2023-03-11 16:53:30If you ask any navigator where in the world life is easier, he will point to the Equitanian archipelago. The islands in the south were deservedly called "safe haven". The last battles died down there hundreds of years ago, crafts flourished on the streets of the cities, ore was mined in the mountains, and crops were ripening in the fields. Even now, after centuries of prosperity and war with the Nikts, life in the south could be called a fairy tale, if not for one strange phenomenon.
Snow fell there every winter.
This happened for the first time seventy-nine years ago under Elingal X. Snow fell for a week, and then did not make itself felt for several years, after which it began to appear on the islands every winter. Peasants and miners quickly got used to it. In the mountains, it lay all year round, and in the east of Magoria it sometimes remained in the fields until late spring. Trivia and nothing more.
Only a few met winter snowfalls with alarm. There was something sinister about those heavenly feathers. Strange indeed, when white flakes fall among the palms and sandy lagoons as they circle and settle on the evergreen cliffs of Arkford and cover the vast plains from Erinlaw to Barnville.
Only the Nismantes knew that the heat was irretrievably flowing away from Gamelan. If before the frosts lasted no more than a month, now spring came to the south reluctantly and resembled an old woman, who every time finds it more and more difficult to wake up in the morning.
Tantabas became nismant three years ago. As a practitioner, he learned a lot about the world; he knew Equitania, where he lived, and every winter he saw snow, but there were no such snowdrifts in his memory. On a clear evening, he walked along a mountain path. Below was the Eastern Plain, more like a white sheet. At its other end, in the depths of Erinlyn Bay, there should have been Forklein, the second largest city on the island, but instead there were snow caps.
Wrapped in a woolen cloak, Tantabas looked out over the plain, feeling a growing sense of unease. The world around seemed to have died out, but the disappearance of the city and the people did not frighten him. Something else was brewing. He looked up and looked at the moon. A white disk with a deep gouge on its right edge froze in the void above Gamelan.
Every time he looked at the moon in winter, Tantabas wondered if snow could fall from there. Is it because the celestial globe is so white that it is made of ice? Thinking about it, he did not immediately notice a tiny crack that stretched over the rut. Tantabas screamed, realizing what was happening. The moon trembled and began to crumble. Dozens of cracks turned its surface into a web, but before the white ball completely cracked, fire broke out around it.
Tantabas swayed, feeling the ground move under his feet. The fragments of the moon continued to multiply, scattering in all directions. They sparkled and blazed, cutting the sky with fiery jets, and then a scarlet radiance was approaching. The firestorm was like a pre-sunset conflagration. In an instant, he filled the sky, bringing down a red-hot stone, fire and hot winds on the snow-covered edge.
Feeling the earth boiling, Tantabas covered his face with his hands in impotence and screamed.
Tant did not consider himself a sinner, but he was afraid of the wrath of the creator; even in his sleep, when he was visited by visions of the world fire. Rolling over on his side, he twitched his whole body and, without opening his eyelids, hit his forehead against the wall. The pain finally brought him to his senses. He lay in a warm mantle under a canopy, among the ruins, safe. He again had a terrible dream and again on a full moon. Everything is as usual, but not in Equitaine. He left his native island fourteen years ago.
Coming out of the abandoned manor, Tant went down to the ledge and looked around at the ruins below. Darkness reigned here day and night. The ancient city at the bottom of the gorge seemed to be deliberately hidden from the sun.
There was a heavy snoring behind him. Turning, he saw a shaggy head in the garden behind the stone fence.
“ Don't forget the rules, Kord. Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth, ”Tant said with a smile. Do you meditate or do something else?
The boy stopped sniffling, but did not open his eyes.
Wrapped in a scarlet robe, Tant looked up at the moon. Its light gradually began to seep into the rock cavity, illuminating the ruins of the city. Many houses built of slate blocks turned white before our eyes. Only two-story manors and temples with figured windows remained black. They were carved into the slopes at different heights, and the approaches to them were connected by arched bridges.
The people who built this city were called “creators” for a reason. The ancients knew how to build luxurious buildings and did not spare the stone. It is not known only for what reason they decided to settle in such an ominous place. His closest associate Wistan believed that this policy was sacred. Perhaps that is why there were seven temples at once.
According to Wistan, six or eight similar cities were built on Mirkhold. This one looked small but rich, at least until the expedition of Baron Rainier found it three centuries ago. Their travel diaries said that the temples were bursting with gold and jade jewelry. Rainier, as befits any far-sighted Magore, rid the city of these riches.
“ Can't sleep, Tant? A strong voice came from behind.
Another far-sighted Magorian approached him. Wearing a worn brown purpuen over a woolen shirt, he looked like a rich man beaten up in the slums. Old man Ravian lived in a nearby manor, along with the rest of the squad. Tantus nodded, wrapping a corduroy hood around his neck.
“ I wonder how they lived here?”
“ Just like we do in Kenovia,” Tunt said. “Maybe even better. There is no wind. Floods are excluded. Dozens of water passages stretch into the abyss behind the wall. There is a mountain spring two miles to the east.
- And in winter?
Tant shuddered involuntarily, remembering the snow-covered plain from his dream.
“ The archives say that the empire of the creators disappeared a thousand years ago. At that time, it was hot here in winter. He paused for a moment and added, “Why do you think it snows in the south?”
– How do I know. You are the learned man, Tant. The stooping old man just waved his hand. - It's coming, so what? It's always cold in winter.
“ Ravian, buddy, I've been studying Mirkhold for three years. The island has always been warm. At the beginning of the Cycle, the Westmarians harvested a double crop here. It's such a rarity now. Alchemists cannot find some plants that used to be found everywhere. I think it's because of the cold. Maybe the time will come when the snow will not melt at all.
Did you have a dream again? Ravian looked at the moon. “Did you see the skull door?”
- No more. Probably because we found it. It's the second full moon since we've been out camping.
- All that remains is to open it. Maybe you'll stop dreaming about the firestorm too when...
- When will it be a short time before him?
The day of the last light he dreamed of for the third year in a row, and with this dream came another. He first saw him as a child, after a trip to the mines of Livercol. Then, in the ruins of the Welinkron Fort, he found a box with a double bottom, in which, in addition to coins, there was a golden disk.
Tant reached under the leather sash and pulled out an old find from the folds of his robe. Clamped in the center of the disk was a polished piece of amber, which became the death dungeon for the firewing beetle.
The door doesn't bother me. She is under our feet. But what happens when we open it? Why Mirai brought me here.
He turned the amulet towards the moon and it shone with an orange light. Like other magical things, this artifact endowed the owner with power. With him, he was given a lot of knowledge. He quickly wised up and achieved success in literacy. Parents in those years joked, they say, like a mouse, he bites into any page, and the amulet was called the “Letter Gnaw”.
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Bonus Chapter 3
There was not a soul in the common grotto. Thunder rumbled. In the distance beyond Rat Lake, dirty clouds swirled over the mountains. For the first time since autumn, Mirkhold was hit by a hurricane. Tantus was sitting in a pine armchair by the brick parapet and, wrapped in a loden, looked through the wall of rain. The rustle of leaves and the rumble of stones on the slopes of Teres brought him back to reality from time to time.He spent the morning of trida in thought, overcoming pain and guilt for what he had done. Climbing to the top of the red-hot pipe in the underground sanctuary cost him dearly, and the loss of his brothers unsettled him for a long time. Burnt palms were wrapped in bandages with healing ointments, the skin on the face burned like after a sunburn, and a fire raged in the heart. There was a lot to plan for, and unnecessary thoughts could only hurt, but the memories of Korda continued to obsessively crawl into my head. They first met at the city docks. The boy was
Bonus Chapter 2
At the same moment, an unknown force grabbed him and lifted him into the air. A tiny hole opened up on the wall of the cave, completely black and impenetrable, like liquid resin. The space around her began to move. Grog watched in fascination as the sarcophagus, and then the whole cave, flowed into it like water. When there was nothing left but darkness around, a blow to the back followed. An invisible stream picked him up and carried him into the void at the speed of a cannonball. Nobody's magic was terrible. She withered her skin and innards like the midday sun. The world around has hardened, turning into a piece of stone. It became hard to breathe. His hands went numb, his throat was tormented by a cough, and he kept rushing through the void, feeling only the cold of the blade on his chest and the growing pain under his heart.It seemed like an eternity before an orange dot flashed ahead. Through this point, the distorted outlines of the cave began to crawl into the darkness. First
Bonus Chapter 1
It seemed to him no more than an hour before something heavy touched the surface of the table. Grog opened his eyes and lay on his back, noticing a man in the house. The wasteland and garden beyond the doorway were bathed in silver light. There was a lit candle on the table. The stranger did not move. A capacious hood fell over his face, hiding his features in deep shadow. A light linen cloak hung over his broad shoulders.- Get up! said a familiar voice dryly.- Bangladore?For the first time calling the necromancer by name, Grog for some reason was frightened. It really was his teacher. The sorcerer threw off his hood, allowing him to see the soot-stained face, which in the yellowish light resembled fermented pus. The sharp beard was slightly scorched. Brown eyes are wide open. Both sparkled like two pieces of dark amber. He was angry or scared, or both at the same time.- What's wrong with you? Grog asked cautiously, touching the talisman.- Get up and get dressed!With these words
Epilogue
At the command of the teacher, he found a stone in the water and, stretching out his hand, pointed his fingers at the running stream. As pressure began to build up under his palm, Grog clenched his fingers. The stone was caught the size of a camping barrel and did not immediately succumb. The water sparkled for a long time around his smooth sides before he lifted a smooth piece of basalt over the stream.Looking up at the glittering boulder above, Bangladore nodded in satisfaction.“ Do me a favor,” Grog asked, opening his fingers.The stone flopped into the water, showering the shore in a myriad of sparkling drops. Banglador wiped his wet face and looked at him with displeasure.I need personal time.– Why?- It's personal.The sorcerer smiled, appreciating the pun.- Good. You can do whatever you want in the afternoon when the heat takes over.With these words, the necromancer handed him the fourth beaker with a white slurry that looked like milk. Grog drank the stimulant and strain
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Coolness reigned in the drift. Grog sat on a carpet of damp sand and stared into space. For the past two days, he saw only her in front of him, and he also heard a voice. Through the ocean of darkness, someone who did not want to introduce himself spoke to him. The flask was empty. Slugs crawled around him, dragging long lamellar shells behind them, climbed to his feet, and when he fell asleep, even under his clothes, rubbing his skin with slimy suckers.Time dragged on endlessly, but now the voice sounded for the last time:- He's coming. Earlier than promised. We have little time. I hope you remember everything. Do exactly as agreed and you will be free.– I understand.“ The necromancer will test you. Remember everything you have to do, but don't think about what you are doing. It's hard, Grog. One false step and he will suspect. Think - and he can guess. Guess - and our plan will be revealed.- Yes, I understand!Grog realized a long time ago that all sorcerers are the same. Whoev
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Then a wave of light overtook the spider. Jumping up off the floor, the golem turned around and rushed towards him. Tant only had time to notice how a massive body on six legs ran up to the pipe. The golem knew exactly where to look for him and did not stop pursuing him, even when he moved to the next staircase and disappeared behind the furnace.Going down, Tant stumbled and slid to the base of the pipe, severely skinning his back. There he was overtaken by a spider. Leaping after him, the creature sank its hooked limbs beside him, then turned and hurried back. Tant lay motionless for some time, watching the monster.“He didn't touch me. This is the second time,” he thought through his head.Rising to his feet, Tant picked up the torch and ran after the spider. A terrible mechanism by that time had already managed to hide in the tunnel.- Marlette! he yelled, rushing headlong towards the archway.His greatest fear was finding her body, but there was no one inside except for the spide
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He circled the flooded hall with his blade. There was only one way out of it - through an arched tunnel through which a spider could pass. The rest took their places. Kirk positioned himself on the steps, his sword sheathed first. Tant was silent all this time, looking at the sentry's body. Marletta stood over him for a long time, glaring accusingly, but then sat down beside him.“ I didn’t think it would end like this,” he whispered, looking at the water. “I wanted to make it to the cadence. I thought Kirk's people would help us.- Help with what? What should happen after the cadence? Speak already!Tant moved closer, whispering in her ear:“ After the death of Ang Walpa, his supporters stole the body, but were captured and executed. Only one priest survived. He gathered the first sentinels and performed a special ritual, taking the sacred entrails of Ang Hualpa. We must find the descendants of those sentinels.“ Did the Pale One tell you this? ”He nodded.“ Tant, this is some kind
66
A massive clot of flame illuminated the hall with sunlight. There were blood stains on the floor. For the first time since ancient times, work was in full swing under the arch of the smelter. After the mechanical spider jumped down, turning Linus into a mess, the bandits began to work together on a rescue plan. It consisted in a one-time escape in all conceivable directions, which was only in the hands of the creature. Tant slid along the wall, watching the massacre in fear. The state was such as if he was rising from the depths. A buzz grew in my head, and people continued to rush around.Having crushed the one-eyed Linus, the monster chose a new target and attacked Bertrand, slamming the vomit-weed lover into the floor. Kendrick miraculously dodged the swing of a steel limb and ran to the nearest hole in the wall, where he jumped safely. The despondent Kuno ran away until he broke his knee and, realizing that he could not leave, met death with a sad face.Some bandits gave a tear up
65
Rick didn't listen as he aimed his crossbow at him. Rumbold pointed his sword at the bearded mercenary, who was holding an ax with both hands. Distenza stepped forward, shielding his comrades. As befits an honest leader, he plunged his sword into the ground and showed his empty hands as a sign of good intentions.Your name is Fergus, right? the mercenary inquired, curling his thin lips in a grin. “Grog was your friend. I see you have similar amulets. He often spoke of you as if you were a half-witted fellow ...The warriors behind him burst into laughter. Fergus didn't hear half of what he said." Explain how he died," he demanded, his eyes fixed on the warrior's shell, which featured a seven-pointed star with a crown in the center.“ Two weeks ago he went north to carry out his master's assignment and disappeared without a trace.- What are you saying then?" Of course he's dead," Distenza laughed. What do you think he was doing there all this time? Enough chatting! You're not here f
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