"01 - Daughter of the Drow - Elaine Cunningham 1.0.palmdoc.pdb" - читать интересную книгу автора (Starlight And Shadows)

carvings, onion-shaped domes highlighted with purple faerie fire, and a magical
webbed fence supposedly woven by Lloth herself. It was, in Liriel's opinion, a
bit much. Decadence was all fine and well, but this was definitely over the top.
The gate swung open at her approach and a line of Baenre soldiers bowed low. An
ogre servant hurried forward to take her mount, and an escort of eight armed
females—the matron mother's elite guard—led her through the winding halls toward
the very heart of the castle: the Baenre chapel. This, Liriel noted grimly as
she marched along in the heat shadow of her escort, was starting to look very
bad indeed.
An even more impressive gathering awaited her in the chapel. There were two
powerful priestesses: SosTJmptu, keeper of the chapel, with her somber priestess
robes and her pinched, pious face, and Triel, the newly elevated matron mother.
Of the two, Liriel vastly preferred the boring and dowdy SostJmptu. The keeper
rarely stepped outside her beloved chapel, but at least she was passionate about
something. Triel, on the other hand, was a two-legged spider: cold, utterly
practical, ruthlessly efficient. Gromph stood stiffly beside his sisters. Liriel
took heart at the sight of her father until she noted the grim expression on his
face. And looming above the Baenre siblings was a giant magical illusion, a
tribute to Lloth that constantly shapeshifted from a giant black spider to a
beautiful drow female. Gromph had created the spectacular illusion some fifty
years ago to placate the former matron. It was rumored this tribute to Lloth had
purchased the life of the impious arch-mage, who had angered his mother once too
often. It was less well known that he'd modeled the drow female after his
then-mistress. Liriel did not remember the face of her long-dead mother, but her
own resemblance to the spider-drow was uncanny, and unsettling. The young drow
took a deep breath and stepped into the chapel.
"Here at last," observed Triel in her tight, expressionless voice.
Liriel saluted her with deep bow. "At your command, Auntie Triel."
"Matron Triel," Sos'Umptu reprimanded sharply, her outrage at this lack of
respect written clearly on her face. She took a deep breath and prepared to
launch into the usual tirade.
But Triel waved her sister to silence. She leaned forward and fixed Liriel with
a long, searching gaze. "It has come to my attention that your twenty-fifth year
has come and gone. Yet you did not enter the Academy, as is law and custom for
all those of noble blood. Almost fifteen years wasted in frivolity, when you
should have been preparing to serve House Baenre."
Liriel raised her chin and faced the matron squarely. "I have used the time
well. My father," she emphasized, glancing pointedly at the archmage, "arranged
for me to have the best magical training possible."
"You have not attended the Sorcere," Triel pointed out, naming the mage school.
"Technically, no," Liriel agreed. Gromph had refused to sponsor her at the
Sorcere, arguing that as the sole female there and as his daughter, she would be
the target of much intrigue and would bring undue controversy upon the family.
Promising her she would not feel the lack of such training, he used his power
and wealth to secure for her the best tutors and gave her a generous allowance
that enabled her to purchase whatever books and spell components she fancied.
She cast a quick glance at Gromph, hoping he would support her. The archmage's
tight, closed expression indicated she could expect no help there.
"But I have studied with several of the Sorcere's masters. My current tutor is
Kharza-kzad Xorlarrin," she added, naming a powerful wizard who specialized in