The Mask

Глава 1Brittle debris crunched beneath each step, spurting geysers of gray and rust-hued dust. The floor was strewn with shards of wraithbone, colored and plain glass, twisted metal fragments—and coarse red sand.The sand was everywhere. Driven by the ceaseless wind that haunted this world, it hung in the air like a tattered veil of rust, swirling above their heads, mingling with the remnants of shattered machinery and broken statues, shrouding the ruins of what was once a majestic craftworld. Now, the vast artificial world resembled the carcass of some great sea beast cast ashore—a hollow skeleton, stripped of life, flesh, and soul.The wind, a bodiless mourner, howled through the hollow vaults of the structure. The damage to the hull was so severe that the overhead supports jutted out like broken ribs, and the dim light, strained through the sandy haze, seeped freely through the gaps.Si…