"Adkins, Patrick H - Titans 02 - Master of the Fearful Depths" - читать интересную книгу автора (Adkins Patrick H)

Nestled in his strong arms, with her cheek pressed against his chest,
the water nymph wanted to think only of the present and the god who held
her. Instead she found herself glancing back again and again across
Proteus's broad shoulder. Behind them, dimly visible in the crisp
starlight, the great palace of the Lord of the Titans grew small in the
distance. Two or three times she thought she detected movements that
might be indicative of pursuit, but she could not be certain.

Proteus flew close to the mountainside, hugging the jutting cliffs or
dipping into deep gorges for concealment. The terrain became
increasingly rugged as they followed a sinuous route that led both
downward and toward the eastern sea. They skimmed over a frozen
wasteland of snow, ice, and rock. At each dizzying dip or turn the naiad
clutched Proteus still more tightly and tried to stifle the cries that
leaped to her mouth. The icy wind buffeted her face and whipped her hair
and clothing about her.

Soon ice and snow were replaced by dark forests that sprouted from the
sheer slopes of the mountainside. The tossing treetops lapped beneath
them like waves. They were flying almost horizontally, and now for the
first time she saw the dark expanse of the sea. It lay directly ahead of
them, reflecting pinpoints of starlight.

Proteus soared in toward the rocky shore, arching his wings at the last
moment to slow their descent. He swung her down and she found herself
running in the sand beside him before she fully realized they were no
longer airborne. He folded his great wings and began to reabsorb them
into his body as they ran out a short distance into the frothing waves.
Hand-in-hand they dived headfirst into the dark waters.

Accustomed to the river ruled by her father and to its many shallow,
racing tributaries, the sea seemed both familiar and strangely alien to
the naiad. She filled her lungs with sea water and let him lead her
downward through the almost total darkness.

Had he been alone, the son of Okeanos might have metamorphosed himself
into a dolphin or assumed the tail and fins of a fish to facilitate his
journey. Instead he swam leisurely, retaining his own form. Still
Nalassa had difficulty keeping up with him. Countless ages had trained
his muscles to traverse the silent depths with maximum speed and minimum
effort.

Proteus paused regularly to allow the naiad to catch up, and he stopped
occasionally so that she could rest. When they spoke, the watery element
made their voices sound thick and oddly distant.

After they had been swimming for some minutes, Nalassa noticed ahead of
them many dull points of light, like stars viewed through haze, that
seemed gradually to be growing brighter. A few moments later thousands