"Vance Moore - Magic The Gathering - Masquerade Cycle 03 - Prophecy" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moore Vance)

Vance Moore
"Prophecy"

(Magic: the Gathering. Masquerade cycle. Book III.)

Chapter 1

"Where in the nine hells is everyone?" Haddad muttered
as the small group of men and wagons tramped through the
night. "Are we lost again?" His feet disturbed a mound of
stones collected at the bottom of the crumbling hillside.
The land seemed dead. Successive seasons of cold and heat
had shattered rock and piled scree everywhere. The road
was deep and cut wide, but the rock faces sloughed debris
every day and covered the road or ate at its base. It was
too cold for insects, and the column of marching men cut
sharp shadows in the moonlight. Within hours the sun would
rise and sear everything. It was a land of no good
seasons.
"Quiet, Haddad!" Natal murmured. "I'm sure the
sergeant knows where he's going." Natal stamped his feet
to warm them in the night air. "Anyway, the last thing he
wants to hear is you."
Both men were soldiers in the Jamuraan Kipamu League
of Annies. The League had been named after Lord Kipamu, a
legendary figure who was credited with many important
military victories on the old-time frontiers of Jamuraa.
Dead for centuries, if not millennia, the lord's name
still commanded respect all over the continent.
Haddad nodded and shivered as he hugged his coat more
tightly. He was wearing most of the clothing he owned.
Haddad tried to tuck his hands into his sleeves but
flailed his arms for balance on the uncertain footing. The
noise of others stumbling over rock was overpowered by the
sound of the wagon wheels crunching and sliding over the
broken roadway. Sergeant Atul signaled a halt, and Haddad
relayed the order down the line.
The chill breeze heralding the dawn cut through the
men. None of the soldiers spoke, though chattering teeth
sounded. Many moved closer to the wagons, holding their
hands against the warm sides of the oxen. Natal edged
closer to the animals, and Haddad shifted to give his
comrade room. The friends were several yards away from
Sergeant Atul as he conferred with the more experienced
soldiers. False dawn began to reveal details of the
landscape.
"I wonder if they know where we are?" Haddad
questioned again. The sergeant's ears were sharper than
anyone had suspected.
"You two quiet down. Check the oxen and wagons now."