"Dennis L. McKiernan - Hell's Crucible 2 - Into the Fire" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKiernan Dennis L)

and then three together, all of them covered with snow and ice and frost.
And as the five rode onward, more and more frozen corpses were
encountered, the road littered with the cold dead—men, "women,
children—some clearly had been travelling afoot while others had been
rid ing, and still more were found frozen in carts and wains horses lying
blizzard-slain and rock-hard as well. And al were heading northwesterly
along the road, a road which led to Mineholt North and nowhere else.
As the five now rode onward, Loric turned to Phais "Refugees?"
She nodded grimly. "Bekki I deem grasped the truth o it when he
saw the very first man; he was fleeing the cit; of Dael, as I ween were
these others."
'"But what's in Dael?" asked Beau, looking about in trepidation. "I
mean, why would they run?"
Loric turned up his gloved hands. "We cannot answer that question
until we arrive, Beau."
"Perhaps we ought to skirt the city altogether," said Tip "I mean, if
something perilous is there—a Gargon or such—"
"Oh my," gasped Phais, looking at Loric, "mayhap in deed it is a
Draedan."
"Gargon, Draedan, Ghath," growled Bekki, "we shouk draw near
enough to know." He gestured southward "Somewhere my sire and the
rest of the Allies hie after Squam, and we need to warn all if a Ghath
strides Dael."
Reluctantly Loric nodded. "Bekki is right. We need toe see for
ourselves what may lie therein. And if needs be warn Coron and
DelfLord and Chieftain and Prince alike.
Tip pulled his bow from its saddle scabbard and took an arrow in
hand. "Fetch out your sling and bullets, Beauf we're riding into Dael."
They sat atop the hill and looked eastward down the fall of land
toward where the city of Dael should have been Yet they saw nought of
what they expected—a riverport town surrounded by high stone
walls—but a mass of snow covered rubble instead. Not a whole
structure stood, though here and there a damaged wall or stark chimney
reared up where a building had been. Broken battlements surrounded
the wrack, the high stone bulwark breached, ruptured, smashed in a
hundred places, cleft with great wide gaps. And a chill wind swirled
through the gapes and among the ruins beyond.
"Lor'," breathed Beau, surveying the destruction, "what could have
caused this? The Horde?"
 Phais shook her head. "Nay. They were in flight, our allies after.
They had not the time to do such."
"A Gargon?" asked Tip, his heart thudding.
Again Phais shook her head. "They are a terrible foe, but not even
they could cause such ruin."
"Too," said Loric, "I feel not the dread of one."
Tip's mind flashed back to the time at Gunarring Gap when his heart
had hammered with twisting apprehension from even a distant Gargon.
No such anxiety writhed through his veins here.
"I see no movement," growled Bekki, looking at the others.
"Nor I," said Phais.