"Roger Zelazny - Amber 10 - Prince Of Chaos" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zelazny Roger)

Prince Of Chaos
Chapter 1

See one coronation and you've seen them all. Sounds cynical and probably
is, especially when the principal is your best friend and his queen's your
inadvertent lover. But there's generally a procession, with a lot of slow
music, and uncomfortable, colorful garb, incense, speeches, prayers, the
ringing of bells. They are tedious, generally hot, and requiring of one an
insincere attention, as at weddings, commencements, and secret initiations.
And so Luke and Coral became the sovereigns of Kashfa, in the same church
where we'd fought almost - but, unfortunately, not quite - to the death with
my mad brother Jurt but a few hours before. As Amber's only representative at
the event, albeit of, technically, unofficial status, I was accorded a
ringside standing-place, and eyes were often drifting my way. So I had to keep
alert and mouth appropriate responses. While Random would not permit formal
status to my presence at the ceremony, I knew he'd be irritated if he heard
that my behavior was less than diplomatically sound.
So I wound up with hurting feet, a stiff neck, and colorful garments
soaked with sweat. That's show biz. Still, I wouldn't have had it any other
way. Luke and I go back through some of the damnedest times, and I couldn't
help but think of them - from sword's point to track meets, from art galleries
and into Shadow - as I stood there sweltering and wondering what would become
of him now he wore a crown. Such an occurrence had changed my uncle Random
from a happy-go-lucky musician, footloose and degenerate, into a sage and
responsible monarch - though I've only my relatives' reports when it comes to
knowing about the first. I found myself hoping it wouldn't mellow Luke out all
that much. Still, again, Luke was a very different person than Random, not to
mention ages younger. Amazing what years can do, though, or is it just the
nature of events? I realized myself to be a lot different than I had been not
so very long ago, from all that had happened to me recently. A lot different
than I'd been yesterday, come to think of it.
During the recessional Coral managed to pass me a note, saying that she
had to see me, giving a time and a place, even including a small map. It
proved an apartment to the rear of the palace. We met there that evening and
wound up spending the night. She and Luke had been married as kids, by proxy,
I learned then, part of the diplomatic arrangement between Jasra and the
Begmans. It didn't work out, though, the diplomatic part, that is, and the
rest kind of fell by the wayside. The principals had sort of forgotten about
the marriage, too, till recent events served as a reminder. Neither had seen
the other in years. Still, the record showed that the prince had been married.
While it was an annullable thing, she could also be crowned with him, if there
were anything in it for Kashfa.
And there was: Eregnor. A Begman queen on the Kashfan throne might help
smooth over that particular real estate grab. At least, that had been Jasra's
thinking, Coral told me. And Luke had been swayed by this, particularly in the
absence of the guarantees from Amber and the now-defunct Golden Circle Treaty.
I held her. She was not well, despite what seemed an amazing postoperative
recovery. She wore a black patch over her right eye and was more than a little
reactive should my hand stray near it, or even if I looked at it for too long.
What might have led Dworkin to replace the damaged eye with the Jewel of