"Anne Bishop - Black Jewels 00 - The Invisible Ring" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bishop Anne)

circled the Ring of Obedience. He felt the tight band of gold expand until
he felt nothing at all. Turning slightly, she flicked her right hand toward
the wooden table in the room. The guards' startled gasps didn't completely
muffle the other sound-like a heavy coin spinning, like a child's hoop that
finally loses speed and circles round and round, lower and lower until the
ground claims it.
"Lady!"
The shocked exclamation meant something, but Jared felt too empty to react.
His body hurt so much it didn't even register the usual discomfort that came
from the Ring of Obedience-the discomfort that effectively kept a man's
attention focused on the threat of pain.
"Hell's fire, Lady, Ring him!"
The psychic scents of the males in the room stank of fear.
Jared frowned and wished his thoughts weren't so fuzzy. Ring him?
He slowly realized it wasn't a heavy coin on the table, but the Ring of
Obedience. The one he'd worn for the past nine years. Before he could even
try to shake off the emotional lethargy and physical weakness, to comprehend
what it meant, Grizelle's fingers closed around him again and squeezed
lightly. He gasped as pain shivered along his nerves. Light flashed from her
fingers, blinding him. A clap of thunder shook the building. The
unmistakable feel of power filled the room. Grizelle stepped back and calmly
stared at the nervous guards, the shocked escort, and the sweating,
hand-wringing steward. "You have nothing to fear," she said. "He wears my
Ring now."
The steward pointed a shaking finger at Jared's groin. "B-but, Lady, there's
no Ring."
"Ah," Grizelle said. There were so many nuances in that small sound, so much
ice in the calm smile. "But there is. He wears the Invisible Ring."
Jared's heart began to pound. The Invisible Ring?
The ghost of a memory drifted just out of reach.
The steward chewed his lip. "I've never heard of such a Ring."
Jared had. But how? Where?
"The witches in my family have been using it for generations," Grizelle
said. She gestured toward the Ring of Obedience lying on the table. "It's
ten times more powerful than that little toy." Then she paused. "Would you
like a further demonstration?"
The men hastily assured her there was no need.
Jared closed his eyes. Hell's fire, Mother Night, and may the Darkness be
merciful. Ten times more powerful. Ten times more painful. How was he
supposed to survive that? He wasn't.
No one survived being owned by Grizelle. And now he knew why.
He let his mind drift again, no longer interested in what was happening in
the room. More senseless smears of words. Female anger boiling up like a
violent storm on the horizon. Whimpers. Hands untying him, walking him to
the final room. He stood where he was placed, passive. Ten times more
powerful, and he couldn't even feel it. Maybe he was numbed by too much
pain. Maybe it was too subtle to feel after so much agony. If only he could
remember what he'd heard about how it worked, or why it was different from
the Ring of Obedience. Then again, maybe he should be grateful that he
didn't remember. The door opened behind him and the escort, who had stayed