"Douglas Niles - Druidhome 2 - The Coral Kingdom" - читать интересную книгу автора (Niles Douglas)

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Brigit removed the supple steel gauntlets from her hands and then stopped to doff her helmet and loosen
the straps of her armor. Several young Llewyrr led her mare to the watering pool, and she knew that they
would brush and feed the animal with care.
Flowing golden hair spilled across Brigit's shoulders, concealing the pointed tips of her elven ears. Barely
an inch over five feet tall and quite slender even in her armor, she concealed a great amount of fighting
prowess in that tiny form.
"Captain?" Another sister knight stepped through the stable door.
"Oh, hello, Myra. What is it?"
"That priest who came through the Fey-Alamtine goes to see Erashanoor today. The elder wondered if
you could join them."
"Of course," Brigit replied without hesitation. Normally the elven knight preferred the pastoral quiet and
chaotic splendor of the forest to the well-manicured beauty of Chrysalis, but an invitation from the elder
sage of Synnoria was always an intriguing prospect.
Erashanoor was, in many ways, Brigit's mentorтАФat least in scholarship, if not in knighthood. She saw
him only rarely, however, for the old elf could spare little time from his work. He was reputedly writing a
detailed history of Synnoria. Nevertheless, on those rare occasions when the Fey-Alamtine was used,
Erashanoor always spent considerable time with the refugees.
The sage's offices were located on the highest level in the Argen-Tellirynd, the Palace of the Ages in
the heart of Chrysalis. The city itself occupied an island in the Crystaloch, while the stables and barracks of
the knightsтАФalong with the farms, forests, and parks of all SynnoriaтАФsprawled across the broad valley
floor surrounding the lake. Three wide roadways, each smoothly paved with tight-fitting blocks of white
marble, crossed the lake at different points, connecting the island city to the shore.
Brigit crossed the causeway on foot, passing through the narrow silver gatesтАФstanding open, as always.
Soon the gleaming towers of Chrysalis loomed around her, and the winding roads of smoothly polished
alabaster stone swerved with artistic perfection among flower bushes and delicately shaped evergreens.
But she must attend to business, she reminded herself. She strolled down the quiet avenues, passing
other Llewyrr who walked with casual grace about the city. There was no sense of urgency here, though
all of these elves undoubtedly had business to tend to. Such is the way of members of a race whose
lifespans commonly pass five centuries.
Brigit moved with the same unconscious ease, at last arriving at a clear, multifaceted wall that cast
dazzling patterns of sunlight on the ground at her feet. She stood before the crowning glory of Chrysalis, the
structure that had served as the ceremonial capital of the Llewyrr for as long as their city had stood.
The Argen-Tellirynd was surrounded by a crystal wall in the shape of a perfect triangle, enclosing pools,
gardens, and walkways within its bright confines. The palace itself rose in a steeply sloping pyramid in the
center of the courtyard. The structure had three sides, but Brigit could only see one from her current
vantage. Gates as clear as glass swung wide at Brigit's approach, and two elven footmen nodded politely to
the knight as she passed.
"The elder is expecting you, Lady Brigit," offered one.
The sister knight meandered through the maze of reflective pools and graceful hedges that filled the
courtyard of the Argen-Tellirynd. Finally, unconsciously quickening her steps, she reached the gates of the
palace structure itself.
A triangular door in the side of the palace structure slid sideways, revealing a wide, silver-floored
corridor. Walls of crystal sloped upward to meet in a point, twenty feet over her head.
A few twists and turns brought her to a wide staircase, and at the top, she reached the elder sage's
library. She knew even before she entered that he was within; the telltale scent of his pipe smoke lingered
in the air. With a wry smile, Brigit knocked on the door and entered.
"Ah, welcome, my child, welcome!" Erashanoor waved absently. The sage sat in his high-backed leather
chair, holding a long-stemmed pipe in his hand and leaning forward, his posture intent upon Pallarynd. The