"Dan Parkinson. The Gates of Thorbardin ("DragonLance Saga Heroes II" #2) (angl)" - читать интересную книгу автора

ing twisted dark shadows inside. He rapped at it with the
heel of his staff. Little cracks formed, then a hole, larger
than his head, appeared in it as bits of ice fell away. In-
side was a blackened tangle of burned branches, and a
mist like ancient woodsmoke rose from the hole. He
stuck his head through for a better look. Inside the ice

was a burned tree.
"Fire and ice," he said to himself. It looked as though
the tree had burned and toppled, then been caked with
ice while it still burned.
All around were other interesting ice mounds. The
kender wandered among them, peering here and there,
his eyes wide with the pure delight of a kender amidst a
mystery. Sometimes he could not see what the ice held,
but sometimes he could. One small lump contained a
dead dwarf - a short, thick-set body armored with mail
and visored helm. A bolt from a crossbow had pierced
him. He lay across an emblazoned shield, preserved by
the ice so that the blood of his wound was still bright red.
Hill dwarf, the kender thought. He looks as though he
might have died just minutes ago.
"Old," something seemed to say.
Chess stood and turned away, but stopped as some-
thing in the flat ice underfoot caught his attention. He
knelt again, brushing at the surface. Just beneath it,
things glittered and shone. He went to work with his
staff.
Breaking away the shallow ice, he found a broad-
sword, its edge notched by combat but still as shiny as
when it was new. He lifted it, then set it aside. A good
dwarven weapon, it was too heavy and awkward to suit
a kender. But there were other interesting things there, as
well. One by one, he lifted out a pewter mug, a string of
marble beads, and a little glass ball. He looked them
over, then moved on. Under other ice mounds were
other dead dwarves, some standing, some kneeling and
some fallen. Dwarves with hammers and swords, frozen
in mortal combat. Hill dwarves and mountain dwarves,
locked now in solid ice in a battle that would never end.
"What ever could they have been fighting about?" the
kender wondered.
"The gates," something seemed to say.
Chess peered all around, shading his eyes. He saw
nothing anywhere that looked like gates. "Gates? What
gates?"
"The gates of Thorbardin," the silence seemed to say.

"That dwarf should have come with me," the kender
muttered. "I'll bet he never saw anything like this."