"Ann Durand - Flight of the Gryphon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Durand Ann)

"Why?"

He crossed his arms and looked at her with his head cocked. A strand of his golden hair escaped from
the tie behind his head and fell loosely over his shoulder. She wondered, briefly, what he looked like with
his hair down.

"Because I had been Chosen." Katera lifted her chin. "And I would rather die than go to Askinadon."

"Ah." Mikolen nodded. "One of the Chosen. Lucky you."

Katera leveled her eyes at him. "My sister was Chosen, also."

"Your sister, too? Really?" He sounded surprised. "That's a new one. Two virgins from the same family."
His eyes swept over Katera's body outlined inside her clothes, and settled on her eyes. Her face grew
hot.
"Askinadon is a greedy rat," he declared.

A greedy rat? How did this strange man get away with this blasphemy? And what did he mean, as you
call him? What did he call him? One did not deviate from the titles that Askinadon gave himself and his
servants. Did this man not fear the wrath of Askinadon? Did not the Voice scream vengeance inside his
head? She had chosen to die, but why was he willing to risk everything?

Then she remembered: the Voice was gone from her head forever. Could that be true? Was he free from
the Voice, as well? She fingered her bandage tentatively.

"How does that feel?" he asked.

"Alright." She dropped her hand. "Why did you cut me?"

"To remove something," he said, digging into a pocket in his ulli. "To get this out of your head." He pulled
his hand up and held out a small, thin, flesh colored disc.

"That was in my head?" Katera peered at it.

Mikolen nodded. "This is the Voice. When this is gone from your head, the Voice can no longer speak
inside you."

Katera was stunned. The Voice lived inside the will of Askinadon, a will powerful enough to enter into
the minds and thoughts of her people, did it not? How could that big booming Voice with all its power fit
inside that insignificant little round thing?

"Askinadon is a god," she said, disbelieving. "He rules over us, as well as the Kastaks, the rocsadons, the
takataks…all the beasts of the realm. He resides on the summit of Kan Mountain and sees everything.
He does not live in that little thing." She pointed at it. "Askinadon is all powerful."

Mikolen threw back his head and laughed. Katera waited, surprised…and more than a little embarrassed
as he paraded around the room, roaring happily. When his mirth had ebbed, he drew his head down and
spoke quietly, his eyes twinkling.

"My dear girl, whoever you are…the power of Askinadon does indeed live inside that little round thing. It