"David Eddings - The Dreamers 01 - The Elder gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

Though Zelana would not have admitted it even to herself, her life was
much more pleasant now that she had Eleria to love and to care for. Since
Eleria was able to find her own food and she had playmates enough to
keep her occupied, her presence in the grotto in the evenings was hardly
any inconvenience at all. Zelana was still able to create poetry and
compose music, and Eleria served as a ready-made audience. She loved to
have Zelana sing to her, and she seemed to enjoy listening to the
recitation of Zelana’s poems - even though she didn’t understand a single
word. She was now well into her sixth year, but she continued to speak
exclusively in the squeaky, piping language of the dolphins.
Zelana considered that. It wasn’t really all that much of a problem,
since she herself was also fluent in that language. She decided, though,
that perhaps one of these days she might teach the young one the
rudiments of the language she spoke and shared with her sister and her
brothers. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Zelana had discovered that Eleria
was very quick.
As it turned out, however, Eleria was about two jumps ahead of her.
Zelana had been reciting poetry to the child since Eleria’s infancy, and
one day in the early autumn of Eleria’s sixth year Zelana happened to
overhear the child reciting one of the poems to her playmates, translating
each line into their own language as she went along. Zelana’s poetry took
on whole new dimensions when delivered in the squeaks and burbles of
the dolphin language. Zelana was fairly sure that the young dolphins
weren’t really all that interested in poetry, but Eleria’s habit of rewarding
their attention with kisses and embraces kept them obediently in place.
Zelana was very fond of dolphins herself, but the notion of kissing them
had never occurred to her. Eleria, however, seemed to have discovered
early in her life that dolphins would do almost anything for kisses.
Zelana decided at that point that it might not be a bad idea to start
paying closer attention to the progress of the young child. Lately it
seemed that every time she turned around, Eleria had a new surprise for
her.
‘Eleria,’ she said a bit later when the two of them were alone in the
grotto.
Eleria responded with a squeaky little dolphin sound.
‘Speak in words, child,’ Zelana commanded.
Eleria stared at her in astonishment. ‘It is not proper that I should,
Beloved,’ she replied quite formally. ‘Thy speech is not to be used for
mundane purposes or ordinary times. It is reserved for stately utterances.
I would not for all this world profane it by reducing its stature to the
commonplace.’
Zelana immediately realized where she had blundered. In a peculiar
sort of way she’d treated Eleria in much the same way the child was now
treating her dolphin playmates. Eleria had been something on the order of
a captive audience - but not quite completely captive. The child had
drawn her own conclusions.
There was a certain logic behind Eleria’s conviction that Zelana’s
language was reserved for poetry alone, since the only times when Zelana
had spoken that language to her had been during those recitations.