"C. S. Friedman - Coldfire 2 - When True Night Falls" - читать интересную книгу автора (Friedman C. S)

Vryce, R.C.U., K.G.F., C.E.A. D D D


A study in anger: speechlessly, restlessly, Jaggonath's
Holy Father paced once from his desk to the window, then
back again. Barely glancing at Damien before he began the
course anew. Body rigid with tension, ivory robes rippling
sharply with the force of his stride, snapping like pennants,
in an angry wind.

And then the dam burst. At last.

"How dare you," he hissed. His voice was not loud, but
the rage that it communicated was deafening. "How dare
you go off on your own, sending this in your stead . . . as if
I would accept it as a substitute!" He slapped the package
that lay on his desk with accusatory vehemence. Damien's
letter. Damien's notes. A pile nearly an inch thick, made up
of all his records from the rakhlands. All his notes on the
Hunter. "As if mere paper could excuse you from your
duty! As if mere notes and pictures could serve as a
substitute for proper procedure!"

"Your Holiness." Damien swallowed hard, biting back
on his own growing anger. It was a struggle for him to keep
his voice calm, to keep from exploding in indignation.
Right or wrong, he deserved better treatment than this . . .
but he also knew that the fae which surrounded them was
partly responsible for his response, that its currents had
been altered by the Patriarch's rage so that its power was
abrading his temper to the breaking point. Not that knowing
that makes it any easier to deal with, he thought grimly. If
he gave in and responded in kind - or even worse, dared to
work a Shielding in the Patriarch's presence - it would be
tantamount to vocational suicide. And so he forced his
voice to be steady, low, even submissive. "I beg of you,
consider-"

"I have considered," the Patriarch interrupted sharply.
"For weeks now. Since your message first arrived. Every
waking moment, I have considered . . . and the situation
looks worse each time." He shook his head in mock
amazement. "Did you really think I wouldn't guess what
you intended? Did you think I wouldn't understand why
you sent this?"

"I felt there was a chance that I might not come back,"
Damien said stiffly. "I thought you should have all the facts
you would need to deal with the Hunter, in case he returned
without me-"