"Maggie Furey - Artifacts of Power 2 - Harp of Winds" - читать интересную книгу автора (Furey Maggie)

Forral's rejection is making her increasingly unhappy, and Miathan has begun to
force his attentions on her.
Anvar is sent to help Finbarr the Archivist, Aurian's closest friend among the
Magefolk, and discovers a secret chamber in the catacombs below the library. The
room contains ancient relics, and Miathan finds a deadly weapon—a grail
refashioned from the Caldron of Rebirth—one of the four lost Artifacts of Power,
When Aurian and Forral become lovers, the jealous Archmage turns the grail to
evil, and curses any child of Forral's that Aurian might bear—that it will take
the form of the first beast she sees after its birth.
The following Solstice sees sinister things taking place, Vannor's daughter
Zanna, knowing that Sara has married her father for his riches, quarrels with
her stepmother and runs off to join the Nightrunners, Vannor's secret, illicit
smuggling partners. D'arvan, still the only powerless Mage, discovers that
Davorshan is plotting with Eliseth to get rid of him, and on Aurian's advice,
turns to the Mortals at the Garrison for support, Eliseth then persuades Meiriel
the Healer to negate Aurian's spells against pregnancy, knowing that Miathan
will never countenance Forral's half-breed child,
Eliseth's plots soon come to fruition. Davorshan tries to murder his brother,
and Aurian sends D'arvan to her mother, who can help him find his powers. Maya
goes with him to the Valley. Soon afterwards, Meiriel discovers that Aurian,
unbeknown to herself, is with child, Miathan puts Aurian under a spell of sleep
and forces the Healer to help him destroy the babe, but Anvar discovers the
plot, and tells Forral and Vannor. Forral, berserk with rage, attacks Miathan,
who unleashes terrifying creatures from the grail—Death-Wraiths—spirit vampires
who sap the life-force of the living. Aurian fights free of the spell to go to
Forral's aid, but the swordsman is slain. Finbarr fights the Wraiths with magic,
buying Aurian, Vannor and Anvar time to escape before he is killed. The
creatures, out of Miathan's control, pour out across the city.
Overcome with rage and grief, Aurian vows to avenge Forral, but until a way can
be found to fight Miathan, she must flee. While Vannor returns to the city to
organize resistance against the Archmage, Aurian and Anvar escape downriver by
boat, reluctantly taking Sara with them, at Vannor's request. At the port, they
find passage on a ship crewed by villainous cutthroats. Aurian decides that the
only hope of fighting Miathan is to find the other three Artifacts—but they have
been lost for centuries and time is limited, for as her pregnancy progresses,
she will lose her powers until the child is born. Then, to her horror, she feels
Miathan's mind, searching the seas for her with magic.
Miathan and Eliseth now control Nexis. Fearing the enmity of Aurian's mother,
Miathan sends Davorshan to kill her. In the meantime, Maya and D'arvan reach the
Valley, where Eilin tells them of the terrible events, seen in her
scrying-glass, that have occurred. She also tells D'arvan that his true father
is Hellorin, Lord of the Phaerie—a powerful race of Elemental beings exiled from
the mundane world by ancient Magefolk. Stunned by shock and grief, Maya and
D'arvan turn to each other for comfort and become lovers. They stay in the
Valley, so that D'arvan can learn magic, hoping to find a way to fight Miathan.
Aurian, at sea, is using her powers to shield the ship from Miathan's search.
They find whales, and Aurian discovers powerful minds of great wisdom—the
ancient Magefolk race of Leviathan. When the crew attempt to harpoon them,
Aurian is forced to use magic to save them. With her shields down, Miathan finds
her, and Eliseth conjures up a storm to sink the ship while Miathan attacks with