"Sniegoski, Thomas E - Outcast - 03 - Ghostfire" - читать интересную книгу автора (Sniegoski Thomas E)

A flush of warmth flowed into her cheeks. She didn't know why, but she found everything about him strangely fascinating, most especially that excited twinkle in his eyes when he talked about the fabulous inventions he intended to build.
Cassandra moved her hand over the top layer of scrolls in the old box, muttering the words of a magical incantation. The rolled parchments on the top slowly rose and began to unroll to reveal what was written on them. And again she found herself thinking of Timothy.
He was unable to perform even the simplest acts of magic. How different everything must be for him, Cassandra thought as the contents of the scrolls were exposed to her. She could barely focus on the information they revealed, lost in her thoughts about the boy and how much he had changed the world since his arrival.
"Have you found anything yet?"
Startled from her daydreams, Cassandra turned toward the large, bearded mage who sat behind the desk on the other side of the office. Leander Maddox was surrounded by ancient writings, from the oldest parchment scrolls to more recent texts. He was the one who had found Timothy, hidden away in a pocket world by his father, the great magician, Argus Cade, and had brought him into this world upon the mage's death.
There was an unusualрedge of impatience in Leander's voice today.
"Not yet," she told himь attempting toрclear herрmind so that she could focus on the documents floating in the air before her. But there was so much to think about.
Leanderр┐░9:┤2Р▒:9╣27:Р#╣07▓╢░9║29Р73:┤2Р'9▓29Р73Р 6┤0=╣22:┤2Р│║462Р73Р╢░│▓9║7Р;┤┤14:┤2Рб0▓2Р072pз┤▒7▓▓╢║9│░╢4╢┤▓9┤02Р0╢╗░╝9p▒2╢7╖│22Рб░╣╣072╣0Ё▒╖:62╖7:┤268p▒::Р╗77▓29how the burly mage felt about the changes that had come since he had brought Timothy into this world where the boy was an oddity.
An outcast.
It had been Timothy who had revealed the insidious plot of the former GrandmasterЧher own grandfatherЧto try to take control of the entire Parliament of Mages, to rule all of the various Orders. Cassandra felt a pang of sadness as she recalled the death of her grandfather during a battle with Timothy, and the resultant chaos that followed in the Parliament of Mages.
So much had occurred in so little time.
She thought about the coming of the Wurm, Verlis. This was seen by many as yet another threat, but in fact, the descendant of the Dragons of Old had come seeking help against a much larger evil, an evil that now threatened to spill into her lifeЧinto her world. Long before she and Timothy had been born, the Wurm had existed peacefully on Terra alongside mages. But in time there had been conflict, and the Wurm had been driven from the world and forcibly relocated in a parallel dimension named Draconae.
Now, on Draconae, their leader, Raptus, was planning to breach the barrier that separated the dimensions. According to Verlis, Raptus sought revenge upon the world of mages and planned to take control of Terra and destroy the Parliament entirely. The mages had been manipulated in those dark days by Alhazred, founder of Cassandra's own Order, and thus Parliament had betrayed the Wurm. Raptus and his followers would not rest until they had their vengeance.
With a sigh, she at last focused upon the documents floating in the air. She and Leander had been charged by Parliament with the task of studying the ancient scrolls, searching for anything that might help in their defense against the impending Wurm attack. Cassandra found nothing of use on four of the scrolls, allowing them to roll closed again and drop to the floor. It was something on the fifth that caught her eye.
"Leander," she said, reaching up to pluck the scroll from the air before her. "I think I may have found something of interest."
The Grandmaster looked up from his own work, his eyes red and his face haggard with exhaustion. Cassandra knew the job was a taxing one, but had never really stopped to think about the toll that leading an entire guild might exact upon a grandmaster. Though it was something she would have to seriously consider, if she ever planned to assume the mantle of Grandmaster to the Order of Alhazred. For, as granddaughter of Aloysius Nicodemus, the previous leader of the guild, the post was hers as soon as she felt ready to take it upon herself.
"What is it?" he asked, rising from his chair.
She brought the scroll to him. "It's nothing specific, but in this correspondence between two guild craftsmen, there is some talk about what I presume is the original mining operation near the original Wurm settlement at Tora'nah."
Leander snatched the document from her hand. "Give that to me," he hissed, and she was taken aback by his abruptness. She had noticed some subtle changes in the Grandmaster of late, and was worried that the pressures of the position may have had an unpleasant effect on the normally unflappable gentleman.
"Yes," he said, scanning the ancient writing. "Yes, this may indeed prove very useful to us on our journey."
Leander, along with Timothy and Verlis and some specially chosen representatives of Parliament, were planning an expedition to the former home of the Wurm race to check on the stability of the magical barrier between Terra and Draconae. In addition, they were to oversee a new mining operation there and begin formulating plans to defend against invasion if the Wurm were indeed able to breach the barrier.
"The writer of the scroll talks about the creation of a map designating the areas of the Wurm territories richest in natural resources," the Grandmaster said, and looked at her intensely. "We must find this map at once. It could save us weeks of surveying the land, allowing us to begin digging for Malleum almost immediately."
"Do you have any suggestions where I should begin my search for the map?" Cassandra asked, returning to the chest where she had found the scroll. "Perhaps it's still in here?" she suggested, kneeling down to begin her search anew.
She heard the rush of air and glanced toward the Grandmaster to see him in the midst of conjuring. The spell struck the wooden chest and Cassandra jumped back, watching in amazement as the remaining contents of the box flew into the air, unrolling in unison.
Leander moved out from behind his desk, his robes of scarlet and black billowing around him as he studied each of the many floating documents. One by one, as they proved not to be the map he sought, they fluttered to the floor, discarded.
"There is no time," he muttered beneath his breath as he walked among the scrolls. "The fate of all we've known hangs in the balance."
Leander stiffened and reached out for one of the floating pieces of parchment. "This is it," he said, turning to her excitedly, and the remaining scrolls fell to the ground. He held the parchment out before him. "Crude, but useful nonetheless."
And then the Grandmaster started to laugh, an eerie sound the likes of which she had never heard from him before, and hoped never to hear again.
"Master Maddox?" she said.
He looked away from his prize to glare at her, and for a frightening moment she did not recognize him. Then his features relaxed, and the older gentleman she had come to admire and respect had returned.
"Yes, child?" he answered in a voice that seemed much too weak for a man of his usual vigor.
"Are you ... are you unwell?"
Leander slowly rolled the scroll. "I'm quite all right," he told her, forcing a sad smile upon his wan features. "Just a little bit tired. There's no need for concern, my dear."
Yet as she watched him make his way slowly back to his desk, clutching the map to his chest, she wished that she could believe him. For as long as she had known the mage, Cassandra had found him tireless in his exuberance. In fact, she imagined that when the time came for the position of Grandmaster to be passed to her, Leander would be the example upon which she would model her own authority. But something was amiss.
He slid the last of the scrolls into a leather satchel with other documents they had found over the last three days, a spell of closure keeping the contents sealed tightly away. "I think we're just about ready to go."
She watched him carefully, searching for any clue as to what might be troubling him, but all she could detect was weariness. Perhaps the Grandmaster really was just exhausted, his nerves frayed by the demands of his post.
Leander glanced at the large timepiece on the wall and then back at her. "Cassandra, please go tell Timothy that it is time." He gathered up his things. "I shall await him with the other members of the expedition at the main entrance."
She bowed her head and left his study. Cassandra thought she had heard Timothy mention something about testing his new invention in one of the open areas at the back of the estate, so she headed in that direction. She bustled along the seemingly endless corridors, hiking up the hem of her emerald green dress so as not to trip as she descended staircase after staircase. To the uninitiated, SkyHaven would be like a maze, but she had made a study of the place upon her arrival following the tragic death of her parents. She doubted that there was any place left in the floating manor that she had yet to see.
Cassandra descended a set of marble stairs that would take her to the back of the estate through the kitchen. When she entered the room she was a bit surprised that the staff was not hard at work preparing the afternoon meal. Instead, she found them all clustered at the back door, watching with rapt attention some display outside. There was a loud clamor from outside the building, accompanied by a high-pitched whine.
She made her way toward the gathering, nobody taking notice of her approach, and stood on tiptoe to see over the heads of the servants and cooks. Cassandra laughed softly to herself. Timothy Cade, I should have known, she thought, watching the boy astride a strange contraption that was digging into the earth, tossing dirt here and there.
Cassandra cleared her throat once, and then a second time, louder. The staff of SkyHaven's kitchen gradually reacted, reluctantly returning to their jobs, fearful that they would be scolded. She didn't blame them for their fascination. After all, how often did people see a boy riding a machine that could burrow down into the earth? Not every day. Never, in fact. Not until Timothy Cade had come into their lives. There was really no one like him in the world.
She stepped through the back door and strolled across the grass toward the gathering of Timothy's friends, who now stood around the hole he had dug, marveling at his latest accomplishment. Cassandra hoped Timothy was smart enough to know when to stop the machine. SkyHaven was a floating island, and if he dug too deeply he could find himself breaking through the bottom and falling into the ocean below. What a sight that would be, she thought, and had to stifle a giggle.
"Does he know when to stop?" she asked aloud, cupping her hands over her mouth and raising her voice to be heard over the sound of the digging machine.
Verlis glanced at Ivar, and the Asura then looked at Sheridan.
Edgar, who was perched upon the mechanical man's shoulder, flew into the air and landed on her waiting arm.
"Are you serious?" the rook asked, speaking loudly. "After everything he's done, you still have to ask that question?" The bird shook his head in disgust.
"I meant no disrespect. I just want to be sure he's careful."
Edgar ruffled his feathers indignantly. "The kid's a genius. Of course he knows not to go too far."
And as if on cue, the engine of the digging machine cut out and the sound of another, far quieter, device kicked in. Cassandra leaned forward and gazed into the hole to see that the machine was now ascending. The new sound was that of its wheels slowly turning, backing the craft up and bringing it to the surface.
"See," Edgar said to her. "Nothing to worry about. He knew just when to stop."