"Mickey Zucker Reichert - Renshai 01 - The Last Of The Renshai" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reichert Mickey Zucker)

Startled from his reverie, Shadimar jerked erect in his chair, riveting his steely gaze on the keeper and
sower of the world's evil.



In the seat directly across the empty table, Tokar, the Western Wizard, remained still. His gray mane of
hair and beard framed creased features and knowing, dark eyes that remained distantly fixed. Only a
brief downward twitch of his lips revealed that the oldest of the Cardinal Wizards noticed Carcophan's
interruption.



To Shadimar's right, the Northern Sorceress, Trilless, scowled with a revulsion aimed more at her
impatient opposite than his sudden, violent gesture. She wore layers of silky white robes that frothed and
folded around her slender frame, emphasizing her fair, Northern features and snowy hair. Pale from head
to toe, she looked the epitome of the goodness she championed, almost to the point of caricature.
Though the wait involved Tokar's apprentice, it was Trilless who answered the Southern Wizard's
challenge. "Be patient, Carcophan." She cut off the words abruptly, as if to stay a natural urge to address
the Evil One with an insult. It would accomplish nothing, except to make her seem the pettier of the two.
Odin's laws forbade the Wizards from harming one another, especially on such impartial territory as the
Meeting Isle, but the enmity between the Northern and Southern Wizards had grown beyond all
proportion. "I'm more than twice your age, yet I still remember when I underwent the Seven Tasks. The
gods never made them easy. Don't begrudge Tokar's apprentice the time he needs to think.''



Shadimar nodded absently at the wisdom in Trilless' words. As intermediaries between the gods and
men, it fell to the Wizards to select their apprentices, to choose not only for power and dedication to their
god-assigned causes, but for stability and strength of character as well. To aid in the judgment, Odin had
designed a series of seven god-mediated tasks to assess the worth and surviv-ability of apprentices.
Failure at any one resulted in death. According to Shadimar's predecessors, more than half of those sent
to the Tasks did not return, yet Tokar's chosen, Haim, was the first to be tested since Shadimar himself.
The Eastern Wizard was not quite certain what to expect, but patience seemed crucial.



Lost in his thoughts, Shadimar did not notice that Carcophan had come up beside him until the Southern
Wizard stood only a hand's breadth from Shadimar and spoke into his face.



"And we wouldn't have to sit here in dark ignorance if you had placed the Pica Stone in capable hands."
The Southern Wizard's yellow-green eyes seemed to bore through his companion's gray ones. "Through
it, we could see every move that he makes, hear every syllable."
 Rage suffused Shadimar, the tragedy of Myrcide still raw enough to incite anger in him. Before the
Eastern Wizard had chosen him as successor, he had lived among his people, a reclusive race of priests,
oracles, and minor magicians. During his apprenticeship, a Northern tribe of warriors, called Renshai, had
rampaged through the Westlands, devastating the Myrcidians and leaving the world with no wizards
except the Cardinal four and a handful of charlatans and fakes. He had left the clairsen-tient Pica Stone in