"Mercedes Lackey - Bards Tale - 04 - Castle of Deception" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

But then he stopped short on the cobblestones. What
was he hoping to see? The merchant and his party
were already out of sight, riding down the old North
Road that ran just outside the inn's gateway, and there
probably weren't going to be any more travellers today.
Discouraged, the bardling turned and went back
through the inn to the back entrance, stepping out into
town.

Ha. Some town.

Bracklin was litde more than a collection of a dozen
small, thatched-roof houses clustered behind the inn.
A neat, pretty, orderly place, one where nothing dif-
ferent had ever happened and nothing ever would.

And people here actually like it that -way!

Kevin leaned back against the inn's half-timbered
side, the wall chilly on his back, the sun warm on his
face. There had never been a day he could remember
when he hadn't dreamed of being a Bard, of singing
wonderful songs and travelling to wonderful places,
maybe even working the rare, powerful Bardic Magic,
healing people with his music or even banishing
demons. How could those dreams have turned into
something so unbearably dull7

"Morning, Kevin," a woman's cheerful voice called
from across the unpaved strcet-

The bardling started. "Uh, good morning, Ada."

"That's just like you bard-folk, always off in a world
all your own."

Ada was a round, chubby, middle-aged hen of a

CASTLE OF DECEPTION 3

woman. Right now her brown hair was tucked up out of
her way in an unddy bun, and the sleeves other plain
white blouse were pushed back above the elbows as she
filled a washtub full of soapy water. "Come for Master
Aidan's clothes, have you? Told you they couldn't be
ready till this afternoon. Had to spend all day yesterday
washing the travel dust off the robes of His Nibs." Ada's
jerk of the head took in the departed merchant and his
party. "Eh, won't bad-mouth die fellow; paid me down to
the last coin, with extra added." Her bright black eyes