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.