"Anthony Piers - Incarnations Of Immortality 1 - On A Pale Horse [uc]" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

viously a depressive type. "So it darkens, and you change
your course, and you don't die. You figure the warning
saved you. But it could be a random turning of the stone.
Color-spells are a dime a dozen. No way to prove the
prophecy was valid. On the other hand, if it fails to darken,
and you die, how can you complain? You'll be dead\" He
scratched distractedly at a scar. "If it's wrong, how do
you get a refund?"

"You don't believe?" the proprietor asked, frowning
expertly. Apart from his complexion, he was a moderately
handsome man of early middle age whose hair was en-
chanted to carry a permanent chestnut wave. "I run a
respectable shop. I assure you, all my spellstones are
genuine."

"According to the Apocalypse, Death rides a pale
horse," Zane said, warming to his melancholy. He evi-
dently had some education in this area. "I question whether
an inanimate object, a chunk of colored corundum, can
stay that dread horseman so simply. Given the uncer-
tainties of the situation, such a stone is of no practical
use to the owner. He can only test it by seeing it turn,
then refusing to change his course. If it is a valid proph-
ecy, he is doomed. If it is not, he has been cheated. It's
a no-win game. I have played enough of that type."

"I will provide you a demonstration," the proprietor
said, perceiving a morbid streak that could make this cus-
tomer vulnerable to an aggressive and properly slanted
sales pitch. "Skepticism is healthy, sir, and you are ob-
viously too intelligent to be deceived by defective mer-
chandise. The value of the stone can be proved."

Zane shrugged, affecting indifference. "A free dem-
onstration? Can it be worth more than I pay for it?"

The proprietor smiled more genuinely, knowing that

OnA Pale Horse 3

his fish, despite evasive maneuverings, was halfway
hooked. Truly uninterested persons did not linger to ar-
gue cases. He took the stone from the magically theft-
proofed glass display case and proffered it.

Zane smiled quirkily and accepted the ring, putting it
on the tip of his thumb. "Unless there's some immediate
and obvious threat for the stone to point out—"