"Freda Warrington - Jewelfire 1 - Amber Citadel" - читать интересную книгу автора (Warrington Freda)

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Amber Citadel - Freda Warrington - V1 - Oct 2004



They would come to him now and then, the other-race, travelling from their own realm to seek his
hut in the high, green mountains. They always sought the same thing. Knowledge of human
affairs in Aventuria. And they paid well, so he gave them what they wanted.
Such commerce between human and Aelyr was strictly unlawful. But no one would ever know.
'Sit,' he told them. 'Some become dizzy and fall, you see. And the crystal is very thin, and the drop
very deep.'
The hut was a basic, round construction of wattle and thatch with a floor of dark peat. Although
the Seer had shooed out the goats and chickens that wandered through his ill-lit dwelling, the
smell lingered. His guests were clearing their throats in quiet distaste. He smiled.
In the centre of the floor there was a well. It was deep and dark, bounded by a low wall, with a
glint of water far below. The wall was capped by a disc of crystal, striped with clear and milky
lines. The Seer took up his position in his tall chair while the Aelyr, slender and soft-moving as
air, seated themselves on the low stools he indicated, facing him across the well. Although he
could not see their faces he sensed their natures; the man taut and impervious, the woman pliable
and persistent, like ivy.
The Seer had the appearance of a man in his thirties, with skin as brown as a nut, long hair that
was fox-coloured but for a white streak at the front. He had a way of holding his head slightly to
one side so that his hair fell forwards over his left shoulder. His skill was a demanding one, so
exhausting that he had grown almost to hate it. He practised it only for others, never for himself.
'While I am in a trance you will see my visions, and I may answer your questions. But afterwards
I will remember nothing. So note my answers well, for I cannot tell you a second time. And
understand that I cannot see into the future. I can only see what is.'
He was aware of their hidden, alien eyes, fixed upon him through the veils. 'We hear rumours,'
said the man, 'of disturbances in Aventuria. Some conflict, perhaps. What can you show us of it?'
'Conflict? When we have been at peace for nigh on two hundred years? Still. There will be a
vision for each of you. Let us begin the chant I taught you.
They helped to coax him into the trance. Their own input was vital, for the Seer could help no-one
who had no energies of their own. But with Aelyr, it was always easy. His breathing became loud
and shallow. His hands floated pale above the well, as if in water . . .



'The Bhahdradomen are rising.'

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Amber Citadel - Freda Warrington - V1 - Oct 2004



The words rattled from the Seer's tongue. His mouth was slack with trance, saliva pearling in its
corners, his eyes opaque. Glamour lay silver upon his hair and skin, making him as radiant as the
Aelyr who listened intently to him.
The man said, 'No.'
'Hush,' the woman said. 'Let him show us.'
The Seer's hands made shapes in the air. His breath stuttered in his throat. The cone-shaped