"David Eddings - Belgariad 4 - Castle of Wizardry" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

of the Rivan King and placed the tiny hand upon the Orb. The Orb knew the
child and glowed with love for him. Ever afterward, the hand of each
descendant of Riva bore the mark of the Orb that it might know him and not
destroy him when he touched it, for only one of Riva's line could touch the
Orb in safety. With each touch of infant hand upon the Orb the bond between
Riva's line and the Orb grew stronger. And with each joining, the
brilliance of the Orb increased.

Thus it was in the city of Riva for a thousand years. Sometimes strangers
sailed into the Sea of Winds, seeking trade, but the ships of Cherek, bound
to defend the Isle of the Winds, fell upon the strangers and destroyed
them. But in time, the Alorn Kings met and determined in council that these
strangers were not the servants of Torak, but bowed instead to the God
Nedra. Then they agreed to let the ships sail the Sea of the Winds
unmolested. "For," the Rivan King told his fellow monarchs, "a time may
come when the sons of Nedra will join with us in our struggle against the
Angaraks of Torak One-Eye. Let us not offend Nedra by sinking the ships of
his children." The ruler of Riva spoke wisely, and the Alorn Kings agreed,
knowing that the world was changing.

Then treaties were signed with the sons of Nedra; who took a childish
delight in signing scraps of parchment. But when they sailed into the
harbor at Riva, with their ships bearing full loads of gaudy trinkets upon
which they placed high value, the Rivan King laughed at their folly and
closed the gates of the city to them.

The sons of Nedra importuned their king, whom they called Emperor, to force
the city gates so that they might hawk their wares in the streets, and the
Emperor sent his army to the Isle. Now to permit these strangers from the
kingdom they called Tolnedra passage upon the Sea was one thing, but to let
them land an army at the gates of Riva without challenge was quite another.
The Rivan King ordered that the strand before the city be cleared and the
harbor be swept clean of the ships of Tolnedra. And it was done.

Great was the wrath of the Emperor of Tolnedra. He assembled his armies to
cross the Sea of the Winds and do war. Then the peaceloving Alorns held
council to try reason upon this rash Emperor. And they sent out a message
to advise him that, should he persist, they would rise up and destroy
Emperor and kingdom and sweep the wreckage thereof into the sea. And the
Emperor gave heed to this quiet remonstrance and abandoned his desperate
adventure.

As years passed and the Rivan King realized that these merchants from
Tolnedra were harmless, he allowed them to build a village upon the strand
before his city and there to display their useless goods. Their desperation
to sell or trade came to amuse him, and he asked his people to buy some few
items from them - though no purpose could be found for the goods thus
purchased.

Then, four thousand and two years from the day when Accursed Torak raised