"Paul Thompson - [Elven Nations Trilogy 1] - Firstborn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Thompson Paul B)

Elven Nations Trilogy
Volume One
Firstborn
Paul B. Thompson
& Tonya R. Carter




Prelude
Year of the Dolphin (2308 PC)
The great river Thon-Thalas flowed southward through the forests of
Silvanesti. Three-quarters of the way down its length, the broad waterway
branched and twin streams flowed around an island called Fallan. On this
island was the capital city of the elven nation, Silvanost.
Silvanost was a city of towers. Gleaming white, they soared skyward,
some dwarfing even the massive oak trees on the mainland. Unlike the
mainland,FallanIslandhad few trees. Most had been removed to make
way for the city. The island's naturally occurring marble and quartz
formations had then been spell-shaped by the Silvanesti, transforming
them into houses and towers. Approaching the island from the west on the
King's Road, a traveler could see the marble city gleaming with pearly
light through the trees. At night, the city absorbed the starlight and
moonlight and radiated it softly back to the heavens.
On this particular night, scudding clouds covered the sky and a chill
rain fell. A brisk breeze swirled over the island. The streets of Silvanost,
however, were full. In spite of the damp cold, every elf in the city stood
outside, shouting, clapping, and singing joyfully. Many carried candles,
hooded against the rain, and the dancing lights added to the strange yet
festive air.
A wonderful thing had happened that evening in the capital. Sithel,
Speaker of the Stars, ruler of all Silvanesti, had become a father. Indeed
the great fortune of Speaker Sithel was that he had two sons. He was the
father of twins, an event rare among elves. The Silvanesti began to call
Sithel "Twice Blest." And they celebrated in the cool, damp night.
The Speaker of the Stars was not receiving well-wishers, however. He
was not even in thePalaceofQuinari, where his wife, Nirakina, still lay in
her birthing bed with her new sons. Sithel had left his attendants and
walked alone across the plaza between the palace and the Tower of the
Stars, the ceremonial seat of the speaker's power. Though common folk
were not allowed in the plaza by night, the speaker could hear the echoes
of their celebrations. He strode through the dark outlines of the garden
surrounding the tower. Wending his way along the paths, he entered the
structure through a door reserved for the royal family.
Circling to the front of the great emerald throne, Sithel could see the
vast audience hall. It was not completely dark. Six hundred feet above him
was a shaft in the roof of the tower, open to the sky. Moonlight, broken by
clouds, filtered down the shaft. The walls of the tower were pierced by
spiraling rows of window slits and encrusted with precious jewels of every
description. These split the moonlight into iridescent beams, and the