"David Gerrold - The Flying Sorcerers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gerrold David)

device was only a speakerspell, and a poor one at that, despite its powerful
shape.
Shoogar and the speakerspell and the stranger stood on that wind-swept mesa
and talked with each other. Or rather, they talked at each other. It was
infant's talk, most of it. The thing had no words of its own. It could only
use Shoogar's; sometimes correctly, more often not.
Shoogar's temper was not improving. He had come to demand gift or duel from an
intruding warlock only to find himself teaching a simpleminded construct to
talk. The stranger seemed to be enjoying himself, unfortunately at Shoogar's
expense.
The red sun was long gone, the blue was near the horizon, and all the world
was red-black shadow. The blue sun settled behind a clump of deep violet
clouds. Suddenly it was gone, like a taper blown out by the wind. The moons
emerged against the night, now in the configuration of the striped lizard.
During certain configurations Shoogar's power is higher than during others. I
wondered if he were master or servant to the striped lizard. He was just
drawing his robes imperiously about his squat and stubby form. Master,
apparently, from his manner.
Abruptly, the stranger repeated his palms-out gesture, turned, and went back
to his nest. He did not go inside. Instead. he briefly touched the rim of the
doorway, and there was light! Garish light -- it spurted from the flank of the
nest, bright as double daylight.
And such a strange light. The ground and the plants seemed to take the wrong
colors and there was something not right with their shadows, an odd blackness
of shade.
The new magician's motive was obvious, even to me -- and even more so to
Shoogar. He leapt back out of the light with his arms raised for defense. But
it was no use. The light followed him, swept over him and dazzled him,
effectively cancelling out the strength of the lunar light. The stranger had
effectively negated the power of the striped lizard. Shoogar stood trembling,
a tiny figure pinned in that dazzling odd-colored glow.
Then, for no apparent reason, the stranger caused the light to vanish.
"I think that the light disturbs you," said the speakerspell, talking for the
magician. "But, no matter. We can talk as well in the dark."
I breathed more easily, but did not completely relax. This stranger had shown
how easily he could cancel the effect of any lunar configuration. Any powers
Shoogar might have hoped to draw from the sky would have to be forgone.
I watched the striped lizard slink dejectedly into the west. The moons rode
their line across the sky, milk-white crescents with thick red fringes. On
successive nights the red borderlines would narrow as the suns set closer and
closer together. Then there would be no colored borders.Later, blue borders
would show after second sunset... and Shoogar could make no use of any of
this...
Shoogar and the new magician were still talking. by now the speakerspell had
learned enough words so that the two could intelligently discuss the matters
of magicians.
The ethics of the situation are obvious," Shoogar was saying. "You are
practicing magic in my district. For this you must pay. More precisely, you
owe me a secret."
"A secret.. .?" echoed the speakerspell device.