"Bard's Tale 06 - Escape from Roksamur - Mark Shepherd UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bard's Tale)

seemed forced as he embraced Alaire; the Bard had
heard, since arriving in this part of Althea, that the king
had been up at all hours lately, calming his staff and
placating the nobles. Alaire had assumed this had been
a rumor, but seeing his brother in person confirmed it.
And the news I bear will not improve the situation,
Alaire thought, forcing a smile of his own.
"I saw what I needed to, on the Fox River," Alaire
said, though what he had found was no river, but a
trickle of water running across a long bed of mud. "The
situation is as reported. The eastern region, around
the Fox in particular, has seen little rainfall since
spring. The few crops that managed to sprout are
dying." Alaire paused, wondering how much detail he
should go into. "The harvest will be very bleak, if there
is one at all."
Derek's face fell more, which Alaire would not have
believed possible a moment before.
Alaire took a seat on a long marble bench, which
was not as cool as he'd hoped. Derek looked forlornly
out the window, as if the intensity of his gaze would
bring the much-needed rain to Althea.
"I found twenty abandoned farms on the way," Alaire
continued, knowing that however negative the report
was, the king needed to know precisely what was going
on in his land. "Dead cattle, withered crops. Some farms
are managing with wells, but these are growing shal-
lower with each passing day. Springs are drying up.
The Fox River itself was a mere stream." He left out
the part about the dying, rotting fish, with a notion
to mention it later if it turned out to be important.
"So unless we see rain soon, there will be a fam-
ine," King Derek said softly. He turned slowly and fixed
his brother with a hopeful, pleading look. "Can you
do anything about it?"
Which meant, could his Bardic magic bring the rain?
"I don't know," Alaire said, though he really did.
"Famine is not inevitable. We do have Suinomen to the
north. News from their traders indicates their harvests
have been bountiful this year."
Derek shook his head, as Alaire expected. When
will he learn there is no disgrace in seeking help? "I
don't want to depend on Suinomen to keep Althea
alive, dear brother."
"For one season?" Alaire countered. "If not that,
then what?"
"What will we trade?" the King argued. "Our coin
does not spend very well in Suinomen markets!"
"Barter, of course," Alaire countered. "Our gems
from our mines . . ."