"Julian May - The Golden Torc" - читать интересную книгу автора (May Julian)

Finiah, source of the vital element barium, without which no
type of torc could be made.
Richard tested the flyer successfully on the twenty-sixth.
But Martha's old affliction had returned, and she weakened
from heavy loss of blood. In spite of this, she and Richard
made plans to flee together immediately after he had assisted
in the bombardment of Finiah. Three days later, at dusk on the
twenty-ninth of September, the flyer landed at Hidden Springs
with the Spear ready for use. Martha was in shock from the


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hemorrhaging, and Amerie could only rush her away for trans-fusions,
praying for a miracle.
Down on the western bank of the Rhine, a Lowlife army
waited in a secret camp opposite Finiah. The city, gorgeously
illuminated with twinkling lights, was still undisturbed at dawn
on the thirtieth. Chief Burke was ready, together with several
hundred free humans, many of them armed with iron. The
Firvulag army under Sharn the Younger was also on alertтАФ
although still skepticalтАФpoised to attack on two fronts should
the promised aerial bombardment materialize.
Richard piloted the flyer to a position above the Tanu citadel.
Screened by Madame Guderian's metapsychic power, the craft
prepared to attack, with the photon weapon manned by the
rock-cutting paleontologist. Claude fired twice and missed, but
his third shot broke the Rhineside wall, allowing penetration
by the Lowlives and a large unit of Firvulag. Changing targets,
the old man demolished a wall on the other side of the city;
Ayfa, general of the Warrior Ogresses, led in a second prong
of attackers opposite the main strike. With power in the Spear
running low, Claude knew that there only remained enough.energy for a single great blast at the
strategic barium mine in
the heart of Finiah.
But now there came streaming up from the city a train of
glowing knights mounted on chaliko chargers. Velteyn and his
Flying Hunt had penetrated Madame's illusion and identified
the enemy. The psychocreative lord sent balls of lightning
soaring into the open hatch of the aircraft. Dodging, Claude
fired, striking the mine squarely. Before Richard could get them
away, the globes of psychic energy did their work: Claude was
seriously burned, Richard lost an eye, and Madame lay on the
floor of the smoldering flight deck, surrounded by toxic fumes.
Half mad with pain, Richard crash-landed the flyer at Hid-den
Springs. At the same time, a successful invasion of the
Tanu city was being carried out by combined human and Fir-vulag
forces. The battle of Finiah lasted twenty-four hours. At
the end of that time the barium mine was destroyed, the city