"Katherine Kerr - Deverry 06 - A Time Of Omens" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kerr Katherine)

Wmm could either confirm her suspicion or lay it to rest.

The library of Wmm was at that time an oblong building in the Bardek style of whitewashed stucco,
roofed in clay tiles to cut down the fire danger. Inside, in a row of hearths peat fires constantly smoldered
to keep the chill and damp off the collection of over five hundred books and scrolls—a vast wealth of
learning for the time. Jill found the chief librarian, Suryn, standing at his lectern by a window with a view
of the oak trees beyond. Unrolled in front of him was a Bardekian scroll. He looked up and smiled at
her; as always, his weak eyes were watering from the effort of reading.

“Oh, there you are, Jill! I’ve been looking for that reference you wanted.”
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“The history scroll? You’ve found it?”

“I have indeed, and just now, so it’s a good thing you wandered in like this. Must be an omen.”

Although he was joking, Jill felt a line of cold run down her back.

“In fact, I’ve found both of the sources you were talking about.” He tapped the papyrus in front of him
with a bone stylus. “Here’s the scroll, and it does indeed have a reference to elves living in the islands.
Well, maybe they’re elves, anyway. Take a look at it, and I’ll just fetch the codex.”

The scroll was an ancient chronicle of the city-state of Arbarat, lying far south in the Bardekian islands.
Since Jill had learned to read Bardekian only recently, it took her some minutes to puzzle out the brief
entry.

“A shipwrecked man was washed up on shore near the harbor. His name was Terrso, a merchant of
Mangorat . . . ” There was a long bit here about the archon’s attempt to repatriate the man, which Jill
skipped through. “Before he left us, Terrso told of his adventures. He claimed to have traveled far, far
south, beyond even Anmurdio, and to have discovered a strange people who dwelt in the jungles. These
people, he claimed, were more akin to animals than men, because they lived in trees and had long
pointed ears. Because he was so ravaged by fever, none took his words seriously.”

“Curse them all!” Jill snapped.

“They don’t truly go into detail, do they?” Suryn came up at her elbow. “Here’s the Lughcarn codex. Do
be careful with it, won’t you? It’s very old.”

“Of course I will, Your Holiness. Don’t trouble your heart about that. May I take it back to the guest
house to read? I need to rest from my journey.”

Suryn blinked at her for a moment.

“Oh, you’ve been gone. Of course—silly of me. By all means, keep it with you if you’d like. There’s a
lectern in the hut?”

“A good one, and a candle-spike, too.”