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

upward. After a few minutes, they paused for rest on a shoulder of the valley that gave them a splendid
view behind them. The black cliff of the Fey-Alamtine gleamed in the sunlight at the head of the valley.
Then, for many more minutes, they pressed higher through the enclosing forest. Finally the trees gave
way abruptly to a rolling, rock-studded ridge. Below them, the wonders of Synnoria sprawled, pristine and
heartbreakingly beautiful beneath the dome of blue.
"A little farther," Colleen said. The horses broke into a gallop, approaching the top of the rounded ridge
bordering Synnoria on the west.
As they approached the crest, the jagged tors and rocky promontories of the Myrloch highlands came
into view over the ridge and then, as the sisters reached the summit, the forested slopes and flat-bottomed
valleys, many dotted with lake or fen. Still they cantered, past the crest of the ridge and down the gradual
slope that soon grew steeper.
Colleen halted, and the two dismounted behind a large rock. Leaving the horses behind, they slipped
forward on hands and knees onto an outcrop of granite that jutted into the air over the twisting valley below.
"I see them," Brigit announced immediately. The figures were still miles away, but she could clearly
count seven of them, on five dark and two white horses.
As the two observed from their lofty perch, the party of humans reached a small side valley that flowed
into the wider vale they had been following. Without visible hesitation, the intruders turned into the narrow
valley. Brigit watched them dismount, taking their horses by the bridles to lead them up the steep,
treacherous-looking trail.
"The magic still works," observed the captain with a wry smile.
"They believe that they follow the only route available to them?" asked Colleen. Though the illusionary
barrier of Synnoria was understood by all adult Llewyrr, the young scout had never seen it in action.
"Yes. The walls of the main valley appear to merge before them into a tight, cliff-sided draw. The
apparent amount of water in the two streams is reversed. A mere trickle comes down the draw, while the
humans will think for several miles that they follow a major channel. Imagine their confusion as they move
away from Synnoria and it dwindles to its true dimensions!"
"Then they are gone for now?" The scout studied the diminishing figures until they had disappeared
behind the first twist in the narrow passage.
"They'll follow that draw until it comes to a little valley with a marsh and a lake. That's the divide. From
there, they descend and expect to find Synnoria. Instead, it puts them in the fenland of Myrloch Vale!"
The two knights made their way carefully back to their horses, where they relaxed, safely out of sight of
the valley. For a long time, they rested beside the sun-swept boulder, drifting toward a midday nap in the
soothing warmth.
Finally Brigit stirred, stretching easily as she stood. "Let's follow the ridgeline for a while," she
suggested.
For more than an hour, the two Llewyrr rode the heights, following the border between Synnoria and
Corwell until they reached a craggy stretch too rough for the horses. Enjoying the scenery and the silence,
they turned back.
"Let's go look for those humans again, to make sure they haven't come back this way," Brigit said.
Before Colleen could reply, both sisters stiffened. A long, ululating call reached their ears, carried clearly
from the valley of Synnoria. Then the sound stopped abruptly, chopped away in midcry.
"The Fey-Alamtine!" cried Colleen.
"Let's go!" barked Brigit. The sound had been a Llewyrr distress cry reserved for the most dire of
emergencies. The two white horses pounded forward, streaking over the crest of the ridge, racing back
toward the pastoral Synnorian valley the two riders had left scant hours before. They galloped headlong
down the steep trail, back toward the valley bottom.
As the valley floor came into sight, the two sisters, even from nearly a thousand feet above, could see
that something was horribly changed. A great swath marked the middle of the vale where tall trees had
been crushed to either side like blades of grass. The setting was no longer pastoral; indeed, so profound
was the transformation that Brigit tried to convince herself that she must be dreaming. Trees of great girth