might find some useful indications.Ф
УThe burned-out wing can hardly be cool yet, but the oncoming rainstorm will take care of that.Ф Outside the corridor windows it had grown very dark, and the lightning and peals of thunder were now almost continuous. УWhen you finish, come to my study. We still must talk of the reason why I called you back to the city.Ф
Snudge let his chagrin show. УHow remiss of me! This terrible disaster wiped all thought of the other matter from my mind.Ф
УWeТll talk of it later.Ф Conrig turned abruptly and strode away.
Snudge started off in the opposite direction, intending to go to the knightsТ lodging in the Square Tower where he had left Gavlok and the others. He was going to need help searching the ruins, and he already felt deathly weary. The anguish emanating from the mind of Lord Stergos had deeply affected his own humor. It was a troubling aspect of his wild talent that he was only beginning to come to terms with. There were other considerations as well, but they didnТt bear thinking of now.
And neither did his motive for not telling King Conrig all that he had promised Lord Stergos.
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Snudge, Gavlok, and the three squires armed themselves with iron-shafted pikes, donned waterproof military cloaks and heavy boots, then set off to begin the miserable task of poking through steaming rubble. A torrential deluge now beat down upon the palace. Since the damaged wing had largely lost its roof and was open to the elements, the rain had quenched the last of the flames. Most of the firefighters had withdrawn.
When SnudgeТs party arrived at the ruined library they found Vra-Sulkorig Casswell himself. He had put off his robes in favor of waxed-leather hunting garb, and was supervising the removal of an incinerated human body from among the fallen stacks.