"Michael Moorcock - Elric 5 - The Bane of the Black Sword" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moorcock Michael)

placate some demon who would otherwise have plagued
more honest folk."

The merchants laughed half-heartedly and, at this,
Moonglum grinned, enjoying himself from his seat in
the shadows.

Elric poured wine for the other five. It was of a vin-
tage which the law in Bakshaan forbade the populace
from drinking. Too much drove the imbiber mad, yet
Elric had already quaffed great quantities and showed no
ill effects. He raised a cup of the yellow wine to his
lips and drained it, breathing deeply and with satisfac-
tion as the stuff entered his system. The others sipped

theirs cautiously. The merchants were already regretting
their haste in contacting the albino. They had a feeling
that not only were the legends trueтАФbut they did not do
justice to the strange-eyed man they wished to employ.

Elric poured more yellow wine into his goblet and his
hand trembled slightly and his dry tongue moved over
his lips quickly. His breathing increased as he allowed
the beverage to trickle down his throat. He had taken
more than enough to make other men into mewling idi-
ots, but those few signs were the only indication that the
wine had any effect upon him at all.

This was a wine for those who wished to dream of dif-
ferent and less tangible worlds. Elric drank it in the
hope that he would, for a night or so, cease to dream.

Now he asked: "And who is this mighty sorcerer, Mas-
ter Pilarmo?"

"His name is Theleb K'aarna," Pilarmo answered ner-
vously.

Elric's scarlet eyes narrowed. "The sorcerer of Pan
Tang?"

"AyeтАФhe comes from that island."

Elric put his cup down upon the table and rose,
fingering his blade of black iron, the runesword
Stormbringer.

He said with conviction: "I will help you,
gentlemen." He had made up his mind not to rob them,
after all. A new and more important plan was forming