"Craig Shaw Gardner - Ebenezum 03 - A Night in the Netherhell" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gardner Craig Shaw)

sorcerer suffered from a malady so great that he must shun all magic; indeed, that the malady affected him
to such an extent that he had embarked on a long and arduous journey to seek a cure, even if he had to
travel to far, fabled Vushta before he found the knowledge he sought.

And now that there was no more far, fabled Vushta? You would never know it in the way he strode
across the dunes, trailed by Snorphosio, who continued to discuss various fine points of sorcery as if
some of the others in our party could understand him. Hendrek came next, ever wary, his hand constantly
on the sack that carried his enchanted club, a weapon that saw him forever plagued by demons
demanding rental payments. He had sought Vushta as well, to free him from Headbasher’s dire curse.

All of us had had similar hopes and plans embodied in Vushta. But there had been a further bond
holding us together, for, as we won our way closer to Vushta, we discovered an insidious plot on the part
of the Nether-hells. No longer were these demons satisfied with ruling the world below the earth. No,
now they plotted to conquer the surface world as well and subject us all to their fiendish tyranny. Our
only hope to stop them was to reach Vushta and alert the Greater Vushta Academy of Magic and
Sorcery of the danger. Only with the massed might of the greatest wizards in all the world could we hope
to defeat the Netherhells.

A chill ran through my sun-drenched frame. Until now, I had not realized the true enormity of our
catastrophe. Vushta was no more. Was there no hope? Had the Netherhells won?

Then we climbed to the top of the second hill and I saw the most magnificent city in the world.

“East Vushta,” Snorphosio remarked. “I never realized how small it was until Vushta disappeared.”

Small? I might call the vista before us many things, but “small” was not among them. The city seemed
to take up the whole valley. Graceful towers of a dozen different colors rose a full three stories above the
earth. Furthermore, these great structures were interspersed among literally hundreds of smaller
dwellings. There might be a thousand people living here, maybe more. It was enough to take your breath
away.

Still, I felt a pang of loss through my sense of wonder. If this vast expanse was only East Vushta, what
had the greater city looked like? I felt a prickling sensation at the back of my neck, as if I were being
tickled by the ghost of the last, lingering forbidden delight. I was so close! Now, perhaps, Vushta was
gone forever!

So intent was I on the sight before me that I did not watch my feet. It was perfectly natural, then, that
I should bump into Hendrek’s massive bulk, the same bulk that prevented both of us from losing our
balance and tumbling down the hill.

“Doom,” Hendrek remarked dourly, not noticeably fazed by my abrupt arrival. “Now I will never be
free of my cursed warclub.”

Snarks walked up and removed his hood. “Don’t fret there, Hendy. My demon-trained senses tell me
we have not yet found out all we need to know about Vushta’s disappearance.”
 Hope suddenly returned to my despairing frame. I turned to Snarks. “You have discerned some clue
as to the Netherhells’ plans?”

The demon shook his bright green head. “I just know the way the folks down below work.” He
pointed forward to Snorphosio. “My theory is that the Netherhells rejected this guy on purpose. Why