"Craig Shaw Gardner - Ebenezum 03 - A Night in the Netherhell" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gardner Craig Shaw)

tell you!”

“If you could,” Ebenezum suggested, “perhaps go into the details of the city’s disappearance?”

The frown reappeared on Snorphosio’s face. “I’ll tell you what little I know. I was sitting in a tavern at
the time, in East Vushta, that is. Of course, what I know about this situation is probably more than most
other people know. Degrees of knowledge are always relative, aren’t they? It reminds me of the parable
about the blind men and the dragon—”

Hubert snorted from where he stood some distance down the beach. “Must we?” the dragon
remarked. “I really detest those old stories. Talk about species stereotyping!”

The professor waved cheerfully at the dragon. “Sorry. Didn’t see you there. My eyes, you know, are
not as strong . . . Still, I suppose that’s no excuse for spreading ancient tales.” Snorphosio sighed. “The
world has changed so much in my day. Once dragons did nothing but hide in caves and collect maidens.
Now”—the old man wheezed with laughter—”can you imagine, I actually saw one of the big lizards try
to sing in a vaudeville act?”

“Big lizards?” Hubert rumbled. “Alea, if you would hand me the satchel?”

The dragon’s beautiful assistant bounced over to him, her blond curls dazzling in the sun. Hubert
rummaged quickly through his case, extracting a top hat with one purple claw. He placed the hat atop his
head and snorted a cloud of smoke.

“Does this look familiar?” Hubert remarked dryly.

Snorphosio scratched at his chin in consternation. “Damsel and Dragon?” He cleared his throat and
looked about as if he might disappear back into the dust. “Oh dear. Well, perhaps I didn’t catch you on
one of your best nights. AH criticism is subjective, as you know. One man’s opinion—”

“Indeed!” Ebenezum broke in again. The wizard had backed off for a moment when Hubert stepped
in. Because of the nature of his malady, he had to keep his distance from the dragon. Still, this was an
emergency. If the old man got off on enough of a tangent, we’d never find out what happened to Vushta.

“I’m sure you can both discuss the merits of the Vushta stage with more enlightenment once we have
discovered what happened to Vushta!” the wizard continued. “Snorphosio, if you would be so kind?”
 “Of course!” The professor self-consciously brushed the dust from his all-too-red robes. “I did not
mean to offend. Still, those in the performing arts must remember that the audience views them
subjectively, and inasmuch—”

“Subjectively!” Hubert roared. “That’s the problem with you intellectuals. Great art appeals directly to
the emotions! Listen to this! Number seven, damsel!”

Alea began to sing in a high, clear soprano as Hubert beat time with his tail.

“Oh, there might be a thousand forbidden delights, but my favorite delight is you—”

“Enough!” Ebenezum cried as he ran between professor and dragon. “Can’t you see—can’t you—”

My master, the great wizard Ebenezum, fell to the ground in a sneezing fit.