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

For good reason, Snudge thought. There was more to the brief activation process as well, which he would never divulge to the king. УIt slipped my mind, sire. And of course I was forced to give the little book to Ansel Pikan shortly after I took it.Ф
УGod only knows what he might have done with it! You and Stergos were both fools not to have kept it safe.Ф
Snudge said nothing. The Royal Alchymist would have destroyed both the book and the Concealer if he had been able to. He believed their magic to be inherently evil and corrupting to the user. Belatedly, Snudge had come to the same conclusion. For this reason he had hidden Concealer away after the Battle of Mallmouth Bridge, telling the king it was lost in the fray. He had not attempted to use it since.
ConrigТs brief flash of anger vanished and he smiled. УIgnore my ill temper. I fret about my poor brother. Although the leeches say heТll recover, he will carry terrible scars.У
УThen his sight was spared? I was afraidЧФ
УGod be thanked, his vision is normal in spite of the burns about his eyes.Ф Conrig poured amber malt liquor into his favorite cup, which was silver with a gold-lined bowl and a great amethyst set into the stem as a talisman against poison. УWill you drink with me?Ф
УI thank you, sire.Ф Snudge took a crystal goblet from a sideboard and accepted a small amount of the spirits.
УPlease be seated,Ф Conrig said. Both of them tasted the malt, which was smooth and fiery. УI have a mission for you, one that will take you far from Cathra.Ф He held up his hand as Snudge attempted to speak. УNo, it has nothing to do with the pursuit of the thieves, although it may be possible for you to join the hunt for them as you journey north on this other matter. I already have three thousand men searching for the fugitives, and pictures of them provided by Vra-Edzal were transmitted by wind hours ago to every corner of Cathra. By tomorrow, the local adepts will have drawn up numbers of posters with images of the two rogue Brothers and nailed them up in every city and town.Ф
Snudge nodded and waited.
Conrig said, УAs for this special assignment: there is no other person I can entrust it to, for it involves a challenge to my own perilous secret.Ф
УYour talent.Ф
УAye, my accursed talent, that would deny me my Crown of SovereigntyЧФ
УAnd perhaps give it to Duke Feribor,Ф Snudge blurted, Уunless the QueenТs Grace should be delivered of a normal-minded son.Ф
Conrig sighed. УShe carries a normal child, but it is a girl. Queen Ullanoth was kind enough to confirm this fact for me.Ф
Snudge lowered his eyes at the disappointing news.
УAt yesterdayТs feast,Ф the king went on, Уthe earl marshal told me of a very disturbing rumor that apparently circulates in northwestern Tarn among the local fishermen. It popped up only recently, and its gist is that my first wife may still be alive.Ф
УSire, that canТt be!Ф Snudge exclaimed. УI windsearched for Princess Maudrayne myself when she flung herself from the parapet at EagleroostЧand for months thereafter. The Brothers of Zeth also combined their talents to sweep the entire island for traces of her. So did the Conjure-Queen, using her Great Stone Subtle Loophole.Ф
УAnselТs sorcery probably could have concealed Maude from all of you with ease. Tarnian shamans are the most powerful natural talents in the world. Consider also the disturbing fact that her personal maid Rusgann Moorcock unaccountably vanished without a trace. The woman was devoted to Maude, as if she were her own sisterЕ And thereТs worse, which IТve never confided to you.Ф He took a deep pull of the malt liquor and hesitated.
УYour Grace?Ф
УAh, shite,Ф muttered the king. УYou must know. Stergos and I found MaudeТs diary. In it, she wrote that she knew of my talent and would not hesitate to expose it if I persisted in my amorous attachment to the Conjure-Queen. She also wrote that she had told Ansel my secret. And the diary held still another surprise: Maude was pregnant with my child.Ф
УGreat God! And yet she said naught to you!Ф Snudge was both baffled and horrified. УShe signed the bill of divorcement. And was willing to take her own life and that of the unborn babeЕФ
УA woman of fierce Tarnian passions. How we once loved one another, Snudge! But for six years it seemed she could not conceive, and the shame of it made her anxious and short-tempered. Meanwhile, I was absorbed in the struggle with my late father and the Privy Council, and had small time for the loving attentions that such a high-spirited woman demands of her mate.Ф
Snudge had only taken a few sips from his goblet, but he now downed a generous swig. A sense of foreboding had begun to grip his heart. He knew ConrigТs terrible dilemma concerning Maude and the childЧand feared what his own role might be in its resolution.
The king said, УThe Princess Dowager is capable of a hatred as deep as her love once was. If she lives, and if her child lives and is a son, he is my legitimate successor. He was conceived in wedlock. The divorce is irrelevant. Add to this MaudeТs knowledge of my talentЧФ He shook his head, tossed down the last of his drink, and refilled the cup.
Snudge said, УYou wish me to go to Tarn and find out the truth. But that may be impossible, if sheТs protected by AnselТs sorcery. Even though my wind-searching talent is considerable, it has limitations that IТm only beginning to understand. I met Red Ansel Pikan and heТs more powerful than I can ever hope to be. Furthermore, heТs in league with some supernatural entity he calls his Source, who guides him like a puppet. We know so little of the shamans of Tarn, sire! TheyТre said to be directly descended from the Green Men, who shared this island with other inhuman monsters before BazekoyТs conquestЧФ
УAnent that point, let me tell you something else you may not know!Ф the king hissed. УGreen blood also taints thee and me, Deveron AustreyЧand every human being possessed of talent, for this is how our magical abilities were instilled in us!Ф
УOh, sireЧФ
УBut that matters naught. The only important thing is that you find Maude and her babeЧif they do liveЧbefore their existence is revealed to the world. And when you find them, do what must be done to protect me and my Sovereignty from the danger they pose.Ф
Snudge held the kingТs gaze. УYou wish me to slay them.Ф
УI did not say that. If youТre able to eliminate their threat in another way, then do so. You are my sworn man, Deveron Austrey. Do you accept this charge?Ф
Snudge set his unfinished drink on the polished wood of the royal desk and rose to his feet. УI will carry it out as best I can, Your Grace.Ф
УThatТs no answer.Ф ConrigТs voice was low and harsh.
УItТs mine, sire.Ф
Their eyes remained locked, but the Sovereign of Blenholme was the one who finally blinked and looked away. УI fear her more than Kilian and Beynor,Ф he whispered, Уmore than Ullanoth, more than all the scheming rebels of Did-ion and Tarn and the Southern Shore combined.Ф
УI know. Let me see what I can do.Ф
Conrig sat still, staring at nothing. Then he gave a small start and seemed to pull himself together. When he spoke it was with his usual forcefulness. Tomorrow, seek out Parlian Beorbrook and tell him your mission. I trust the earl marshal absolutelyЧas must you, since he also knows of your talent. Ask his advice. He understands the barbarians of the north country better than any man in Cathra, since he and his family have defended our border against them for nearly three hundred years. He may be able to lend you guides from his troop of Mountain Swordsmen to assist your penetration of Tarn. Whatever else you need, you shall have.У
УI desire that my friend Sir Gavlok Whitfell may accompany me on this mission, along with our armigers and Vra-Mattis, my apprentice windvoice. Gavlok and Mattis, at least, must know at the outset that we seek Maude and her child. The squires can be kept in ignorance until we reach Tarn. Since Lord Stergos is too ill to receive windspeech from me or Mat, I recommend that Vra-Sulkorig, the Keeper of Arcana, relay messages in his place. He will also have to be taken into your confidenceЧat least partially.Ф
УVery well, but none of these people must ever know of my talent, even though we have to tell them about yours. The danger posed by a son of Maude to the Cathran succession is sufficient justification for your search.Ф
УIТll be prudent when reporting, sire.Ф
УAs you make your way north, I also desire you to windsearch for the two thieves. Your natural ability along that line is probably greater than that of anyone else in Cathra.Ф
УBut Cathra is a large nation,Ф Snudge protested, Уand we canТt be sure which route the two outlaws have taken. If they head directly to Zeth Abbey and Kilian, I might have a chance of scrying them out. But perhaps they went in some other direction entirely, or even escaped in a ship. They might be under orders to hide the trove in some remote spot where Kilian will retrieve it later.Ф
УLetТs hope not,Ф the king said, looking glumly into his cup.
УYour Grace, you must think about the wisdom of asking Queen Ullanoth for help. ThereТs dangerЧbut if she finds the two men with her Loophole, you can send pursuers straight to them. You donТt have to tell her what the villains stoleЧonly that they attempted to kill Lord Stergos. As soon as the trove is located, it must be destroyed. This is the only safe course. Lord Stergos knows it, and so do you. Inactive moonstones can be crushed without danger and rendered useless. We may presume that the book medallions can be destroyed in a similar manner, and the pages burned.Ф
Conrig groaned at the prospect, and Snudge knew that his niggling suspicions about the king were correct. He still toyed with the notion of using the things himself.
УI must think about what to do,Ф Conrig said. УIf Ulla somehow seizes the troveЕФ
УThatТs why the stones must be smashed and the books burned, sire,Ф Snudge emphasized. УTo keep them from her, from Kilian, and from Beynor.Ф
УYet I must be sure in my mind that IТve made the right decision. IТll take one more day to think on it further, for IТm so weary now that my wits fail me. Leave here tomorrow at an early hour, but only after conferring with Earl Marshal Parlian. Travel to Tarn via the Great North Road and the Wold Road through Frost Pass. Break your first dayТs journey at Teme, and I will then tell you my decision about consulting Ullanoth. You may go now.Ф
Snudge bowed. УVery well, sire.Ф He turned and started for the door.
УOne final thing,Ф the king said. УI know you told me that your Concealer sigil was lost. IТm also aware of your deep misgivings about moonstone magic. But if it should happen that your sigil were foundЕ IТd be most grateful if youТd use it once again in my service.Ф
Snudge stiffened, but he refrained from turning back to meet the kingТs eyes. УI doubt it will ever be found, Your Grace. But be assured IТll do everything in my power to carry out my duties faithfully.Ф