"Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman - Deathgate Cycle 2 - Elven Star" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weis Margaret)

PROLOGUE

". . .WORLD DOMINATION WAS WITHIN OUR GRASP. OUR ANCIENT ENEMY,

the Sartan, was powerless to prevent our ascendency. The knowledge that they
would be forced to live under our rule was galling to them, bitter as
wormwood. The Sartan determined to take drastic measures, committing an act of
desperation almost impossible to conceive. Rather than permit us to take over
the world, the Sartan destroyed it.

"In its place, the Sartan created four new worlds, formed out of the elements
of the old: Air, Fire, Stone, and Water. The peoples of the world who survived
the holocaust were transported by the Sartan to live in these new worlds. We,
their ancient enemy, were cast into a magical prison known as the Labyrinth.

"According to their records that 1 discovered in the Nexus, the Sartan hoped
that prison life would 'rehabilitate' us, that we would emerge from the
Labyrinth chastened, our domineering and, what they term 'cruel,' natures
softened. But something went wrong with their scheme. Our Sartan jailers,
those who were to control the Labyrinth, disappeared. The Labyrinth itself
took over, and turned from prison to executioner.

"Countless numbers of our people have died in that fearsome place. Entire
generations have been wiped out, destroyed. But, before it died, each
generation sent its children forward, each succeeding generation drew nearer
and nearer to freedom. At last, through my extraordinary powers of magic, I
was able to defeat the Labyrinth, the first to escape its toils. I passed
through the Last Gate and emerged into this world, known as the Nexus. Here, I
discovered what had been done to us by the Sartan. More . importantly, I
discovered the existence of four new worlds and the connections between the
worlds. I discovered Death's Gate.

*!тАв

┬л2* WEIS AND HICKMAN "I returned to the LabyrinthтАФI return frequentlyтАФand
used my magic to fight and stabilize parts of it, providing safe havens for
the rest of my people still struggling to free themselves from their bonds.
Those who have succeeded come to the Nexus and work for me, building up the
city, making ready for the day when, once again, we will take our rightful
place as rulers of the universe. To this end, I am sending explorers through
the Death's Gate into each of the four worlds."1

"... I chose Haplo from the large number of people in my service for several
reasons: his coolheadedness, his quick thinking, his ability to speak fluently
the various languages, and his skill in magic. Haplo proved himself in his
first journey to the Air World of Arianus. Not only did he do what he could to
disrupt the world and plunge it into a devastating war, he also provided me
with much valuable information, as well as a young discipleтАФa remarkable child
known as Bane.