"Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon - Mage Wars 03 - The Silver Gryphon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

Gryphon.
Ikala cannot bear the constraints of his people any more than I can. Ikala had found relief here,
as she hoped to find it in the wilderness. Perhaps that was why she had felt so drawn to him from the
first. They were both trying to escape from lives that others wished them to lead.
Ikala was not the only Haighlei here; many found an escape in White Gryphon from the intolerable
rigidity of their own culture. Although there were not as many as Blade would have expected, they were
generally young, for the old were content to wait for their next lives to improve their lot. They were also
more often female than male, even though there was no real difference in the way that men and women
were treated by Haighlei law and custom. This was just as well, since there were more Kaled'a'in men in
White Gryphon than women—an accident that Snowstar and Cinnabar thought might be due to one of
the more subtle effects of the mage-storms following the Cataclysm that destroyed Ka'venusho. Perhaps
that was the reason why so many more young Haighlei women came here than men; the perfectly
ordinary reason of husband hunting!
The Kaled'a'in had been nearer the source of the blast than the lands of the Black Kings, and
nearest when the storms were at their worst. Many other subtle changes had taken place during their
migration here, not all of them as obvious as a superfluity of male children.
There were changes that affected the mages, for instance. We had more than half of the
mages associated with Urtho's army. You'd never know that now.
The mage-storms had made it very difficult to practice magic, for the strength of spells literally varied
from storm to storm. But once the last of the storms had passed, it became evident that they had not only
affected magic, they had affected the mages as well. Some, formerly powerful, had lost much of their
ability. One or two who had only been at the level of hedge-wizard before the storms were able to aspire
to the rank of Master. Some had undergone personality changes so subtle that the effects did not come
to light for months or years, growing slowly odder and less social, until at last they would gather their
belongings and vanish into the wilderness alone. One had caused a great deal of damage before he left,
both physical and emotional.
That one was not Hadanelith, though Hadanelith had caused a fair share of emotional damage
himself. It was generally granted, however, that Hadanelith had not been warped into what he was by the
mage-storms. All evidence seemed to indicate he had always been quite mad, and quite dangerous.
Only the mages of k'Leshya were so affected, at least, as far as anyone knew.
Then again, perhaps Shalaman's Nameless Brother was turned into what he became by the
storms as well. We'll probably never know for certain.
At any rate, since now the rate of birth for boys and girls was about equal again, the next generation
would not have the trouble finding mates that this one had until Haighlei women started coming in by
curious ones and twos.
Ikala had intrigued Blade, however, because he was very much different from the other Haighlei that
had drifted into the city. He had kept to himself and simply observed for several weeks, after accepting
hospitality at the hostel set up for visitors. He had not made any secret of his lineage, but he had not
attempted to trade on it either. He had gone about the city quietly watching everything and
everyone—while the Silvers were watching him, as they watched all newcomers. Then, one day, he
presented himself to Judeth and asked to be taken into the Silvers as a trainee.
Had he been making up his mind if he wanted to stay? Had he already known he intended to remain
and was only looking for a place where he could earn his way? Not even Blade knew—unless he had
told Judeth, which was possible—and he had spent more time talking to her than to anyone else.
This was a fact that she had taken great pains to conceal from her loving family, as was her growing
affection for him. She wasn't certain what she was going to do about that yet. As with many things, it
would have to wait until she returned from this assignment.
But having a Silver well acquainted with another court than Shalaman's would mean that White
Gryphon could open up a second embassy in Nbubi. Ikala could prove invaluable there, as an expert in
the background, able to advise the ambassador as Silver Veil had advised Amberdrake in Shalaman's