"Holly Lisle - Secret Texts 2 - Vengeance Of Dragons" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lisle Holly)

Ry twisted his head slowly, fractionally, until he could lookupward out of the corner of his left
eye. Kait saw the initialbewilderment in his face give way to shock.

“Ian?”

“At least you remember me. And now the situation isreversed, isn’t it? After all these years, your
life is in myhands.” Ian kept his voice low and said, “And I’vesworn to have your life . . . brother.
So will you dietoday?”

Kait stared from one to the other. Brother? Ian was Ry’sbrother? She closed her eyes for just an
instant. What werethe odds that she could love the brother that she couldn’thave, and have the
brother she didn’t love, all the while notknowing they were brothers? She would have screamed
at thecoincidence, but it wouldn’t be a coincidence, would it? Thegods had their sticky fingers
deep in her life, and they weretoying with her. Having fun at her expense. Planning traps for
heras carefully as she’d planned this trap for Ry.

“What in the hells did I ever do to you?” Rymuttered.

“Pretend you don’t know and watch how fast I killyou.” Ian kicked him in the ribs.

Kait grabbed Ian and snarled, “Stop it.”

From the top of the ridge, Ry’s friend called down,“Let him go. We’ll kill all of you to get him if
we haveto.”

Kait reluctantly turned her attention from Ry and Ian and thestrange drama enacting itself
between them. “Don’t wasteyour breath. First, I know you’re there alone. Second, theblade at his
throat has been dipped in refaille. If wedon’t like the way you blink your eyes, he’ll die
beforeyou can do it twice.”

Yanth, after a moment’s pause, apparently came to theconclusion that he didn’t have the upper
hand.“Don’t hurt him. I’m listening. Tell me what youwant.”

Kait said, “Go back to your ship. Bring the captain andyour parnissa back to shore, and wait for
us by the graves.We’ll meet you there.”
“What guarantee do I have that you won’t kill Ry if Ileave him here with you?”

Kait said, “If he’s dead, we’ll have no hope ofnegotiating with your people, nor any hope of
surviving aconfrontation. As long as he obeys us he’ll come to noharm.”

Under his breath, Ian muttered, “Not today, in anycase.”

* * *

The negotiators stood on the beach with therolling pulse of the incoming tide growling behind
them. Kaitstudied the parnissa, a cold-eyed young man who looked as though hespent every spare
moment in the study of the warrior arts, and thecaptain, who looked to Kait both sensible and
patient. Theparnissa’s robes were of bright silk, in greens and golds,heavily embroidered with the
sacred symbols of Iberism: the eye ofwatchfulness, the hand of industriousness, the sword of