"David Eddings - The Dreamers 01 - The Elder gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

‘Would it work that way between different groups of outsiders as
well?’ Dahlaine asked. ‘We’ll probably be bringing in several different
cultures.’
‘No problem,’ Veltan said. ‘We’ll have to decide how far out we want
to take it, is about all. We might want to limit it to the Land of Dhrall,
though. The outlanders all speak different languages, and maybe we
should keep it that way. If they can communicate with each other, they
might start forging alliances, and that could cause trouble down the line.’
‘You may have a point there,’ Dahlaine conceded. ‘Let’s try it and see
how it works.’
‘I’m against the whole silly notion!’ Aracia said adamantly. ‘We can’t
bring those murdering barbarians here to the sacred land!’
‘How sacred do you think it’ll be after the unholy monsters of the
Wasteland sweep over the mountains?’ Dahlaine asked her pointedly.
‘The outsiders are a little crude, I’ll admit that, but they are mostly
warriors. Our people haven’t even discovered iron yet, so they’re still
using stone tools. The people of the outside world have no idea of the
significance of Dhrall, but they do know how to fight. They spend most
of their time practicing on each other. I think maybe we’d all better visit
those outlands and find the various warrior people. There are several
tricks we can use to get them here to Dhrall, and once they’re here, we
can wave gold in their faces to get their interest.’
‘Gold? It isn’t very useful, Dahlaine,’ Veltan objected. ‘It’s sort of
pretty, but it’s too soft for any practical uses. It’s much like lead, when
you get right down to it.’
‘The outlanders seem to like it, and if they hear about mountains of
gold in the Wastelands of the interior, we won’t be able to drive them
away with whips. I don’t think we’ve got much choice. Our people are
too simple and gentle to face the armies of the Vlagh. We need large
numbers of what Aracia calls howling barbarians, and we need them in a
hurry. Let’s go to the outer world and find warriors. It’s the only way we
have to save Dhrall from the forces of the Vlagh.’
 4



Zelana rode the wind westward from the coast of Dhrall for many,
many leagues across Mother Sea. She knew that there was land far to the
west - at least there had been before she’d become so enamored of the
pink dolphins of the Isle of Thurn. Perhaps it had wandered off again.
Night was settling over Mother Sea when Zelana saw something rather
peculiar far below. There seemed to be a small fire floating on the surface
of the water. Fire and water do not usually mix well, Zelana knew.
Overcome with curiosity, she descended to investigate.
She drifted down through the twilight air, and as she came closer to the
face of Mother Sea, she saw what at first she thought might be a floating
house. Then she realized that it was probably a larger version of the
canoes the people of her Domain used when they went out on the water to
hunt fish. The fire she had seen appeared to be burning in a small glass
box near the back of the oversized canoe.