"David Eddings - Belgariad 2 - Queen of Sorcery" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

QUEEN OF SORCERY





For Helen,
who gave me the most precious thing in my life,
and for Mike,
who taught me how to play.



PROLOGUE

Being an Account of the Battle of the Kingdoms of the West against the most
heinous Invasion and Evil of Kal Torak.

-based upon The Battle of Vo Mimbre

IN THE YOUTH of the world, the evil God Torak stole the Orb of Aldur and
fled, seeking dominion. The Orb resisted, and its fire maimed him with a
dreadful burning. But he would not give it up, for it was precious to him.

Then Belgarath, a sorcerer and disciple of the God Aldur, led forth the
king of the Alorns and his three sons, and they reclaimed the Orb from the
iron tower of Torak. Torak sought to pursue, but the wrath of the Orb
repelled him and drove him back.

Belgarath set Cherek and his sons to be kings over four great kingdoms in
eternal guard against Torak. The Orb he gave to Riva to keep, saying that
so long as a descendant of Riva held the Orb the West would be safe.

Century followed century with no menace from Torak, until the spring of
4865, when Drasnia was invaded by a vast horde of Nadraks, Thulls, and
Murgos. In the center of this sea of Angaraks was borne the huge iron
pavilion of one called Kal Torak, which means King and God. Cities and
villages were razed and burned, for Kal Torak came to destroy, not to
conquer. Those of the people who lived were given to the steel-masked
Grolim priests for sacrifice in the unspeakable rites of the Angaraks. None
survived save those who fled to Algaria or were taken from the mouth of the
Aldur River by Cherek warships.

Next the horde struck south at Algaria. But there they found no cities. The
nomadic Algarian horsemen fell back before them, then struck in vicious
hit-and-run attacks. The traditional seat of the Algarian kings was the
Stronghold, a man-made mountain with stone walls thirty feet thick. Against
this, the Angaraks hurled themselves in vain before settling down to
besiege the place. The siege lasted for eight futile years.