"Brust, Steven - Taltos 06 - Athyra (v0.9)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Brust Steven)

Steven Brust - Taltos 06 - Athyra
Athyra by Steven Brust


For Martin, and it's about time.


Acknowledgments

A whole bunch of people read early stages of this book and helped repair it. They are:

Susan Allison Emma Bull Pamela Dean Kara Dalkey Fred Levy Haskell Will Shetterly Terri Windling

As always, I'd like to humbly thank Adrian Charles Morgan, without whose work I wouldn't have a world that was nearly so much fun to write about.

Special thanks to Betsy Pucci and Sheri Portigal for supplying the facts on which I based certain portions of this book. If there are errors, blame me, not them, and, in any case, don't try this stuff at home.


PROLOGUE

Woman, girl, man, and boy sat together, like good companions, around a fire in the woods.

"Now that you're here," said the man, "explanations can wait until we've eaten."

"Very well," said the woman. 'That smells very tasty."

"Thank you," said the man.

The boy said nothing.

The girl sniffed in disdain; the others paid no attention.

"What is it?" said the woman. "I don't recognize—"

"A bird. Should be done, soon."

"He killed it," said the girl, accusingly.

"Yes?" said the woman. "Shouldn't he have?"

"Killing is all he knows how to do."

The man didn't answer; he just turned the bird on the spit.

The boy said nothing.

"Can't you do something?" said the girl.

"You mean, teach him a skill?" said the woman. No one laughed.