"04 - The Wizardry Consulted (b)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cook Rick)

"Oh boy," Wiz said at last.

"So much for normalcy," Moira said.

"Just think of it as an executive vice-president from the home office,"
Jerry suggested.

Two: Enter the Dragon

First, know who you're working for.

-The Consultants' Handbook

Their guest was perched precariously on the east curtain wall of the
castle. The walkway on top of the wall was wide enough for eight men to
pass abreast, but the dragon gripped it with his talons the way a parakeet
grips its perch. Its enormous scaled head stretched well above the
watchtowers. Wiz couldn't see its tail, but judging by what he could see
the dragon was a monster, two hundred feet long if it was an inch.

Although the courtyard and walls were deserted, the dragon had an
audience. Wizards and others crowded the windows and doorways looking out
into the East Court. There was another group at the double gate that led
into the courtyard.

Even in silhouette Wiz recognized the bulk of Bal-Simba, the leader of the
Council of the North, in the front. The large black wizard nodded to him
over the heads of the others as he came up.

Next to him was the one-armed Master of Dragons who commanded the
council's dragon cavalry and Arianne, the tall blond woman who was
Bal-Simba's assistant.

The crowd parted as Wiz approached and he saw that the courtyard was not
completely deserted. Out in its center sat Fluffy, n‚e LRD. He was gazing
up at the visitor and his tail switched back and forth like a fascinated
cat's. Caitlin and Ian were back in the shadows at a side door, huddled up
against Shauna's skirts like frightened chicks with a mother hen.

Wiz ducked back from the doorway.

"Quick," he said to Bal-Simba, "tell me everything you know about
dragons."

The giant black wizard shrugged. "Easily done, since I know little enough.
Adult dragons are morose, fierce and solitary creatures. They are greedy
for treasure, skilled in magic and grow in size and intelligence seemingly
without end."

"How smart do you think that one is?"