"Paul Thompson - [Elven Nations Trilogy 2] - The Kinslaye" - читать интересную книгу автора (Thompson Paul B)

the great person who rode within. Around the plaza, from the surrounding walls and
towers, teeming thousands shouted their adulation.
The emperor's green eyes flashed as he stepped from the high vehicle with a grace
that belied his fifty years. His beard and hair now showed streaks of gray, but his iron
will had hardened over his decades of rule until he was known, truthfully, as a ruthless
and determined leader who had led his people into a prosperity they had never before
known.
Now this regal leader, his robe of crimson fur flowing over a black silk tunic
trimmed in platinum, ignored the King of Caergoth, stepping quickly to the three men
who stood silently behind that suddenly embarrassed monarch. Each of these was
bearded and wore a cap and breastplate of gleaming steel plate. Tall boots rose above
their knees, and each held a pair of gauntlets under his arm as he waited to greet the most
powerful man in all of Ansalon.
The shrieks of the crowd reached a crescendo as the emperor seized each of these
men, one after the other, in an embrace of deepest affection. He turned once more and
waved to the masses.
Then Quivalin V led the three men toward the crystal doors of the king's palace. The
portals parted smoothly, and when they closed, the hysteria beyond fell to a muted rumble.
"Find us a place where we can speak privately," the emperor commanded, without
turning to look at King Trangath.
Immediately that royal personage scuttled ahead, bowing obsequiously and
beckoning the emperor's party through a towering door of dark mahogany.
"I hope fervently that my humble library will suit my most esteemed lord's needs,"
the old king huffed, bowing so deeply he tottered for a moment, almost losing his
balance.
Emperor Quivalin said nothingтАУuntil he and the three men had entered the library
and the doors had soundlessly closed behind them. A deep black marble floor stretched
into the far comers of the huge room. Above them, the ceiling lofted into the distance, a
dark surface of rich, brown wood. The only light came from high, narrow windows of
crystal; it fell around them as beams of heat and warmth before its reflections vanished in
the light-absorbent darkness of the floor.
Though several soft chairs stood along the walls, none of the men moved to sit.
Instead, the emperor fixed each of the others with a stare of piercing strength and
impelling command.
"You three men are my greatest generals," Quivalin V said, his voice surprisingly
soft beneath the intensity of his gaze. "And now you are the hope and the future of all humankind!"
The three stood a little taller at his words, their shoulders growing a trifle more
broad. The emperor continued. "We have borne the elven savagery long enough. Their
stubborn refusal to allow humans their rightful place in the plains has become too much
to bear. The racial arrogance of their Speaker has turned diplomacy into insults. Our
reasonable demands are mocked. Silvanesti intransigence must be wiped out."
Abruptly Quivalin's gaze flashed to one of the trioтАУthe oldest, if his white beard and
long hair of the same color were any indication. Lines of strain and character marked the
man's face, and his short stature nevertheless bespoke a quiet, contained power.
"Now, High General Barnet, tell me your plans."
The older warrior cleared his throat. A veteran of four decades of service to this
emperorтАУand to Quivalin IV before himтАУBarnet nevertheless couldn't entirely calm himself
in the face of that august presence.
"Excellency, we will advance into the plains in three great wingsтАУa powerful thrust
from the center, and two great hooks to the north and south. I myself will command the