"Stephen Goldin - Storyteller" - читать интересную книгу автора (Goldin Stephen)

his wisdom, for all his knowledge, he had been cheated by a pair of ordinary people—Jafar al-Sharif and
his daughter Selima. These clever rogues had claimed to be mighty wizards in possession of the urn of
Aeshma, and Akar had rescued them from their predicament in Ravan expressly so they could share the
urn with him. In return for his favors and hospitality, this pair of swindlers had stolen his priceless flying
carpet and the ring that controlled the minor Jann named Cari.
 As a powerful wizard, Akar was normally in total control of his emotions, but he still had one failing he
could not alleviate: his fiery temper. When provoked he would fly into sudden rages surpassing all reason,
and at such times all the force of his mighty power would be directed at the object of his fury. Not until
his wrath was released would the calm of sanity return and he would be his dignified self once more.

Such a rage came upon him when he learned that his two guests were impostors, and that they were
escaping with some of his possessions. Climbing the stairs of his castle, he came out onto the flat roof just
as the thieves were making off with his treasures. Using the raised markings on the ground to guide him
he walked with crisp, efficient steps to the very edge of his roof and looked out into the sky. Even
without eyes, his sense for detecting magical power told him where the carpet was, and how far away.
Had he been thinking in a rational manner he might have been surprised at the fact that the impostors
could even get the carpet in motion. But Akar was beyond such considerations. He was interested solely
in revenge.

Akar began speaking the words of power as he reached deep inside his soul to concentrate the energy
he would use. This was his prime death spell, a curse that would wither any enemy within his
considerable range. The words came fluently, the power flowed, and as the carpet flew to the limits of his
detection Akar let forth the energy he'd been conjuring. Balls of pale green flame shot from his fingertips
toward the escaping pair, carrying with them all the venom and hatred Akar could muster.

With the release of those fireballs, the anger drained instantly out of Akar—and with it went the power
he'd focused for the spell. He could no longer sense the carpet, and had no idea how successful his spell
had been, for he knew the fugitives had been at the very limits of his range when he shot the fireballs. It
did not matter; he'd done what he could do for now.

There were more important matters demanding his attention. The urn of Aeshma had been opened; he
knew that from the massive disturbance on the magical web that underlay the world. He had missed his
best chance to control the king of the daevas, to harness that incredible power for his own ends. Aeshma
would have been weakened after so many centuries confined within the golden urn, but with each passing
second his strength would increase and his power would return. Akar knew he must devote his energies
to capturing the daeva before he grew too powerful for any man to control.

If Jafar al-Sharif and Selima had escaped his death curse, it was of little consequence at the moment. At
some later time, after he'd gained control of Aeshma, he could track them down wherever in the world
they were and exact a fitting retribution upon them. For now they could be allowed to think they'd
escaped his vengeance.

Turning, he started back toward the stairs when one of his servants, a tall hairy Jinn with skin as black as
soot, approached him. “O master, forgive this bearer of bad tidings, but there is chaos loose in the castle.
In the course of their escape the impostors left the door open at the bottom of the stairs and the winged
tigers have come through. Your loyal servants have been fighting them, but the beasts are fierce and we
have suffered many injuries."

Akar frowned. This was one more crime for which Jafar al-Sharif would pay heavily. “Go into my upper
storeroom and bring me the ebony wand with the emerald insets. It will be on the eastern shelves, third