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

landed on its back. And there it lay to this day, what was
left of it.
Such a long, long time ago. So inconceivably old.
"Ages," something seemed to say.
Chess jumped, then turned full circle again, squinting
into the twilight. "I thought I had left you back there," he
snapped.
"All the ages since the first," the breeze whispered.
"Old. Very old."
"Well, I can see that," the kender agreed. "Are you fol-
lowing me?"
"With you," something whispered.
"Why?"
"By your doing," the voice that was no voice said.
"By my -" Chess strode to where he had set the dwar-
ven sword and picked it up. "Aha!" he said. Then he
raised a puzzled brow and rubbed at his cheek. "Funny,
though. I'd heard that magic doesn't work right in this
valley."
"I don't," something very wistful seemed to say.
It was growing dark, and there was nothing more to
see here, so Chess set the sword on his shoulder and
headed west. The black road should be near now, he de-
cided.
The forest became deeper and more shadowy, and the
kender stopped abruptly, his pointed ears twitching.
Somewhere to his left, things were moving, coming his
way. Among the shadows were darker shadows, big
shadows flowing and bounding toward him on great

padded paws... shadows that purred as they came, like
the rumbling of distant thunder.
"Oops!" Chess said, and ran.

* * * * *

In evening's dusk, Chane Feldstone and Glenshadow
the Wanderer rounded a curve of the black road and saw
ahead of them a conclave of cats. Feral eyes and dagger
teeth glinted where the brutes prowled and crouched at
each side of the path, while a small figure danced and
darted from side to side, shouting threats and taunts. As
the two approached, the taunter saw them and waved.
"Hello!" he called. "I wondered where you were! Who's
that with you?"
"There's that kender," the dwarf told the wizard, then
turned. Glenshadow had stopped. The man stood now,
holding his staff before him as though to protect himself.
Chane cocked his head, the tilting ears on his cat-cape
cap giving a quizzical look to his scowl. "What's the mat-