"Lisa Goldstein - Summer King, Winter Fool" - читать интересную книгу автора (Goldstein Lisa)

banquets. Tariel, Gobro’s father, had died five years before; Val had
been seventeen then and too young to be called to court.
The pages returned and poured the wine. Val sipped at his and
recognized with surprise a vintage from the inland country of Shai.
Narrion nodded in approval and held out his glass for more.
The candles burned low, casting a golden light on the lords and
ladies at the tables, on the rich tapestries of the Seven Virtues and
Seven Vices lining the walls. Jewels winked and glittered in the
darkness at the edges of the room. Silks changed color in the soft
light.
The sound of a drum reverberated through the room, and
trumpets answered. A troupe of actors danced into the banquet hall
and climbed to the stage behind the dais. The guests applauded, and
a few people at Val’s table murmured in approval. “He’s learned
something, has old King Gobro,” Narrion said. “This banquet might
not be as tedious as I thought.”
“Quiet,” Val said. He was applauding too, but for a different
reason: he had seen Tamra among the actors. She stood serenely on
stage, her reddish gold hair framing her face; he thought he could
almost see the blue eyes he had once compared to the sea in a
poem.
He would like to have acted with her but of course that was
impossible; twenty years ago King Tariel had passed an edict
making it illegal for men to act in plays. Having to pretend to be
someone else, Tariel had said, robbed men of their dignity.
 The men and women on the dais turned their chairs to face the
stage. The Prologue, a tall woman dressed in a man’s breeches and
tunic, came forward to set the scene: it would be a play of mistaken
identities and a king forced into exile.
“Daring, aren’t they?” Narrion whispered beside him. Val nodded.
The actors were indeed taking a chance by presenting this
particular play; the king did not like to be reminded of the dangers
that beset his throne. One of the king’s
brothers—Arion?—applauded a little too loudly at the end of the
Prologue’s speech.
Tamra and another actor came forward. Tamra began to speak,
but at that moment six women in black rags stepped to the stage
and began to dance.
At first they seemed to be part of the play. Then Val felt rather
than saw Narrion grow alert beside him, heard gasps and
exclamations from around the banqueting hall. The women turned
as they danced, showing their hoods of badger skin to the audience.
The Maegrim. Someone’s fortune was about to change.
The women danced faster. Now Val saw seven people where
before he had seen six. The king sank back in his chair, looking
pale. He had reached the pinnacle of his fortune; if the Maegrim
had come for him his fall from the ladder was assured. He glanced
nervously at the four dukes and duchesses. Arion seemed eager,
Mariel shocked, Callia apprehensive; Talenor had no expression at
all on his face.