"Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman. Time of the Twins ("DragonLance Legends" #1) (angl)" - читать интересную книгу автора

that must irritate those who were working to forget. He was
glad it was there. He hoped it would remain, forever.
Softly, he repeated words he had heard Elistan speak, as the
cleric dedicated in solemn ceremony the High Clerist's Tower to
the memory of those knights who had died there.
"We must remember or we will fall into complacency - as we
did before - and the evil will come again."
If it is not already upon us, Tanis thought grimly. And, with
that in mind, he turned and walked rapidly back down the hill.

The Inn of the Last Home was crowded that evening.
While the war had brought devastation and destruction to
the residents of Solace, the end of the war had brought such
prosperity that there were already some who were saying it
hadn't been "such a bad thing." Solace had long been a cross-
roads for travelers through the lands of Abanasinia. But, in the
days before the war, the numbers of travelers had been rela-
tively few. The dwarves - except,for a few renegades like Flint
Fireforge - had shut themselves up in their mountain kingdom
of Thorbardin or barricaded themselves in the hills, refusing to
have anything to do with the rest of the world. The elves had
done the same, dwelling in the beautiful lands of Qualinesti to
the southwest and Silvanesti on the eastern edge of the conti-
nent of Ansalon.
The war had changed all that. Elves and dwarves and
humans traveled extensively now, their lands and their king-
doms open to all. But it had taken almost total annihilation to
bring about this fragile state of brotherhood.
The Inn of the Last Home - always popular with travelers
because of its fine drink and Otik's famous spiced potatoes -
became more popular still. The drink was still fine and the
potatoes as good as ever - though Otik had retired - but the
real reason for the Inn's increase in popularity was that it had
become a place of some renown. The Heroes of the Lance - as
they were now called - had been known to frequent this Inn in
days gone by.
Otik had, in fact, before his retirement, seriously considered
putting up a plaque over the table near the firepit - perhaps
something like "Tanis Half-Elven and Companions Drank
Here." But Tika had opposed the scheme so vehemently (the
mere thought of what Tanis would say if he caught sight of that
made Tika's cheeks burn) that Otik had let it drop. But the
rotund barkeep never tired of telling his patrons the story of the
night the barbarian woman had sung her strange song and
healed Hederick the Theocrat with her blue crystal staff, giving
the first proof of the existence of the ancient, true gods.
Tika, who took over management of the Inn upon Otik's
retirement and was hoping to save enough money to buy the
business, fervently hoped Otik would refrain from telling that
story again tonight. But she might have spent her hope on bet-