"01 - Daughter of the Drow - Elaine Cunningham 1.0.palmdoc.pdb" - читать интересную книгу автора (Starlight And Shadows)

hunting companion's speared catch. Whether by accident or design, who could say?
Liriel took two small flasks from the bag at her waist and tossed one to
Bythnara. The flasks were enspelled to keep the contents—fresh rothe blood—warm.
Liriel opened her flask and poured a single drop of blood into the water. To the
drow's heat-sensitive eyes, the droplet appeared bright red. It would be visible
for only a moment, for the icy waters would cool it quickly. Liriel readied her
spear and watched intently. The glowing drop disappeared, suddenly and
completely.
Liriel's spear flashed down into the water. She raised it triumphantly—a fish
about the size of her hand thrashed and wriggled on the point. Pyrimo were
impossible to see in the water, for their body temperature matched exactly that
of the chill river. Clearly visible in the warmer air, the fish was a smooth
oval, with silvery scales and delicate fins—a pretty thing, except for the
steely, fanged jaws that spanned the width of its body.
"Catch, Syzwick," Liriel said casually, and with a flick of her spear she tossed
the lethal fish toward the male. The drow paled and cringed away. No need: the
fish slapped wetly into the box at his feet,
"If you'd missed…" Syzwick began.
Liriel sent him a saucy grin. "I haven't yet! Don't worry, love, the last thing
I'd want to do is drop a hungry pyrimo in your lap," she purred. "One bite, and
you'd be no good to anyone."
Bythnara's lips tightened; seeing this, Liriel suppressed a sigh. Her friend
could be so possessive at times! Liriel had meant only to tease Syzwick a bit,
knowing the handsome male appreciated bawdy humor. But Bythnara always mistook
such remarks as statements of intent.
Syzwick did not notice the female wizard's peevish expression; he grinned
lasciviously at Liriel and raised an eyebrow.
"One bite?" he challenged.
Liriel swept him with an appraising glance. "Perhaps two," she allowed.
Bythnara snorted and gave her flask of blood a vicious shake. Bright droplets
scattered into the river.
"Don't put so much blood into the water at one time," Liriel cautioned her
sternly. She could tolerate Bythnara's foul temper, but only up to a point. "You
don't want to start a frenzy."
That thought sobered the jealous young wizard, and for a long time the two
females hunted in silence. Perched on the very tip of the boat, Liriel worked
quickly, leaning out over the water and spearing one fish after another. She
herself did not care for the pyrimo, beyond the challenge of the hunt, but the
fish had another value to her that her companions could not begin to fathom. The
prospect of another hazardous adventure beckoned Liriel this day, and she was
too pleased with life to allow Bythnara's snit to spoil her mood.
The boat shifted slightly, and from the corner of her eye Liriel saw that
Bythnara had seated herself and put aside her spear. The female grimaced and
rubbed at her neck. She reached into her travel bag and removed a small vial.
She poured some pungent liniment into her hand and began to massage the sides of
her neck.
A warning light flashed in LirieFs mind. She had hunted pyrimo many times, and
well knew the strain caused by the watchful tension and lightning-fast spear
thrusts. Bythnara was massaging the wrong muscles.
For a moment Liriel felt a familiar, hollow feeling in her chest, the dull empty