"George R. R. Martin & Tuttle, Lisa - Windhaven" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin George R R)

"Don't be frightened," he said. "I won't hurt you."

She took a step backward. She had often watched the flyers, but none of them had ever noticed her
before.

"Who is she?" the flyer asked his helper, who was standing behind him holding his folded wings.

The young man shrugged. "Some clam digger. I don't know. I've seen her hanging around before. Do you
want me to chase her off?"

"No," the man said. He smiled at her again. "Why are you so afraid?" he asked. "It's all right. I don't mind
your coming here, little girl."

"My mother told me not to bother the flyers," the child said.

The man laughed. "Oh," he said. "Well, you don't bother me. Maybe someday you can grow up and help
the flyers, like my friends here. Would you like that?"

The girl shook her head. "No."

"No?" He shrugged, still smiling. "What would you like to do, then? Fly?"

Timidly, the child managed to nod.

The older woman sniggered, but the flyer glanced at her and frowned. Then he walked to the child and
stooped and took her by the hand. "Well," he said, "if you're going to fly, you have to practice, you
know. Would you like to practice?"

"Yes."

"You're too little for wings just now," the flyer said. "Here." He wrapped strong hands about her, and
hoisted her up to his shoulders, so she sat with her legs dangling on his chest, and her hands fumbling
uncertain in his hair. "No," he said, "you can't hold on if you're going to be a flyer. Your arms have to be
your wings. Can you hold out your arms straight?"

"Yes," she said. She raised her arms up and held them out like a pair of wings.

"Your arms are going to get tired," the flyer warned, "but you can't lower them. Not if you want to fly. A
flyer has to have strong arms that never get tired."

"I'm strong," the girl insisted.

"Good. Are you ready to fly?"

"Yes." She began to flap her arms.

"No, no, no," he said. "Don't flap. We're not like the birds, you know. I thought you watched us."

The child tried to remember. "Kites," she said suddenly, "you're like kites."