"Karl Edward Wagner - Cold Light" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wagner Karl Edward)

Next in rank—although Cereb's position was
ambiguous—came Mollyl from the ill-famed island of Pellin in
the Thovnosian Empire. Mollyl was a dark man who smiled only
when another screamed in agony. His total lack of fear—perhaps
he lost it in the exultation of killing—made him indispensable to
Gaethaa in battle. Mollyl took Gaethaa's wealth, but he would
probably follow him without pay, so long as his lord offered him
new fields of delight.
Also from the Thovnosian Empire, but from the island of
Josten, came Jan. Ten years ago when Kane's pirate feet had
terrorized the island empire, Jan had seen his family butchered,
and Kane himself had chopped off his right hand when Jan had
tried to fight back against the raiders. Since then Jan had laced a
padded base to the stump of his wrist, and from the base he could
affix either a blunt hook or one with needle tip and razor-sharp
inner curve. He had joined Gaethaa for vengeance.
Although aging, Anmuspi the Archer still boasted he could
thread an axehead at a hundred paces. Few who had seen the
mercenary shoot would care to call his boast. Anmuspi's luck had
run out in Nostoblet in Lartroxia South. A palace revolution had
failed, his employers were crucified, and Anmuspi was put on the
slave block. Gaethaa had bought him after hearing the auctioneer
proclaim his skill as an archer. For Anmuspi it meant only
another shift in employers, and he followed Gaethaa's every
command faithfully. For Anmuspi right and wrong were not his to
question; obedience was his code.
Dron Missa was a footloose adventurer from far Waldann. His
people were a warrior race, and even among them Missa excelled
as a swordsman. Gaethaa promised him adventure, so Dron Missa
had exuberantly come along for the ride.
Two others sought vengeance. One was Bell, a peasant from
the Myceum Mountains. Bell was fully as stupid as he was brutal
and powerful. Five years before Kane had sacrificed two of Bell's
sisters as part of an ill-fated sorcerous experiment. Bell never
tired of telling people what he planned to do to Kane someday.
Sed tho'Dosso listened carefully to Bell's descriptions of
torture, for like Jan and Bell he had a score to settle with Kane.
Several months previous when Kane had been organizing the
desert raiders of Lomarn, Sed tho'Dosso had offered resistance
on the grounds that he should lead since his band was the largest.
Kane had peremptorily smashed Sed tho'Dosso's forces and had
left the bandit chieftain staked in the sun to die. By a freak
chance he had escaped death, and when he heard of Gaethaa's
mission in crossing the Lomarn, Sed tho'Dosso eagerly joined
him.
 So they rode through Demornte, each man silent with his own
thoughts. Death rode nine gaunt horses through the familiar
streets of Demornte, and dead Demornte bade Death welcome.