"Julian May - Trillium 3 - Sky Trillium" - читать интересную книгу автора (May Julian)

A crystalline musical chime rang out and an upstanding ring of light about two
ells in diameter sprang into existence to the left of the dead woman's chair.
Within it was an area of featureless black from which a musty warm wind
flowed.

"Is the viaduct ready to transport me?"

Yes. All you need do is enter. Once it would have led only to the domain of the
Conquering Ice, and so it was useless to me. I came here through it, but I could
not use it to escape. But in these latter days, when the Sempiternal Icecap is
temporarily diminished, the viaduct will debouch in a safe place.

He hesitated. "May I ask where in the world I will emerge?"

The Star-Voice was stern. You will go where you are sent, and there you must
begin immediately to carry out your mission. Quickly! Denby is about to awake.
He will be at the door in a moment.

"Then, Lady, good-bye!"

Holding tight to the sack, he stepped into the glowing ring and vanished. There
was a second bell-like sound and the circle winked out. The remnants of the

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prisoner's last breath, clouds of minute ice crystals, swirled in the frigid air
around the enthroned dead body.

The door of the chamber swung open. The four sindona sentinels marched in,
their golden skulls held at the ready. Shuffling after them came a very old man
with dark skin and frizzled snow-white hair. He was enveloped in a mantle of
golden worram fur.

"Orogastus!" he called. His voice was strong and resonant and might have
belonged to a much younger man. "Are you still here?"

He has departed, one of the sentinels said.

"Well, that's a relief," said Denby Varcour. "Now we can get on with saving the
world—if it can be saved! A pity he didn't finish me off, but I might have known
I'd have to see the thing through to the end." He flapped one hand at the sindona,
ordering them back out into the corridor, then went and stood before the frozen
corpse.

"Forgive me, my beloved Nerenyi. It was too good an opportunity to miss. I
could not let it be too easy for him, you see."