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

I myself, on the other hand, am inclined to believe in this One Denied the Sky and his laudable goal. If the opportunity arises, tell him I would cooperate willingly in the New Conflict.
УIТll gladly tell him, my lord, if I can.Ф
Now I must pass on other important information to you thatТs only recently come to us at the palace. The shaman Blind Bozuk has told us that Maudrayne and her son are no longer sequestered on TarnТs west coast, but have been carried off by Ansel Pikan to a place far to the northeast, beyond the great volcanos. The region is nearly inaccessible to foreigners, and sheТs supposedly guarded now by magic more powerful than before. I fear that this will make your own mission impossible to accomplish.
УNot at all, my lord. ThereТs still hope.Ф
Then tell me of it, for IТm very close to despondency. My poor brain is on fire with pain from the effort of bespeaking you and from my own fruitless efforts to unravel this wretched knot of plots and counterplots. And we still donТt know what manner of evil scheme Beynor of Moss and Kilian are cooking up!Е But to hell with them and their devilry. If you have any consolation for me, lad, be quick to offer it. I wonТt be able to bespeak you much longer.
УListen, my lord, and take heart! The Source himself gave me aЕ clue as to the whereabouts of Princess Maudrayne. And after my talk with him, I conceived an idea that may enable us to neutralize the threat she poses to King ConrigЧand do it without any dishonorable actions. As yet, my idea is a seed lacking soil to sprout in or water and sunlight to help it grow. But it could work, and it has the potential to save the Sovereignty. I envision a certain compromise, whereby His Grace and the Princess Maude each gain while yielding in part to the other, with the result that the most dangerous of His GraceТs secrets will remain hidden, and the consequences of the other secret will be postponed for many long years. With two such prideful and stubborn royal persons involved, getting them to agree to the compromise will not be easy. But there are other things besides sweet persuasion that might compel their acceptance.Ф
Tell me more.
УSoon, my lord, when I have it straight in my own mind. The Source would of necessity be a party to it.Ф
BazekoyТs Bones! YouТd think of pressuring such a being? Deveron, are you mad?
УNo, my lord, IТm a snudge: a sneaking, devious, crafty spy. YouТd think the Source would have better sense than to enlist me in his unearthly Conflict! Since he didnТt, letТs hope heТs not surprised at the consequences. He said that he needed me. Well, I also need him, and heТll help whether he wants to or not.Ф
canТt bear to hear any more. Bespeak Sulkorig when you can tell me your plan in full, and IТll listen. Farewell, Deveron. May you succeedЧor at least do more good than harm.
==========
Snudge opened his eyes slowly and found himself lying flat on the fortress parapet, with a throbbing skull and every other bone aching as if from a fierce beating. Ofttimes strenuous bouts of windspeech still afflicted him sorely, although he suffered less than he had when he was younger.
He groaned, rolled over, and pulled himself up on his elbows. And gave a cry of dismay as he saw Vra-Mattis.
The apprentice windvoice was sitting with his back against the battlement, clutching his knees with white-knuckled hands. Tears ran down his face, soaking the front of his robe, and his mouth was an open square of misery, although he uttered not a single sound.
УGood God, Mat! WhatТs wrong?Ф
The young manТs voice was scarcely audible. УListen, master! Listen to the wind. So many souls, dying so horribly! I tried to scry out the cause, but the flood of pain and desolation overwhelmed my talent.Ф He lifted a trembling hand and pointed eastward. УIn that direction, towards Boarsden.Ф
Snudge overheard it himself now. But it was many minutes before he recovered his strength enough to survey the scene on the River Malle with his oversight. He saw the Salka sporting in the water, but did not fully understand what had happened until he read the lips of Duke Ranwing Boarsden, the Archwizard Fring, and the other noble witnesses who stood transfixed at the riverside, watching the monsters feast.

nineteen
Grand Master Ridcanndal, head of MossТs Glaumerie Guild, finished drafting the appeal to High King Conrig, sanded the ink, and perused what he had written, wondering whether his language had conveyed the urgency of the situation:
Е The terrible tragedy that took place this day in Didion serves to confirm what we have long suspected: that the Salka monsters have for some reason shaken off their age-old torpor and reclusiveness. Emboldened and aggressive, they once again threaten the safety of all human life on High Blenholme. And with Conjure-Queen Ullanoth sunk in a helpless trance, the kingdom of Moss, your loyal vassal, now lies particularly vulnerable to their attacks.
While it is true that scriers of our Glaumerie Guild have not been able to detect any evidence of overt hostile activity among the monsters of the Dawntide Isles, it seems reasonable to believe that they were responsible for the heinous attack on Didion s Royal Family, which would have required careful planning and a level of leadership lacking in other populations of these ferocious creatures.
However, the normally shy Salka resident in the Little Fen have lately been seen in broad daylight, cruising boldly about the environs of Fenguard Castle and the Royal Naval Yards. Rumors also have it that the Great Fen Salka are migrating southward toward parts of Moss occupied by humanity, an unprecedented event that the Guild and our Grand Council of Lords view with grave concern.
In light of these ominous circumstances, the Guild and Council members, acting with full royal authority while our queen is incapacitated, respectfully request that the Sovereign fulfill his solemn commitment to defend Moss from enemies human and inhuman. We ask that a squadron of Sovereignty warships he dispatched at once, to patrol the waters between the Darkling Channel and the Dawntide Isles in a show of strength and solidarityЕ
Ridcanndal nibbled on the feather tip of his pen, wondering whether he should have written demand instead of request. Ullanoth, in her mortal illness, had not hesitated to speak bluntly to the Sovereign, forcing him to reiterate his obligation to defend the smallest and least prosperous nation of his Sovereignty before she would agree to help him. But with her voice now silenced, and the Salka menace apparently turned towards the much more important nation of DidionЧ
Someone knocked sharply at the outer door of the Grand MasterТs tower chambers, breaking his thread of thought. He rose from his desk in the sanctum, grumbling, and shuffled out into the sitting room. It was early evening, but the sky outside had gone dark as a storm rolled down from the north. Rain pelted the windows and the fire was burning low. He felt a chill rake the flesh between his shoulder blades. The knocking came again, louder than before.
УIТm coming!Ф He flung open the door and cried out in astonishment, УYou!Ф
УNone other.Ф
The tall woman of ample figure was dressed in robes of dark blue silk, with a silver girdle and silver bands about the sleeves and neckline. Her hair was also silver, worn in a coronet of braids, and her face was amiable and serene, except for a certain sadness clouding her jade-green eyes. On either side of her stood warlock-knights of the Royal Guard, impassive as marble images in their handsome gilt armor and swan-blazoned surcoats. She lifted her hand in a dismissive gesture. УYou men may leave us now.Ф
УYes, my lady.Ф They turned on their heels and marched away.
УWill you invite me in, Ridcanndal?Ф Thalassa Dru inquired in a gentle voice. УOr would you prefer that I state my business here in the corridor?Ф
He backed away from her, bowing slightly. УPlease enter, Conjure-Princess. Forgive my surprise and confusion. ItТs beenЧhow long?Ф
УFive-and-twenty years since my late brother Linndal banished me for opposing his marriage to Taspiroth sha Elial. But the Conjure-King and I were reconciled in his final year of life, as you doubtless know, and so I come here to my birthplace a member in good standing of the Royal Family of Moss, for the purpose of averting a terrible catastrophe.Ф
Ridcanndal felt the muscles of his upper body stiffen with dread at the formality of her pronouncement. Surely she would not dareЧ
УTake me to RothbannonТs tomb,Ф she continued. УImmediately.Ф
УLady, what do you intend to do?Ф He had to force the words from his lips. УYou are a royal princess of Moss and have the right to enter the tomb, but I cannot believe that you would meddle with the sigils that are the bonded possessions of our stricken queen. Not while our nation stands in such peril, and may have need of them!Ф
Thalassa Dru came close to him, lifting her plump warm hands to his jowly cheeks as though she were comforting a terrified child. УWhy are you so worried about what I might do with the sigils? Ullanoth is incapable of using them, or even giving permission for their abolition and rebonding. Such permission can only be granted by another member of the royal family. Since you did not welcome me and urge me to perform this important service for Moss, I must assume you are expecting another to do so. Are you waiting for Beynor? Tell me the truth.Ф
He gave a guilty start and withdrew from her touch, knowing that his colleague Zimroth, the Royal Thaumaturge, who loved the deposed young king as a son, entertained just such an intention and had already proposed it to the Guild and the Grand Council.
УI pray with all my heart and soul that Queen Ullanoth will recover and reclaim her sigils,Ф he said. УYet it seemed prudent to some senior royal advisers to consider what might happen if she should never awaken. Prince Beynor is her only suitable successor. In these dire times, the crown of Moss cannot possibly be offered to the boy Habenor, who was placed in the line of succession by our late monarch Linndal. Even though Beynor is debarred from using the stones himself, he can legally give permission for a surrogate to pronounce the spells separating them from our helpless queen and binding them to another person who nevertheless remains subject to the crownТs authority. Thus we would retain the magical defensive properties of the sigils, while having a suitable ruler for our country.Ф
УThe scheme might have worked,Ф Thalassa Dru said, Уif Beynor had not already made a pact with the Salka, agreeing to assist them in an invasion and takeover of Moss.Ф
УNo! He would never do such a thingЧany more than he would have slain his royal father.Ф
УUllanoth named him patricide and regicide.Ф
УIn this belief, the Conjure-Queen was mistaken!Ф
УShe spoke the simple truth, RidcanndalЧand so do I. BeynorТs heart is so warped by bitterness and hatred that he has vowed to admit the monsters to this very castle. While Salka destroy the body of his sister, he intends seize her sigils for his own perverted uses. I have been commanded to prevent the last two calamities.Ф
УWho commanded you?Ф
УThe Source of the Old Conflict gave the orderЧhe who is called the One Denied the Sky.Ф
УHeТsЕ only a myth.Ф But a spark of doubt flickered in the old sorcererТs eyes.
УNo more so than the Great Lights themselves, as the oldest of our histories affirm. The Source is alive and determined to repair the damage he inadvertently caused. I am only one of his servants. Queen Ullanoth, in her last minutes of conscious volition, became another.Ф
УUnbelievableЕФ