"Elizabeth Moon - Gird 02 - Liar's Oath" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moon Elizabeth)

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.
A Baen Books Original
Baen Publishing Enterprises P.O. Box 1403 Riverdale, NY 10471 www.baen.com
ISBN: 0-671-87747-X
Cover art is a computer-generated composite from the art for Surrender None, by Larry Elmore, and LiarтАЩs Oath, by Gary
Ruddell
First printing, September 1996 Second printing, August 2000
Distributed by Simon & Schuster 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Moon, Elizabeth.
The legacy of gird / Elizabeth Moon. p. cm.
тАЬA Baen Books originalтАЭтАФT.p. verso. ISBN 0-671-87747-X (trade pbk.) 1. Fantastic fiction, American. I. Title
PS3563.0557L4 1996
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LiarтАЩs Oath - The Legacy of Gird 02, Elizabeth Moon

813'.54тАФdc20 96-2957
CIP
Printed in the United States of America




Prologue

^┬╗
The kingтАФFalkieri Amrothlin Artfielan Phelani, once Duke Phelan of Tsaia and now ruler of LyonyaтАФsat before the
fire, brooding, his fingers tented together before his face. тАЬI have heirs enough now; my lands are safe. It is time to undo
the damage my folk did long years since. Time to redress old grievances, time to bring ancient enemies together in
peace.тАЭ
тАЬAre you sure this is your task?тАЭ The woman stood by the fireplace, leaning one arm on the mantel; it shadowed her face,
but the firelight brought out the gleam of silver in her belt, in the hilt of a dagger at her hip, and glinted from the crescent
symbol of Gird that hung from a thong around her neck. And in shadow or sun or firelight, nothing dimmed the silver
circle on her brow. Paksenarrion, paladin of Gird, the kingтАЩs friend and former soldier.
тАЬIтАЩm sure. My grandmother, that Lady you met, said the present ruin was in part my faultтАФI cannot argue. And the
original problem, too, comes from my ancestors.тАЭ He gestured to the table behind him, with its litter of scrolls and books.
тАЬThe Pargunese, in their rough way, have the right of it: they were free Seafolk, whom my ancestors sought to enslaveтАФтАЭ
тАЬAs they had enslaved the Dzordanyans?тАЭ
тАЬPerhaps. I donтАЩt know that, but I do knowтАФI am sureтАФthat the Old Aareans routed the Seafolk from their homes. They
came here, to the Honnorgat valley, and settled the north shore of the river as far up as they could sail or rowтАФand then
found themselves faced with the Aareans again, moving north from Aarenis.тАЭ
тАЬA long time ago,тАЭ said Paksenarrion, frowning.
тАЬVery long, for humans.тАЭ The king smiled briefly. He himself looked no older than she, though in truth he could have
been her father; he had not seemed to age for a score of years. He would live as long again, or more: his elven motherтАЩs
inheritance. тАЬBut when I asked my lady grandmother, she confirmed the Pargunese account. They sailed upriver; the
Tsaians and human Lyonyans came over the mountains. And a few have memories of complaints made then, and wars
begun then. The Pargunese and Kostandanyans have quarrelled with Tsaians and Lyonyans as long as any human
remembers. And now with Sofi GanarrionтАЩs heirs loose in Aarenis, with Fallo and Andressat at oddsтАФтАЭ
тАЬNot all that is your fault,тАЭ Paksenarrion said. She moved to the chair across the firelight from him and sat down. тАЬSurely
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