"Juliet E. McKenna - Einarinn 4 - The Warrior's Bond" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKenna Juliet E)

drily. 'So how is Urlan?'
The girl Allin looked up, blushed and dropped her gaze to study her folded
hands intently. 'Both legs are broken and the
bosun was saying he'd seen splinters of bone through the skin of his right
shin. He's been taken to the infirmary at the shrine.' Where Velindre was
scarcely shorter than me, Allin barely came up to Casuel's shoulder. Even
allowing for the heavy cape bunched round her, I guessed her figure would be
as round as her plain snub-nosed face. But her boot-button eyes were bright
with intelligence and good nature, attributes lacking in many a prettier girl.
'Do you have lodgings arranged?' I asked.
'The man from the shrine said we could probably stay there as well.' The girl
peeped up at me from beneath her dun-coloured fringe. Her Tormalin was fluent
but of unmistakable Lescari origin.
'If there's any difficulty, refer it to me. We're in the upper guest house,'
said Casuel officiously.
'We'll join you there for dinner.' Velindre turned on her heel with a final
smile and before Casuel could shut his protesting mouth her long stride took
her out of earshot.
'So who's she?' I asked the wizard.
Outrage was slow to fade from his well-made features. 'Velindre is a mage of
some standing in Hadrumal but she's always claimed to prefer focusing on her
studies rather than engaging herself with the wider concerns of wizardry.'
I wondered just where the sneer in his tone was directed but decided his
prejudices weren't worth pursuing. 'So she hasn't been privy to any of
Planir's intrigues over the last year or so?'
Casuel bridled. 'I hardly think intrigue is the right word for the necessary
care Planir takes of Hadrumal's interests.'
'Could you bespeak the Archmage, please? To let him know she's here and
apparently interested in the colony.' I made my request with a politeness
calculated to soothe Casuel's ruffled feathers.
'I was intending to do so, naturally.' Of course Casuel had been planning to
tell Planir about Velindre; telling tales was another dame-school habit I'd
observed in the man over the past half-year. 'I wonder if he knows Troanna's
been in touch with her.'
'Shall we do it now? Planir might have an opinion on Velindre's reasons for
being here, and he'll certainly want to know what's happened to Urlan.' I
wanted all my birds in a row before I encountered Velindre again and there was
little enough for me to do here.
'Yes, I should see what news the Archmage has for us, shouldn't I? Let's get
out of this rain.' Those notions sent the wizard scurrying eagerly up the
hill, clutching the hood of his cloak tight beneath his handsome chin.
Once we were back in the guest house chamber he'd appropriated as a study,
Casuel set about his wizardry. I'd seen him work various spells over the last
season or so, and, oddly, he was at his least objectionable when working
magic. The wizard took a seat at the table, setting a steel mirror on the
table with a candle before it, lighting the wick with a snap of his fingers
and a flourish of the lace at his cuffs. He laid his hands flat on the
chestnut wood, eyes fixed unblinking on the reflected flame of the candle
I sat in a corner, content to watch and listen; Casuel could do the talking.
What I wanted was Planir, who presumably had the power to curb this Velindre,