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

longwithout knowing what their strengths and weaknesses were.Susceptibility to rewhah was a
big weakness. But one had tomaintain appearances at all times, and the appearance of being
freefrom any taint of magic had saved more than one man’slife.

One of the junior members of the Sabir Family asked “Thenif the two principals in the dispute
died, why did the disputecontinue?”

Grasmir said, “Because both children were also hit by thespell — not visibly, though. The effects
didn’t becomeapparent until each of them took mates and had children. Theirchildren were
Scarred. Someone called the Scarring the KarneeCurse. The children were skinshifters.
Dangerous, deadly,unpredictable creatures. Calimekka already celebrated Gaerwanday— the Day
of Infants — and of course all Scarred childrenwere sacrificed. Except the parents of the Sabir
children and theparents of the Karnee children (the Family line that joined withand was
subsumed by the Galweighs) neglected their duties ascitizens. They hid their children, and the
monsters were permittedto grow and breed.” Grasmir Sabir sighed and shook his headsadly.
“Both Families still carry a taint of this Scarring intheir blood. It was over the Scarred children
that the long-termwar between the Families broke out.”

The faces around the table had grown more somber at that; athousand years after the horrible
Wizards’ War, its magicalfallout remained clearly visible to anyone who ventured to thedocks
and saw the Scarred slaves at work on the ships, or watchedthe executions of those foolish
monsters who dared to pretend tohumanity and who ventured within Ibera’s borders. No
truehuman ever forgot that the Scarred had, after the war, hunted downhumans and destroyed as
many of them as they could get. Justthinking about citizens in their own Family lines who had
permittedabominations to live, rather than sacrifice them, horrified all ofthem.

Grasmir looked from face to face, and finally sighed. “BothFamilies carry guilt in the matter,
though at this late date wecannot hope to unravel which of the two principals, if either,might have
been the more guilty.” He managed a faint, wearysmile. “And I say it no longer matters. Call the
mattersettled, forgive the stupidities of the past, and moveon.”

Shaid waited, just a beat, to make his impact greater. Then hestood and applauded. Around the
table, other members of theGalweigh delegation followed his lead, leaping to their feet
andclapping vigorously. The Sabirs rose, too. Grasmir’s smilegrew broad, and when the applause
finally died down, he droppedinto his chair with an air of satisfaction.

“I take it as agreed, then, that the Sabir and GalweighFamilies have put the past behind them.”

More applause greeted that statement. Without making it obviousthat he was doing so, Shaid
glanced around the room, looking forany dissenters. He saw none. Excellent.

He rose in the silence that followed the applause and said,“Then perhaps now is the time to move
on to the new businessthat brings us here today.” He waited until he noted nods ofaffirmation
from around the room. Clasping his hands in front ofhis chest, he said, “Well, then. The Sabirs
and the GoftGalweighs face both a problem and an opportunity, and as ourFamilies are resolved
to put past differences behind us, we canperhaps work together to leap on the opportunity, and
eliminate theproblem.” He cleared his throat, suddenly unsure about how tocontinue.

He glanced around the room. The faces that looked back at himwere those of friends and of
associates, and also of men and womenwho just the day before had been sworn to work toward