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

into rehearsals, the scenery half-built, and the costumes half-made. They struggled on to produce the
play, no thanks to him, but since it was written by one of his friends with more hair than wit, it did not fare
well and the company disbanded quickly. Then he set himself up as a publisher, but once again, when the
tasks proved to entail more than an hour or so of work at a time, he lost interest and left half a dozen
writers wondering what would ever become of their works. Then there was the pleasure garden he
planned—oh, Amberdrake knows the tale of that better than I—but it was the same old story. The
garden languishes weed-filled and half-finished, and a number of talented folk who had turned down
other offers of employment to take up with him ended up scrabbling after work and taking second and
third place to those with less talent but more perception when it came to dealing with Shaiknam and his
enthusiasms."
"His father was Urtho's first and greatest general," Tamsin told the two fascinated gryphons, "and
with my own ears I have heard the man say that he is certain he is heir to all of his father's genius. As if
wisdom and experience could be inherited!"
Skan laughed aloud at that. "I would say that Shaiknam is living proof that intelligence can skip entire
generations."
Cinnabar's lips twitched, and her eyes gleamed with amusement. "Well, as proof that the
so-observant Skandranon is right, this is the latest of Shaiknam's orders—that 'hertasi of convalescing
personnel are to be immediately reassigned to tasks of more immediate importance.' That is why I
brought Calla and Rio; right, little friends?"
She looked down fondly on the two hertasi, who gave her toothy grins. "Let some fool from Sixth
Wing East come in here and try ordering us about," said Rio who, like his fellow, was clearly clad in the
personal colors of Lady Cinnabar's retinue. "We'll send him out of here with boxed ears."
"You'll have to share us, though," added Calla. "The Lady is seeing how many injured there are from
Shaiknam's command, and we're to tend them all if we can. You don't mind?"
"Mind?" Aubri replied, clearly surprised, pleased, and a little embarrassed. "How could I mind? I
didn't expect any help! I can only thank you, and know that thanks are inadequate—"
But both Lady Cinnabar and Rio waved away any thanks. "My friends have been itching to do
something besides tend to my nonexistent needs," she replied. "If my family had not insisted that I take a
retinue due my rank, they would not be here at all."
"For which we are grateful," Rio butted in. "And grateful to be able to do something useful. So we
will return when we know how many patients there are and see what it is you will be needing from us.
Eh?"
Aubri nodded, speechless for once.
"It isn't surprising that Shaiknam would have someone like that Winterhart woman as a Trondi'irn,"
Tamsin observed, checking Skan's healing bones, as Cinnabar and her two helpers rebandaged Aubri's
burns with soothing creams and paddings.
Aubri let out his breath in a hiss of pain but replied, "It's typical of him. She won't stand up to him at
all; that's why he picked her. Honestly, I don't think there's a Trondi'irn in the army that would put up
with his sketi, other than her. But she's just like him; thinks we're nothing more than self-reproducing
field-pieces. We're like fire-throwers, only better, because we repair ourselves if you leave us alone long
enough. Very efficient, is Winterhart."
"Efficient enough to requisition Jewel as soon as she knew you were down," Skan observed.
Aubri snorted. "Surprised she left Jewel with me as long as she did. Maybe she just didn't notice I
was gone. She's been quite efficient about that new order."
"Who actually issued that particular chunk of offal?" Tamsin demanded in disgust.
"Garber. Shaiknam's second. In case you don't know him, he's by-the-book, and every inch an
officer." Aubri's tone made it very clear what he thought of officers like Garber.
"So in the meantime, those who have been injured in the front line—where presumably, Shaiknam
and Garber never go—are supposed to do without those who might serve as their hands and make their
recovery more comfortable," Lady Cinnabar's cold voice told Skan that there was a great deal of heat