"David Drake - Lord of the Isles 03 - Servant Of The Dragon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Drake David)

AUTHOR'S NOTE

The (common) religion of the Isles is based on Sumerian cult and ritual,
but the magic itself comes from the Mediterranean and is mostly Egyptian
in its original source. The voces mysticae which I've referred to as “words
of power” in the text represent the language of demiurges; that is, they are
intended to have meaning to beings which can then translate human
desires to the ultimate powers of the cosmos. I have copied them from real
spell manuscripts of the classical period.
I don't personally believe that the voces mysticae have power over events,
but millions of intelligent, civilized people did believe that. I don't
pronounce the voces mysticae aloud when I'm writing.
Rather than invent literary sources for the background of Servant of the
Dragon, I've used real ones. The actual quotes are from poems by Horace
and Ovid; my translations are serviceable, but Horace in particular
deserves better than anyone can give him in English.
In addition there are passing references to Homer, Vergil, Hesiod,
Athenaeus, and Plato. The fascinating thing about going to original
sources is that it's the best way to learn not only what people distant in
time thought but also how they went about thinking.
And you know, when you've seen the differences between us and the

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ancestors of our Western culture, it may make you— as it certainly has
made me—a little more tolerant of the beliefs of different modern cultures.
That wouldn't be a bad thing for the world.
—Dave Drake
Chatham County, N.C.




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Prologue


The deeps trembled, shaking a belfry which had not moved for a thousand
years. Eels with glassy flesh and huge, staring eyes twisted, touched by
fear of the power focused on the sunken island. Cold light pulsed across
their slender bodies.
A bell rang, sending its note over the sunken city. It had been cast from