"L. E. Modesitt - Recluce 11 - The Death of Chaos" - читать интересную книгу автора (Modesitt L E)

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The Death of Chaos
by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
Copyright й 1995
Cover art by Darrell Sweet
A Tor Book Published by Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.
175 Fifth Avenue New York, N.Y. 10010
Torо Books on the World Wide Web: http://www.tor.com


Lerris returns in the long-awaited sequel to The Magic of Recluce. Candar is being invaded and
Lerris must become the greatest wizard of all time-or see his whole world destroyed!


For my parents, again,
with more understanding, and for Carol Ann


Part I - FINDING CHAOS


I

I'D JUST APPLIED the thinnest coat possible of a satin finish on the black oak wardrobe for the
autarch of Kyphros-Kasee- when I felt the presence of horses, and their riders. Krystal was not
with them, and I didn't like the idea of the Finest tramping up to the shop without my consort,
but as subcommander of the autarch's forces, Krystal's schedule wasn't exactly predictable.
I finished the section of the wardrobe I had been working on before I met the troopers outside
the stable. The stable hadn't been my idea, but Krystal's, and she had paid for most of it,
especially the part that doubled as a bunkhouse for her personal guard. Funny things like that
happen to the consort of the second-highest-ranking military officer in Kyphros, not that either
of us had planned where we would end up when we-and Tamra and a few others-had been thrown out of
Recluce years earlier because we hadn't been "ordered" enough for the black Brotherhood--or my
father.
"Greetings, Order-master!" In the green leathers of the autarch's Finest, Yelena sat easily on
the brown gelding.
I'd known Yelena from my first days in Kyphrien, when I'd been fortunate to best the white
chaos-master Antonin and rescue Tamra. Yelena had been my escort part of the way on that troubled
trip, but she still called me order-master and threatened to lash any member of the Finest who
even hinted at any familiarity. If she weren't so serious about it, it might have been funny, but
I understood her reasoning, and couldn't say it was wrong. People had this idea that I was a great
wizard because I'd managed to get rid of three white wizards. One of them had actually plagued not
only Kyphros, but all of the continent of Candar.
" Greetings, Leader Yelena."
She wrinkled her nose. "What's that smell?"
"It's a satin-finish varnish-except it's got a touch of some other things that make it more
like-"
"Enough, enough..." The broad-shouldered squad leader grinned as she dismounted. "Until I met
you, I always thought woodworkers were small little men who hid in their shops, toiling endless