"Dragonlance - Deathgate 6 - Into The Labyrinth - uc" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dragonlance)

16 WEIS AND HICKMAN

glow. If another Patryn attempted to read them, the runes wouldn't make any sense. They were strictly for show; they had no meaning. Sang-drax was not a Patryn.

Just what he was Xar wasn't certain. Sang-drax called himself a "dragon," claimed he came from the world of Chelestra, claimed he and others of his kind were loyal to Xar, living only to serve Xar and further his cause. Haplo referred to these creatures as dragon-snakes, insisting that they were treacherous, not to be trusted.

Xar saw no reason to doubt the dragon or dragon-snake or whatever it was. In serving Xar, Sang-drax was only showing good sense. Still, the lord didn't like that unblinking red eye, or the laughter that wasn't in it now but almost certainly would be when Xar's back was turned.

"Why did you countermand my orders?" Xar demanded.

"How many Patryns would you require to guard the great Samah, Lord Xar?" Sang-drax asked. "Four? Eight? Would even that number be sufficient? This is the Sartan who sundered a world!" -

"And so we have no guards to guard him. That makes

sense!" Xar snorted.

Sang-drax smiled in appreciation of the humor, was immediately serious again. "He is under constraint now. A mensch child could guard him, in his state."

Xar was worried. "He is injured?"

"No, My Lord. He is wet."

"Wet!"

"The sea water of Chelestra, My Lord. It nullifies the magic of your kind." The voice lingered over the last two

words.

"How did Samah come to soak himself in sea water

before entering Death's Gate?"

"I cannot imagine, Lord of the Nexus. But it proved most fortuitous."

"Humpf! Well, he will dry out. And then he will need

guards—"

"A waste of manpower, My Lord Xar. Your people are few in number and have so many matters of urgent importance to deal with. Preparing for your journey to Pryan—"

"Ah, so I am going to Pryan, am I?"

Sang-drax appeared somewhat confused. "I thought

INTO THE LABYRINTH

17

that was my lord's intent. When we discussed the matter, you said—"