The magician snatched from the scabbard Karoo Rikusa and in one swift
movement divided the Viana half. His head fell stony ground, smelly,
brown liquid flowed from the two halves of the skull.
Rikus happy stamped on the yellow bones, turning them into dust. - He
was not supposed to use the ring Agis to deceive us - grumbled mule. -
And when we krill Tihiana, we will do with him the same as he did with
Agis.
Sadir did not answer, she stared in horror at the broken blade of the
sword, her jaw dropped. At first Nieve not understand surprise
magician, but then realized that her friend was unconscious when mule
checked magic Kara.
Finally Sadir threw Rikusa an accusing look. - He was broken - she said
through her teeth. - How do you do that?
- It's my fault - hastily intervened Nieve. - When we were attacked
ghosts, I tried to fight them, and they tarnished it with his magic.
The blade broke down later when Rikus was the blow of a huge boulder,
otherwise we would have all perished.
- And it is full of magic, - hastily added Rikus. - Kelum healed blade
before all the black liquid oozed out of him.
- A black liquid? - Repeated Sadir.
- Yes, it was seeping from a broken blade - Kelum said, holding out his
hand to a magician. - And that's what happened when I touched it. We
hope that you know something about it.
Dwarves opened his palm so that Sadir saw a strange scars on the edges
of his hands, and in the center of his palm grinning mouth. Red lips
once earned, each time taking all the new and the new form, and forked
tongue appeared from the black throat.
- Free me - hissed mouth, black smoke rose from beneath the white
fangs. - Come and set me free.
Still holding a broken sword Rikusa, fairy leaned forward and carefully
examined every scar on his hand Keluma. - This reminds me of what
happens to those who receive a wound near the Tower Constable.
- What does this mean? - Puzzled asked Nieve, seriously concerned about
her husband's hand.
The magician looked closely at the warrior his amber eyes. - It's magic
Radzhaata.
Y Nieve sucked in his stomach. - So you can not cure it?
- It's not a treatment - said Sadir. - But to return to normal hand
quite easily.
Nieve relieved, even though her husband seemed to be interested by
anything, but not how to get rid of faces on his arm. - Why he kept
asking us to release him? - Asked Kelum.
- If I was planted inside the blade for a thousand years, I would have
wanted to be free, - said Rikus.
Sadir shook her head. - Magic is not the spirit, - she said. - And talk
she did not know how.
- Then someone asks us to release him? - Asked Magnus.
- I do not know - answered Sadir. - Perhaps Radzhaat.
Nieve felt the fear in her stomach all tie in a knot. - But the gallant
warriors killed him a thousand years ago!
The magician shrugged. - We do not know this - she said. - The Book of
Kings Kemaloka said that they revolted. We thought that they killed
him, as the gallant soldiers survived and became king-magicians. It may
be that we were wrong.
- Then a pity that we finished with Vian, - said Kelum. - I suspect
that he must have known he fate Radzhaata.
- We have not heard anything from him but lies and half-truth, - said
Nieve.
- And anyway, I do not see why we should care much Radzhaata. Even if
he is alive, kings, wizards somewhere locked him - said Rikus.
Simultaneously, he knelt down and typing the full palm land, scraped
with a blade of brown liquid, which was the brains of Viana. - Bors -
that's our problem. It's pretty clear that the ghosts attacked us,
because we knew that we are on his mind.
- And where we go, - said Sadir. - Ghosts knew a lot about our plans,
as they said they called the spirit of Agis Samaraha. I am afraid that
the Boars was able to kill and capture Tihiana Black lens.
- The dragon may know where we go, but the black lenses had not - said
Rikus. - Otherwise, he had been sent in to us murderers. He would
attack us, he and all would be over.
- But if he knows where we're headed as it may be that the lens is not
he? - Asked Kelum.
- The report stated that the meeting scheduled in Samarahe, but does
not say that the lens is already there - Nieve said. - Perhaps Tihian
waiting somewhere else.
- So, what I believe - a trick with few beats, - said Rikus. - We have
no choice - we should go and watch. If we sit here and wait for the
dragon once again try to stop us.
Nieve nodded. - The battle began. If we want to win, we need a black
lens - even if it Tihian sent for us. - Warrior turned to his militia
and waved her hand towards the ruined farm behind the Wall Mazda. -
Fill your fur for water - she commanded. - We have a long way to
Samaraha.
Chapter 9
Abal-RE
Vyuchny Kunk scratching on covered with a white crust of the earth with
all six legs, dissatisfied with the order Sadir stay. Sadir was not
surprised by the behavior of the animal. The poor creature lived
without water for more than five days, since, as the legion began to
cross the sparkling surface salinity yellow desert. Now, catching his
sensitive antennae trembling green, sharp grass yellow burdock and
other plants of the oasis, the insect probably sensed the water, where
it has been so long denied to them. The magician was happy by the fact
that it is generally obeyed her.
Sadir stopped at two hundred feet away from a rounded hill, covered
with tall trees cedar. Coniferous trees with long spines widely spread
their branches, reminiscent of hands praying to the sun dwarf. The
purple vine with long, yellow spines tightly twined around their stems,
beards of moss hanging from the branches.
At the top of the hill in front of them, two lines of enemy soldiers
were standing, ready for battle. Most of them bore the green cloak over
yellow hemp kilt. In their hands square wooden shields and long
throwing spears. On his belt hung them Morgenstern spiked pointed out
obsidian. Unarmed officers in light blue turbans stood in front rows,
at equal distance from each other.
- It looks like them here at least two thousand, - said Rikus,
approaching the magician. As Sadir, he kept on a leash vyuchnogo Kanka,
his powerful shoulders sat young Rkard. - I do not like.
Sadir nodded, and the mule walked away from her for a couple of steps
before you stop. The last ten days they do not approach each other
closer, as the magician could not forgive Rikusa. When she told him
about the death of Agis, the first reaction mule was not grief or
sympathy. He thought only about how they can live without an
aristocrat, and yet it has enabled her husband to die and did not give
him what he wanted most - an heir who would keep the name Astiklov. How
could Rikus expect that she will think about their future at such a
moment?
Kelum stepped forward, standing between Rikusom and Sadir. - It's not a
tribe of robbers, - said the dwarf. He stretched out his hands and took
her son from his shoulders Rkarda Rikusa. - It's more like a legion.
- He is, - said Magnus. - Legion of Raama. When I was with the Desert
runners, we had a lot of time to get away from the soldiers of this
city.
- But from here to Raama fifteen days walk to the south, with Galgom
and Nibenaem on the road - protested Siyut Ltac. After the battle with
the giants, Nieve distributed surviving warriors granite Rota among the
remaining companies militia Kloeden, and asked Siyuta stay with her, an
officer for special assignments. - What Raamlyane doing here?
- They sent Boars - concluded Rikus. - I bet that he made the
Kings-Wizards to send troops across the desert to find us.
- Whatever it was, but they are between us and the water - said Nieve,
joining the group. - Let us hope that our soldiers are strong enough to
sweep them off the road.
Sadir looked back to check the legion. Three companies Kloeden stood
atop the column, five in number, thirty-disciplined lines. Dwarves
withdrew their heavy weapons and tied him to the back, not to
iszharitsya under the midday sun. But it did not save them completely
from desiccating heat, their faces burned and his eyes dimmed.
People Tyre looked much worse. They were of binary column for the
dwarves, panting and leaning on each other. Those who had guns, tied
him in knots and dragged along, and many others have tried to create a
shadow, lifted the remains of his clothes over his head. Some of the
soldiers stepped from foot to foot in a vain attempt to protect the
feet from obzhigayushego heat breaks through the thin soles of their
sandals. Most, however, seemed to have resigned, put down their arms
and clenched his teeth and endured torture while standing on the spot.
Sadir saw and a small group of stragglers, barely stumbling along to
the legion, and behind them there was nothing that would have towered
above the salt surface: a single stone, thin stem thorns or even a
spinning vortex of air. The desert stretched to the horizon, bright
white, perfectly smooth surface. While the legion was crossing a
stultifying, blinding space explorers have not found a single trace of
litter and animals not seen a single living creature more than the
beetle, running along the sparkling land, did not hear the call of a
single greedy kes'trikela, looking for prey. There was nothing, not a
single trace of any kind was a living creature.
Sadir looked at Rikusa and Nieve. - We must fight now, or a little
rest?
Voshebnitsa not even thought about the fact that the enemies dare to
risk and attack first. No normal commander would not leave a suitable
safeguard the position on the hillside to attack the enemy on the flat
desert, especially if it is water, and the enemy no. If they wanted to,
Sadir was sure they could even set up camp, and the legion Raama would
stand and waited for their attack.
Turning the matter over the witch, Nieve confidently said, - Rest does
not give us. The more time we spend in the sun, the more our soldiers
will suffer from thirst, when the battle begins.
Rikus nodded and turned to the legion. But before he could say
something, Rkard grabbed his arm. - Rikus, Kara!
The boy pointed to the sheath Rikusa, the cylinder of bleached bones,
which was skillfully carved the history of life Rikusa. The best carver
of bone Tyre gave them scabbard mule in gratitude for the first throw
spears at Kalaka.
Mule frowned. - What is it?
Rkard raised sheath. At the end of the cylinder gaping hole, and from
it protruded a short piece of a broken sword, inexplicably protknuvshy
solid bone.
- Very strange - Rikus took sheath in hand. - But thanks Rkard. Broken
or not, I would not like to lose a piece of his sword.
Mule pulled the sword from its sheath and amazement forgot to breathe.
Broken Sword no longer end with serrated blow. Irregularities have
disappeared from the tip of the sword reappeared, and the whole blade
was approximately two-thirds of its original length.
- What happened? - Breathed a mule.
- He is growing! - Concluded Rkard.
Rikus shook his head. - Steel is not growing!
- Enchanted steel can - intervened Sadir. She pointed to the old tip,
is still sticking out of holes in the sheath. - And this explains how a
broken piece pierced the bone.
Mule rubbed his cheek and looked attentively at his animated blade.
Finally, he shrugged his shoulders. - Why should I know? - He asked. -
I'm just glad that he decided to return.
- As we all - added Kelum.