"Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon - Mage Wars 01 - The Black Gryphon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

"Well, I suppose you aren't going to go away unless I eat something," Skan said, without a sign of
any kind of gratitude. "So I'd better do it and get you out of here so I can sleep."
Amberdrake didn't make any comments; he simply held out hand-sized pieces of fresh, red meat for
Skan to swallow whole. Like all gryphons, Skan preferred his food to be fresh killed, as fresh as
possible, although he could and would eat dried or prepared food, and actually enjoyed breads and
pastries. Gesten had left a large bowl of the meat chunks; Amberdrake didn't stop handing them to the
gryphon until the bowl was empty, even though Skan looked as if he would have liked to take a piece of
Amberdrake's hand with his meal.
Amberdrake tried not to let his feelings get hurt. He'd seen this kind of thing often enough in other
cases of those who had been extremely active and had been forced by injuries to depend even a little on
others. Skan had been completely immobilized by his injuries, and couldn't even use his forelegs.
Add to that the pounding of his concussion-headache, and he really wasn't behaving too badly, all
things considered.
But on the other hand, Amberdrake was a friend, and Skan was treating him in ways that he
wouldn't have inflicted on an indentured servant.
Some of this must have shown in Amberdrake's expression, for just as the last strip of raw meat
went down Skan's throat, Gesten returned, took one look at the two of them, and proceeded to give
Skan a lecture on gratitude.
"You'd think that the smartest gryphon in Urtho's army would have a mudcake's sense, wouldn't
you?" he railed. "You'd think that same gryphon might recall Amberdrake putting his wings together for
him until Drake fell over with exhaustion! You'd think that same gryphon might possibly remember that
Drake would be feeling phantom pain this afternoon from all that Healing. But no—" Gesten snorted.
"That takes common sense, and common courtesy. So when Drake isn't sitting here right by the tent,
waiting for a certain gryphon to wake up, that gryphon pouts and thinks nobody loves him and then acts
like a spoiled brat when Drake does show up even before he's had a shave."
Skan couldn't possibly have looked worse, but his ear-tufts, which had been lying fairly close to his
head, now flattened against his skull. And the gryphon looked distinctly chagrined.
And penitent.
Silence followed Gesten's lecture, as the hertasi gave Skan his "you messed up" glare, and Skan
sighed.
"Drake," the gryphon said softly. "I am sssorry. I have been verrry rrrude. I—"
Amberdrake knew this mood. Skan was likely to keep apologizing for the next candlemark—and
perversely, getting more irritating and irritable with every word of apology.
"Skan, it's all right," Amberdrake said hastily. "You haven't been any ruder than some of my clients,
after all. I'm used to it." He managed a weak chuckle. "I'm a pretty rotten patient myself when I'm sick.
Just ask Gesten."
The hertasi rolled his eyes, but said nothing.
"So don't worry. We're just glad you're back, however many pieces you came back in."
Amberdrake slid his hand in among the neck-feathers and scratched places where he knew Skan had not
been able to reach—and would not for some time.
The gryphon sighed, and put his head back down on his bandaged and splinted forelegs. "You arrre
too patient, Drrrake."
"Actually, if I don't get him moving, he's going to be too late," Gesten interjected, apparently
mollified by the apology. "You've got a client, Kestra'chern. And you're going to have to make up for the
fact that you had to cancel out all your morning appointments."
"Right." Amberdrake gave Skan's neck a final scratch, and stood up, brushing out the folds of his
robe. "And I'd better shave and clean up first. How much time have I got?"
"Not much, for the grooming you need," Gesten replied. "You'd better put some speed on it."

A little later, Amberdrake wondered why he'd bothered. This was not one of his usual clients, and