"Gray, Julia - Guardian 01 - The Dark Moon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gray Julia)

Where to?
I'm not sure. Somewhere public. The square, probably. After the exorcism I should be released.
After the what?
Terrel explained Uzellin's theory about demonic possession, and about his plans to counteract it. When he had finished, Alyssa regarded him steadily with the bird's tiny, jewelled eyes.
You 're not possessed, she stated bluntly.
Are you sure? he countered. Something happened - and I can't come up with a better explanation. Don't you think it's possible that some sort of spirit might have used me?
It doesn't work like that. Only a few spirits are able to return to this world - or even want to - and when they do it's for a reason, good or bad. Even making themselves visible to the living takes enormous effort - and they certainly don't go around taking people over just for the fun of it. And why would any ghost want to destroy a shrine to love?
Terrel could think of several possible answers to that, but once again he did not get the chance to respond.
What are you doing to your eyes? Alyssa demanded, her tone suddenly fierce.
Terrel told her about Babak, and about how the glamour allowed him to move among people more easily. He expected her to be impressed and gladdened by this development, but her reaction was much more sobering.
Be careful of such things, Terrel, she warned. All magic exacts a price.
What do you mean?
Can you shut the door again?
Terrel frowned. The door to his cell was already closed, and locked.
I live in a vast palace, Alyssa went on, confusing him even more. Parts of it are very fine, while others are in ruins. There are more rooms than even I can imagine. None of the doors are locked, but few men choose to open them. At most they peer through the cracks in the walls, and find it hard to believe what they see. But if you do open one of the doors, it's sometimes impossible to close it again. Is that what you want?
I . . . I . . . Terrel had no idea what she was talking about.
Better to find a window to look through, Alyssa added enigmatically, before the tone of her voice changed abruptly, becoming businesslike once more. Where's Elam?
'You really believe the boy is possessed?' Cadrez asked.
'I believe he was,'1 Uzellin replied. 'It's possible he may still be.'
'And you think this exorcism will satisfy people?' 'I do. More than that, it will restore some of their faith. I don't need to tell you that recent events have undermined their confidence in the seers and in our governance.
As the spiritual leader of this community, it is my duty to redress that balance, to re-establish the authority of law. The destruction of the shrine was only the culmination of a series of events that have signalled the disintegration of our society. You, of all people, will be aware of the omens.'
The seneschal could not deny the truth of that. The number of crimes committed in Tiscamanita over the last few months had been much higher than usual. But he did not see how this grotesque exercise could change that for the better. Like most citizens of the town, Cadrez had always regarded the underseers as more or less irrelevant to the normal course of their lives, but in such a time of general uncertainty he was beginning to think that perhaps he should embrace them as allies.
'Tell me about the ceremony.'
'It's a very ancient rite,' Uzellin replied eagerly, 'and all the elements are clearly defined. First of all, the time must be chosen so that the Amber Moon is at its weakest, because that is the indicator of the spirit realm.'
'And tonight is the dark of the Amber Moon,' Cadrez said. Like all educated men - as well as many ignorant peasants - he was constantly aware of the phases of all the moons.
'Exactly!' the underseer exclaimed. 'My calculations reveal that the ideal time will be one hour before sunset this afternoon.'
'Can you have everything ready so soon?'
'I can,' Uzellin answered confidently. 'All I ask is that you detail some of your men to erect a platform in the main square. The best place would be among the ashes of the shrine, don't you think?'
Cadrez nodded, approving of the symbolism.
'That won't be a problem,' he said. 'What will the ritual entail?'
'The subject must be cleansed thoroughly, and then the demon driven from his body by fire and pain.'
'You intend to torture him?'
'I would not call it that,' the underseer said, defensive in the face of the seneschal's disapproval. 'He will be flogged and branded, as the ritual demands, but that is the only way to drive away such evil and ensure it does not return. It is a small price to pay for such a blessing.'
It did not sound like much of a blessing to Cadrez, but he knew the good citizens of Tiscamanita would approve. He did not share their vengeful blood lust, but he was aware that it would have to be appeased somehow.
'Once the ritual is complete,' Uzellin went on, 'I intend to use the opportunity to speak out for a new beginning, a renewal of faith, under the rule of the skies. With luck I can inspire the people to rebuild the shrine, so that the town regains its pride.'
Cadrez nodded. Such a project might help bring the community together again - and it would also give the pilgrims a reason to return, bringing their trade with them. Even so, the seneschal was aware of his own secular responsibilities.
'There are other legal considerations,' he pointed out.
'The charge of arson can still be answered,' the underseer reassured him quickly. 'When my work is done, the boy will become your prisoner again, to await trial and punishment as you see fit. His worldly crime may have been instigated by otherworldly forces, but he must have been in part responsible for allowing the demon to possess him in the first place. Such creatures do not choose their victims at random.'
'You saw the mark on his hand?' Cadrez asked.
'I did. It could have been the sign of the demon or, more likely, of his own depraved invitation to the spirit world. The boy's guilt in this matter is not in doubt, whichever way you look at it.'
In the corner of the seneschal's chamber, unnoticed by either man, the air quivered briefly, then grew still. Elam had heard all he needed to hear.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Uzellin's nervousness was affecting his acolytes, who were all treading softly, and speaking in low voices. The Chief Underseer's anxiety had been growing steadily throughout the day, mainly because he could not shake the conviction that he was being watched. Even when he had been in his own library - a private sanctuary that not even his deputies were allowed to enter - the feeling had persisted, in spite of the fact that it should have been impossible for anyone to spy on him there. And now, as the appointed time for the ceremony drew near, he was even more on edge, fussing incessantly over details he'd already checked a dozen times.
'The brands are all prepared?'
'They are, master,' his deputy, Hacon, replied, indicating the coals in the large brazier. Four irons had been placed in the red-hot fire, each in the shape of one of the sacred symbols of the rite: the snake, the many-pointed sun, the crescent, and the circle that represented the full of the moons.
'And the birch has been properly doused and purified?'
'I saw to it myself, master,' Hacon assured him. 'And the cleansing materials have also been prepared,' he added, anticipating the Chief Underseer's next question. 'Everything is ready.'
The two men were standing on the wooden stage that had been built amid the charred ruins of the shrine, and which was already surrounded by a large crowd. Criers had announced the exorcism to the town earlier in the day, and it seemed that most of the population was intent on cramming themselves into the square in order to witness the spectacle. Uzellin knew that this was the greatest opportunity - as well as the greatest risk - of his career, and he was determined to leave little to chance. His own doubts about whether the prisoner was still possessed by a demon - if indeed he ever had been - had been pushed aside. The audience would be expecting a show - and, one way or another, he was going to make sure they got one.