"02 - Torment" - читать интересную книгу автора (McGough Scott)

the glowing-black sphere, dropped it into his satchel, and

pulled the leather drawstring tight.

The First was undisputed lord and master of the entire

Cabal, patriarch and protector of its members, supreme

controller of its political and magical power. He managed

the Cabal and all its assets from his manor inside the city

walls, and he needed to see the treasure Chainer had

uncovered right away. He alone deserved it.

Chainer's eyes narrowed as he considered the trip back

to Cabal City. It was one thing to walk without fear when

one's pack was empty. Now that he had something worth

stealing, opportunist vermin would swarm around it like

maggots around a corpse. The shame and sin of losing the

sphere before he had a chance to present it to the First

would be unbearable.

Chainer's flare went out, and he stood for a moment in

the darkness. He quickly retraced his steps across the

basement and found his chain where it still hung from

above. He patted the precious cargo at his hip, smiled, and

began to go hand-over-hand up the chain.

Soon he would be back inside the city. He would

petition for an audience with the First. And when the First

laid hands on the black sphere, he would know what Chainer

knew: that Chainer wanted nothing more than for his fate

and his fortune to be forever tied to that of the Cabal.