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

Andrew, as did the smell of child. Crispinwrinkled his nose and, disgusted, turned back to his
brother.“Would you honor the word you gave to a Galweigh?”




Chapter 8



Down in the belly of the WindTreasure, Kait and Hasmal crouched beside the Mirror of
Souls,padding the bulkhead behind it with rags and roping it in among theship’s other cargo. Ian
and the ship’s physick weretending to Jayti, and most of the crew were searching the ruins
forprizes to take home. Those on board the ship were sleeping orcarrying out necessary repairs.

So the two of them were alone, though Kait felt sure someonewould come checking on them
sooner or later.

“They’ll never let us take this to the Reborn,”Hasmal whispered.

“Not willingly.” Kait twisted her end of the ropearound the silver-white metal of the base. “I
know that. Iknew it when I agreed to their deal. What they won’t permit,we’ll have to achieve by
force.”

Hasmal looked at her and rolled his eyes. “Force?We’ll still be outnumbered when we cross the
sea. Vodor’sbones! The captain or Ry Sabir could send pigeons days in advanceof our arrival and
have the whole of the Sabir army waiting for uson the shore when we arrive, no matter where the
captain puts usin.”

“Well, not force, perhaps. Maybe by guile.”

Hasmal tipped his head and gave her a long, thoughtful look.“Ah. Planning on winning the Sabir
to your side by love, Kait?You think he won’t take it back to his Family if he’spassionate enough
about you and you don’t want him to?”Hasmal shrugged. “That might work, though I don’t
likethe idea of the future of the world depending on it.”

Kait stared at him, momentarily lost for words. Finally shesaid, “You . . . think I’d bed him to
keepcontrol of the Mirror?”

Hasmal frowned. “I’d hoped. It isn’t as ifhe’s diseased or repugnant. You’ll have the
opportunity— the captain’s seen to that. And the Reborn needs theMirror; what matters to him
matters to us and the whole of theworld. Women have futtered men they didn’t want for
lesserreasons than the fate of the world.”

At that moment she didn’t like Hasmal, though she couldunderstand that in his eyes the idea must
seem practical. Shecalled on her diplomatic training and didn’t say what she wasthinking about
him. Instead, she tempered her response. “Itwouldn’t work. If I loved him more than all the
world,I’d still demand that the Mirror go to the Reborn, then to myFamily. He’s the same. He
was raised to duty. No matter howinfatuated he was with me, he’d still demand that the Mirrorgo
back to his Family, either exclusively, or else first — andonce it was in Sabir hands, his Family