"Mithgar - Hel's Crucible - 02 - Into The Fire" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKiernan Dennis L)

Southeasterly along the Sea Road they fared and away from the ruins of Dael, for none would stay in that city of death, none but the dead and the mad. And all along the tradeway they passed among the frozen blizzard-slain.

Ere they had departed, Bekki had led them to a market square, and there they had managed to find in the rubble a frozen slab of bacon, a whole side of venison, a number of grain-sacks of oats and two kegs of pickled herring, along with several sacks of beans. Some of this they packed on their horses, but most they bore back to Counsellor Tain's shelter and set it there for him to have. Too, they left him with a found oil lantern along with flint and steel. As for firewood, there were many unburned splintered timbers he could use, though none of the comrades thought he would. As Bekki said, and they all agreed, "He is mad and in his madness knows only what he mutters."

And they had ridden throughout the ruins and searched for other survivors, calling out for any who might yet be alive . . . but nothing stirred and no one answered and so they had ridden away, having done all they reasonably could.

And now they fared down the Sea Road among the frozen dead.

Loric gestured about. "This is why the Horde marched past Dael and set siege to Mineholt North instead."

"I don't understand," said Beau.

"Modru knew Sleeth would attack here and so did not cast his Horde against the walled city."

"But that was months back," said Tip, "and Lord Tain babbled of Sleeth attacking just ere the blizzard came."

"Modru is master of the cold," said Bekki. "He waited for his season ere loosing Sleeth to set fire to Dael, to crush its walls and batter down its dwellings, and he sent the blizzard flying on the Dragon's tail, for without shelter any survivors would die in the grasp of its frigid blast."

"I say," chimed in Beau, "d' y' think that's why he set siege to Mineholt North, to cut off that place of refuge should any make it through?"

Bekki shrugged. "Who knows the mind of Modru? Not I, Beau. Not I."





They set camp alongside the road, in a stretch where no frozen dead lay. And as they huddled about their nightly fire and sipped hot tea, Tip said, "It's my understanding that Drakes are vain, selfish, arrogant, and very powerful. How could Modru command such a creature to destroy Dael?"

"Perhaps he bribed him with a treasure," said Bekki.

"A treasure, eh?" said Beau. "What do you suppose it was? Or for that matter, what did he offer Skail of the Barrens to attack the Dwarves at Drimmen-deeve?"

Bekki shrugged, but Tip said, "Delon the Bard offered Raudhrskal a mate." Suddenly Tip's eyes widened. "Oh my, but I just thought of something."

Phais looked at Tip, an eyebrow raised.

"What if Modru has offered the renegade Drakes the Dragonstone?"

Phais shook her head. " 'Twas lost with the destruction of Rwn."

"But what if he's found it? I mean, that's why they became renegades in the first place, isn't it? They didn't want to give up the Dragonstone."

"Mayhap," replied Phais, "though Dara Arin herself said 'twas more likely they became renegades because in their arrogance they did not wish to be bound by the strictures of a pledge to anyone, much less the one devised by the Mages of Black Mountain."

"Now wait a moment," said Beau, throwing up a hand. "Look, didn't you just say Dragons were selfish and arrogant and powerful?" At Tipperton's nod, Beau plunged on: "Well if that's so, then which one of them would hold this Dragonstone? I mean they couldn't all have possession of this precious thing. So how could Modru promise the renegades the Dragonstone?"