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

trotted, or walked. Keane, Brandon, Pawldo, and Tavish followed at a more sedate pace, trailing some
distance behind the others for hours at a time.
The journey to the borders of Synnoria would take three or four days. The first part of the trip followed
good roads, but for the last day or two they must branch off the highway and enter the rougher country of
the highlands. Once there, they intended to seek some entry into the elven realm. Alicia was determined not
to worry about that problem until it confronted them.
The companion who had most surprised Alicia rode at the side of the princess: the High Queen herself.
The younger woman had not expected that her mother would want to accompany the party, yet now, as
they rode together, Alicia couldn't imagine traveling without her.
Her mother had seemed like a new woman since the start of the journey. Years of age seemed to melt
away from her, and she rode with a spirit almost equal to Alicia's, who was quite skilled as a horsewoman.
Robyn carried her own staff lashed to the saddle behind her and wore a plain silver torque around her neck,
the symbol of her status as Great Druid.
Both of them rode with renewed hopes, however tenuous. For the first time since Tristan's
disappearance, they had a course of action to follow; they could do something besides sit around and
grieve. The challenges of their quest remained daunting, to be sure, but both mother and daughter felt
confident that they would be able to deal with any obstacles that might arise.
Rather than tiring, the horses had seemed to gain in strength and excitement as each day passed. Now,
in the late morning of the third day, Alicia knew they must soon turn off the wide road, following the
winding vale that the High Queen had described.
Soon they found the turn, marked by a hill called Freeman's Down. That night they made camp in a high
valley, where an unseasonably chill wind scoured the ground and whistled through the trees. They built a
great fire and huddled around its warmth, each of them wrapped within private thoughts, weighing their
chances for success or failure.
"Somewhere along here, off to our right, will be the valley that Tristan, Pawldo, and I came down when
we left Synnoria," Robyn told them, describing as best she could her experiences of twenty summers
before. "I'm not sure that I'll recognize it, though. We might have to try a few different routes."
"One of them will take us thereтАФI'm sure of it!" Alicia proclaimed, and the others found her confidence
heartwarming, but not necessarily contagious.
"It can't be that hard to find," suggested Hanrald. "After all, Gwynneth itself isn't very big, and we're
talking about a good-sized, populous valley located in a specific range of highlands!"
"It's not the size of Synnoria that gives it concealment," argued Tavish heatedly. "It has more to do with
the nature of the place. Legends say that a person can walk straight toward it, and then turn aside without
even taking notice of the fact that he is near it. You'll walk past and never know that you've missed it."
"But surely farmers and herdsmen around here must have some kind of idea!" objected Alicia.
"You've seen the state of the country," Keane pointed out, pleased with the verbal opening that would
allow him to join the conversation. "We didn't pass a single farm once we moved beyond the Corwell Road.
And the grass was longтАФI don't think the land is used by herdsmen either."
"The Ffolk sense that this land is not for mundane employment," Robyn said. "Synnoria is a place of
enchantment, of power that is drawn from the earth itself, not from the skills of mortal wizards. It's the
same power that gives life to the goddess and makes the Moonshae Islands a place of special beauty."
The queen paused, her face relaxing into a reflective smile. After a moment, she looked up, aware that
the others waited for her to continue. "KingтАФthen he was 'Prince'тАФTristan and I came through here near
the start of the Darkwalker War. It was the detour through Synnoria that allowed us to reach Corwell Road
before an invading army of northmen, and also to gain the aid of dwarves from Myrloch Vale, and even a
company of the Sisters of Synnoria."
The history of that war was well known to them all. The aid of the elven riders and their resolute
captain, Brigit Cu'Lyrran, had proven decisive in stopping the original attacks against Corwell.
"But the passage through Synnoria lingers in my mind," continued the queen. "Perhaps because I didn't
see it. They blindfolded us, remember, Pawldo?"