"II - Chainer's Torment" - читать интересную книгу автора (McGough Scott)

the porch, which shuddered and swayed beneath him. Chainer
grunted and scouted the entire first floor for a safe route
down into the basement.
Finding none, he sheathed his knuckle dagger and took
his weapon and tool of choice-a ten-foot length of black
metal chain-from his belt. He looped the hard, polished
chain around the broken base of a statue that guarded the
front doorway, and with the simplest spell he knew,
connected the chain to itself.
"Link," he whispered, and the spot he was staring at
shimmered, then coalesced into a new link that was
indistinguishable from the rest of the chain. Chainer
leaned backward to cinch up the metal noose and test its
strength. Then he lowered himself down into the still,
musty debris.
It was incredibly dark, the kind of darkness that
caused him to wonder if his eyes were still open. He
listened for any other movement and waited in vain for his
eyes to adjust. The sound continued to call him, growing
higher and more excited as he got closer. Methodically, he
made his way across the basement toward the sound, testing
the stone floor before putting any weight on it.
By a pile of moth-eaten fabric and random junk, he lit
one of his flare candles and immediately noticed the
sphere. In a small bubble of bright light, Chainer stared
in naked wonder at the treasure, hovering a clear foot off
the ground, that had called to him across the salt flats.
The smooth, flawless black ball somehow seemed to
radiate darkness like fire radiates light. Chainer's flare
only showed it in relief, for the sphere defined itself
with its own anti-light. The edges of the sphere's dark
field crackled and sparked as they rippled and undulated
outward.
Half-hypnotized by the black light and the triumphant
crescendo of sound, Chainer had a vision of his future. The
world around him dropped away, and in a flash of black
light and silence he saw, felt, and knew the triumphant
course his destiny would take. He would be a man of
importance, of success, honored and obeyed as one of the
true masters of the world. People and monsters alike would
bow down before him, and at his pleasure they would live or
die. He would be the Cabal's champion, its ambassador, its
paragon, and he would spread its influence over the entire
world.
The light from Chainer's flare began to sputter and
die. He could still hear the sphere's call, still feel its
power vibrating in his skull. His course was clear. It was
the most important thing in the world and as such fit only
for the most important person in the world.
"For the First," Chainer whispered. He firmly grabbed