"Roberts, John Maddox - Stormlands 03 - The Poisoned Lands UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (Roberts John Maddox)

"True," Gasam said. "And, if I had it all in my hands by now, what would I do with the rest of my life?" He grinned at his queen. Leaning forward thus, she presented him with a bottom as beautifully rounded as it had been when she was a girl on their home island, although he could never convince her of it. He rose and stood beside her, wrapping a long arm around her waist.
"What else did she say?"
Larissa frowned in thought. "That her cousin, the new king of Omia, is as foolish as the old king, that black silk gowns sewn with pink pearls are the fashion this year, that her army is now being equipped with steel weapons."
"Just like her to slip that in," Gasam said. He twisted his fingers in her ash-blond hair, relishing its silky feel. "Where is he getting it, Larissa? How does a chieftain over grassland nomads like Hael lay his hands on so much of the
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most precious metal in the world?" It was a question that had plagued him for years,
"My spies have narrowed it to the southern quarter of the desert, on the fringes of the Poisoned Lands and to the north of Canyon territory."
"Still a vast area, and waterless. Without the exact location, even the best-mounted military expedition could end in catastrophe. I dare not risk such a thing. My men follow me fanatically, but their enthusiasm would melt if my reputation for invincibility were to suffer.''
"It is good that you remember that, my love," said the queen, straightening. "Leave the delusions of godhood for your tame poets to rave about. It has been courage coupled with craft and cunning that have brought you thus far." She looked out over the beautiful city, its surrounding farmlands and the smoking mountain in the distance. "And you have come far, indeed."
All this had once been the great kingdom of Chiwa. Some years before, Gasam had sailed hither as a roving pirate-king, the man who had unified the northern islands of the Stormlands and looked to extend his conquests to the mainland. He had taken a few southern islands and had entered into an alliance with the king of Chiwa to overrun some of that monarch's petty rivals in the islands and on the mainland to the southeast. Then, pleased with Gasam's service, he had employed the island warriors to put down rebellion in his own provinces. Before long, Gasam had warriors all over the kingdom and had no further use for the king, whom he disposed of. There had been some necessary bloodletting among the former aristocracy, but the people had given him little trouble. They were accustomed to tyrants.
It was a beautiful and colorful land, although he did not like the tropical climate of the lowlands. That was another reason for establishing his capital in the mountains. Here the air was mild and clear, the flowers grew in rich profusion, and his warriors and their livestock stayed healthy.
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These days, he only went coastward to make naval forays. His ambitions now lay to the east. The rich, indolent jungle kingdoms of Sono and Gran beckoned. It would mean tropical campaigning, which he did not relish, but he intended to conquer the world before he should die, and these kingdoms were near.
The king stood and the bodyguard ranked behind his chair snapped to attention. These were tall, golden warriors of the Shasinn elite. They bore beautiful spears of bronze edged and tipped with steel and their long shields were black. They were vain of their looks and wore numerous ornaments. They were equally vain of their courage and scorned armor.
"Come with me," he said to his queen. "I want to show you something." His arm about her shoulders and hers around his rocklike waist, they entered the palace.
The walls of the great throne room were covered with brilliantly colored murals in the garish Chiwan style. Native priests in elaborate feather headdresses bowed as the royal couple entered. Slaves of many races busied themselves with their assigned tasks or stood decoratively. Some were chosen solely for beauty and served no other purpose than to grace the court and provide a pleasing setting for the king and queen. Gasam dismissed all but the bodyguard and the others filed out, bowing.
When they were gone, he turned his attention to the floor. it was covered with mosaic, an intricate map depicting the world as it was known. The stylized art of the Chiwans was not up to this task, so Gasam had imported a team of Nevan artisans and cartographers to accomplish it. The king paced along his own domains, which were figured in black. These comprised a wide crescent beginning with the northernmost islands of the western sea, proceeding southward and then curving to the east onto the mainland, devouring the old kingdom of Chiwa and a number of its smaller subject kingdoms. The black tide ceased at a mountain range figured in
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crystal. East of the mountains stretched the river valley kingdom of Sono and beyond that the high plateau of Gran. Gasam paced to the line of crystal and stopped.
"My warriors have been idle all year and that is not good. Lands remain unconquered and that is not proper. I propose to correct these things. My scouting teams have completed their reconnaissance of this mountain chain. There are three passes," he indicated their locations with a toe, "that offer good conditions for a marching army. I shall lead my army to a new conquest. I send out the summons today.''
The queen studied the map. "Through the mountains? Would a naval invasion not be less hazardous as well as speedier?''
"I intend to send a naval force, mainly Chiwan soldiers, to seize the ports. But the south coast is pestilential, with many diseases we have never encountered. I would lose more warriors to sickness than to battle."
He returned his attention to the mountains. "Anyway, an arduous, hard-marching campaign will be good for my men. Nothing is worse for them than a long peace, and a quick, easy war is not much better. All of these passes have been used for centuries for purposes of trade as well as war. They are well marked and my scouts know all the towns, watering holes and resources along the way. No single pass is capacious enough for my entire army. I shall march through all three. I shall take the northern force. Two of my best generals will take the other two. I will march through the pass and sweep all before me until I reach the great river. There I shall turn south and link up with the other two forces. Whatever Sonoan forces lie between us we shall crack like nuts in a vise. Once united, we'll cross the river and march on the capital."
"An ambitious plan," the queen said. "But, to divide your forces thus, is that wise?"
"It may not be wise, but it is audacious," the king said. "No man has ever done such a thing before. The armies
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will maintain contact by mounted messengers." The king maintained an .expert corps mounted on the swiftest animals, small, enduring men drawn from the subject peoples.
"How long a campaign do you propose?" Larissa asked. She knew better than to suggest that he might fail.
"One season. We march as soon as the rains let up, in about twenty days. I intend to be seated on the throne of Sono before they start again, with you seated beside me." He smiled and she came into his arms. "As soon as I have Sono pacified, I shall march on Gran, and then the south will be mine."
"And after that?" she asked.
He pointed to the great map. "Then it will be time to look northward. A march northward on a broad front will envelop the Canyon and that will bring us to the edge of the great desert. Somewhere in there, we will find Hael's steel mine. A desert war will take careful preparation, but the prize is the greatest hi the world. With that source of steel in my hands, the rest of the world will fall into them as well."
"Ah, my love, you dream greatly," the queen said. "Unlike other men, you make your dreams come true. But..." For the first time, uncertainty entered her voice.
"What is it?"
"The Canyon. There is said to be great magic there. No army has ever conquered it.''
"What of that?" said the king with a contemptuous snort. "In our home islands, the first thing I did was crush the spirit-speakers, and what good did their curses and maledictions do them? Sorcery is nothing but mummery to gull the foolish. It is deeds that rule the world. Desert villagers with no army to speak of will grind beneath my heel as readily as any others, however loudly they chant their spells."
"Yes, you are right, my lord. You always are. But let me send my spies thither, to find out what they may."
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He shrugged. "Why not. All knowledge is valuable and the area is poorly mapped. The spies are yours as always, my queen, but heed me in this: Send well-traveled, experienced men, such as will not be fooled by conjurer's tricks and do not believe every foolish thing they hear. I want absolutely reliable information. They are to make a clear distinction between what they see with their own eyes and what they merely hear.' *
"Most of my spies are just such men," the queen said. "But I shall give them special instructions. Have my intelligence reports ever failed you?"
"Never, little queen," he admitted readily. "It is just that, in this case, we will be dealing with a place and a people where men are already predisposed to believe fantastic things."
"I shall take that into account, my lord." It was for this quality that she most admired her husband. Courage, intelligence, ambition and ruthlessness had helped, but it was this great clarity of thought that set him apart from other men. This quality of mind had transformed him from a humble warrior-herdsman in the islands to an all-powerful conqueror for whom glittering thrones were playthings.
"See to it."
In a receiving room adjacent to her quarters, the queen met with her intelligence officers. This activity was hers alone. The planning and execution of campaigns was the sole province of the king. He knew that accurate intelligence was utterly vital but he had no taste for the work. She had, and his trust in his queen was without reservation.
She sat at the head of a long table. Down its length sat a dozen men, most of them traveling merchants of the sort who could fare anywhere without arousing suspicion. Two were Palana, members of a wandering, stateless people who made their way in the world as small traders and entertainers. The two Palana wore gold rings through pierced ears
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