"Karl Edward Wagner - Kane 03 - Bloodstone" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wagner Karl Edward)

XV Lord of Bloodstone

XVI When Death Is Unmasked

XVII What Manner of Man

XVIII The Wolf Lays Plans

XIX Dreams in Arellarti

XX Night of Bloodstone

XXI No Tears in Selonari

XXII The Vaults of theTemple

XXIII Giants in the Dark Sky

XXIV The Final Mask Falls

XXV When Mad Dreams Die

Epilogue
Prologue




For miles uncounted the forest stood supreme. Giant trees reached their branches heavenward, fighting
for sunlight and fresh air. Beneath their dense foliage existed another world than that of the open sky
above--the twilight of the forest floor. There the cool gloom was broken only by scattered rays of
sunlight that crept through the ceiling above, to melt upon the thick bed of leaf mold and pine needles
which covered the floor. No undergrowth flourished, except in spots where an arboreal giant had fallen
and torn a gap in the forest roof, through which yellow sunlight streamed. Then for a short time a
cerement of underbrush might thrive on the rich humus beside the decaying trunk, until the branches
above refilled the gulf and strangled the life-giving rays.

But the floor was far from a lifeless desert. A myriad of animal life, great and small, scrambled through
the forest. Insects rustled through the carpet and up the trunks of the great trees. Serpents glided along
the ground searching for rodents, whose dens were among the tangled roots. Several species of small
furry animals picked their way through caves and grooves in the moss-hung debris of fallen branches and
cast-off leaves of many seasons. High above, birds chattered gregariously, and somewhere a squirrel
cursed in rage over some unseen affront. In the distance a crow croaked nervously and was still.

The doe heard its half-hearted call of warning and froze in the shadows, her fawn pressed against her
flanks, shivering on extraordinary legs. Her wide eyes swiveled in alarm, and her taut ears tensed for
sounds of danger. Cautiously she drew breath through sensitive nostrils, seeking a scent of wolf or bear
or other predator. For minutes she paused, searching for some evidence of danger. None appeared, and
visions of meadow clover beckoned. She stepped from the shadow of the trees once again, her fawn