"Douglas Niles - Forgotten Realms - Moonshae 02 - Black Wizard" - читать интересную книгу автора (Niles Douglas)

Bhaal.
And so Bhaal's need for vengeance evolved and grew into something far more
terrible than any plot for murder. The prince was a leader of his land, and
the druid was a caretaker of tha t land. It seemed fitting to Bhaal tha t not
only the mortals, but their land itself, should die.
The god had a powerful tool for wreaking this vengeance. Bhaal's minion,
Kazgoroth, though slain, was not entirely gone. One fragment of the BeastтАФits
heartтАФremained, clutched desperately by one of its former servants. Bhaal
BLACK WIZARDS
took careful note of the Heart of Kazgoroth. He would have a use for it soon.
Yes, he decided. The land of these mortals would become a land of deathтАФa
nation ruled by the dead, over the dead. No living thing would mar it.
Thus was dealt the vengeance of Bhaal.
"Enter."
The assassin looked around sharply but could not see the source of the hissing
voice. Nevertheless, the stone wall before him slipped open, revealing a
corridor even blacker than the surrounding night.
Muttering a curse, the assassin entered and disappeared into inky darkness. In
his silk shirt and trousers he slipped along without a whisper, his soft
leather boots gliding silently over the smooth stone floor All around him the
sprawling vastness of Caer Callidyrr lay dark and slumbering.
The assassin walked cautiously into one of the castle's towers. He saw
blackness, a deep and unnatural gloom. Then he heard a soft snapping of
fingers, and the darkness dissipated. But it did not exactly grow light; the
effect was more a relief of blackness. Faint rays of moonlight spilled through
narrow windows high in the walls, and he could vaguely make out the council.
The Seven sat around a long, U-shaped table. They faced the assassin, their
table open before him like the jaws of some beast. Deep, cowled hoods
concealed the faces. The assassin looked up at them and clamped his teeth
together. He could scarcely repress a shudder of revulsion.
The one in the center, he knew, was Cyndre.
The master of the wizards confirmed his identity, his gentle voice belying the
terrible powers at his command.
"You were careless about that task in Moray. King Dynne-gall's daughter
survived long enough to provide a description of your men."
The assassin sniffed loudly through his broad nose. "The guards were more
numerous than you led me to expect. We had to kill several dozen of them. And
the nursemaid hid the baby in an atticтАФit took us hours to dig out the little
DOUGLAS NILES
brat. I lost two good men, and the mission was a successтАФ the Dynnegall line
is endedтАФas I ended the royal line of Snowdown for you last year." The
assassin punctuated his statement with a low, inhuman growl.
"I do not expect such sloppiness, for the coin I am paying," said the great
wizard quietly. "Even your mother, the ore, could have done better."
The insult was too much. A dagger flashed from the assassin's sleeve. Faster
than the eye could follow, it flicked toward the wizard's unarmored breast.
The others gasped in surprise, flinching at the sudden attack, but Cyndre
merely raised a finger and quietly spoke a word. Instantly, only a foot from
its target, the dagger was transformed. In its place, a large bat fluttered
upward, turning to lunge at the assassin's throat.