"Van Lustbader, Eric - Pearl 01 The Ring of Five Dragons(eng)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Van Lustbader Eric)

"I am simply pointing out that there may be more to the Kundalan than we believe or are currently willing to accept. I believe that this blindness may be our hubris as a race."
Silence, for a long time. Even though every muscle in his body ached, Eleusis dared not move. He tried to read the Gyrgon's response by how he held himself, but it was a fool's mission, and he began to weep silent tears for Za Hara-at, whose fate had now apparently slipped through his fingers. Did I make a mistake? he asked himself. What else could I have done? Wearying of enigmas he would never solve, he turned and stared at the Five Sacred Dragons of Mьna, whose power and stern visages curiously never failed to calm him.
At length, Nith Sahor stirred. "You are correct in another matter, regent. We have been in occupation here for one hundred and one years, and still the Gyrgon have not solved the mystery of the planet or the Kundalan."
Hope surged through Eleusis. Some crisis point had been reached and turned so that he came out of his paralysis and risked taking a position just behind Nith Sahor. It was a good view out over the city, north to the ragged high peaks of the Djenn Marre.
"All we have are more mysteries/' Nith Sahor continued. "This planet is a complete enigma to us. What power principles underlie Kundalan sorcery? What exists beyond the treacherous Djenn Marre? It is a question even Gyrgon cannot answer. All our superior science, our sophisticated telemetry mean nothing here. The perpetual snow and ice storms make an area three hundred thousand square kilometers impenetrable. Over the years we have sent a dozen experienced Khagggun teams into the Unknown Territories. As you know, none ever returned. What happened to them? Were they killed by the extreme weather, by beasts unknown, the resistance? We have no idea.
"As for the Kundalan, who are they? Where did they come from? Where are they going? Even the nature of the barbaric Sarakkon is an enigma to us. These are the basic questions of life—the ones we Gyrgon seek out wherever we go in the universe. Without those answers, we are diminished."
The level of Nith Sahor's frustration was clearly communicated to Eleusis. Perhaps that was what led him to strike out as he had. Unconsciously, Eleusis massaged his chest again.
"I am convinced that the answer to all our questions about Kundala and its people resides in The Pearl."
"The Pearl—if it ever existed—was lost forever on the day we invaded Kundala," Eleusis said carefully.
Nith Sahor's face arranged itself into an enigmatic smile. "Oh, it exists, regent. I think you know that as well as I do. And if it was lost, it can be found. We are always looking for a new avenue for our search." Abruptly, the Gyrgon turned, and the regent felt the full weight of his unsettling gaze. Eleusis began to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomachs.
"To find The Pearl, we must first open the Storehouse Door in the caverns under the regent's palace. Tell me, Eleusis, have you heard of the Ring of Five Dragons?"
"I have not."
"Perhaps, then, I should have a talk with Giyan." Eleusis went cold with dread. "She knows nothing."
"She is Ramahan. She is a sorceress. She is steeped in the lore of their Goddess Mьna. She will know of the Ring."
"So presumably did the ten thousand other Ramahan you rounded up over the last century."
"They told us nothing. They knew nothing."
"By all means, bring her in," Eleusis said. The taste of fear was in his mouth. "Torture the information out of her."
"Ah, ah, ah, I was under the impression that you and I were beyond such rebukes."
Eleusis passed his hand over his eyes. "Sometimes I feel like a very old V'ornn. I have seen too much bloodsport, Nith Sahor. I have participated in more than my share. These days I see only conspiracies, hidden agendas, bargaining chips placed upon the table and withdrawn. I fear that I am part of a plan with which I no longer care to be involved."
The Gyrgon made an unexpected gesture. "Regent, give me your hand."
Eleusis stood deathly still. "It is said that the Gyrgon's touch kills."
Nith Sahor held out his mailed fist. "And do you believe it, regent?"
"I … I don't know," Eleusis admitted.
"I promulgated that bit of legend," Nith Sahor said. "It's an amusing one, I admit."
Eleusis gazed deep into Nith Sahor's eyes. "It is also said that the Gyrgon possess the power to hypnotize. Another legend you promulgated?"
"No. That one is true enough."
Eleusis felt another shiver of fear run down his spine.
"You see, what we have here, regent, is a test—a test of your ability—or perhaps your desire—to trust. I want the Ring of Five Dragons, and you must trust that I will use it wisely."
Eleusis licked his lips. His mouth felt as dry as the Great Voorg yet he was drenched in sweat. "We V'ornn are not given to trust, are we?"
Nith Sahor's extraordinary eyes continued to draw him in. "But in so many ways, regent, you do not conform to the Modality."
"Perhaps this is a test for both of us."
Nith Sahor laughed, a nasty sound. "Gyrgon are beyond tests, regent."
"In this you are wrong, Nith Sahor. You have attacked me in anger. That, in time, I could forgive. But you have threatened the person I love most in life. When you ask for my trust, you ask for the impossible."
"I would not harm Giyan. I meant to frighten you. It is possible that I miscalculated."
An apology from a Gyrgon? Now Eleusis had heard everything. What would make Nith Sahor act in this extraordinary way, he wondered, but fear? Some terrible imperative he could not yet see but could feel all around him like a dank prison cell. Curiosity overcame resentment. After a further moment's hesitation, he placed his hand on Nith Sahor's fist. No ball of fire smote him; no surge of hyperexcited ions attacked his neurons; he did not turn to stone. Everything was as it had been before. No, not quite. Slowly, the fearsome fist opened like a flower to sunlight and the Gyrgon's palm pressed against the regent's. The grip solidified and Eleusis felt himself being drawn toward the Gyrgon.
"Regent, there is a task I require of you," Nith Sahor said very softly. "Something of the utmost importance."
Eleusis' throat closed up. Now the hammer comes down, he thought.
"Only The Pearl has the potential to give us the answers the Gyrgon need. And to possess The Pearl I must first have the Ring of Five Dragons. You must find it for me."
Eleusis shook his head. "The Pearl is the most sacred artifact of the Kundalan—a gift from the Great Goddess Mьna. If it exists, if it were to be found, it belongs to them."
"I must have the Ring and The Pearl. I strongly urge you to rethink your response."
Eleusis felt chilled to his marrow. "I will not betray the Kundalan."
"You are V'ornn, regent," Nith Sahor said with ire. "I should not have to remind you of that."
"I will not betray Giyan."
"That is your final answer?"
"It is my only answer."
He choked as the fearsome Gyrgon drew him so close that they were against one another. Nith Sahor smelled of clove oil and burnt musk. He put his mouth beside Eleusis' ear and whispered fiercely, "You have shown me what is most precious to you. You have made your decision. Honorable or foolhardy, which is it?"
Eleusis found that he was trembling. He stood mutely before the Gyrgon, as if on trial. In the next beat of his hearts, he found himself back outside the front gate to the Temple of Mnemonics. Nith Sahor's words continued to reverberate inside him. He looked up at the swirling turrets and giddy parapets of the Temple. Was anything the Gyrgon said the truth? Or were they clever lies to trap a suspect regent? Why would a Gyrgon entrust secrets to someone outside his caste? He wouldn't. Perhaps he had been hypnotized after all. What we have here, regent, is a test—a test of your ability—or perhaps your desire—to trust. What was the game and how was it being played? How was he to know?
"Regent?"
He looked over, saw Kinnnus Morcha's concerned expression.
"Regent, is anything amiss? How went the Summoning?"