"L. E. Modesitt - Recluce 07 - The magic Engineer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Modesitt L E)

how good you look." A few smiles greet her sardonic comment.
"Any other questions? No? Then, I will begin with a slightly different version of the history
of Recluce, highlighting a few points which bear on why you are here."
Dorrin shifts his weight on the heavy brown pillow.
"... common notion is that the Founders were wise, loving, and gentle people, that Creslin was
a gentleman among gentlemen, a wizard who only used his power for good, and totally devoted to
Megaera. Likewise, the stories say that Megaera was beautiful, talented, nearly as good with a
blade as a Westwind Guard, utterly devoted to and in love with Creslin, and possessed of one of
the greatest understandings of order ever seen. In a way, these are all true-but more important,
they are all false."
A low hum crosses the room.
"Creslin was perhaps one of the greatest blades of his generation, and his trail from Westwind
to Recluce did not drip blood-it gushed blood. At first, every problem he tried to solve with a
blade. He even killed a soldier in cold blood because the man threatened Megaera-who was well able
to take care of herself. He was strong enough to be able to use order to kill-and he did. More
than several thousand died under the storms he called. Of course, after his feats of destruction
he was violently ill, often puking all over his own men."
The silence of the ten young people is absolute. "As for Megaera, the sweet angel of light-she
first was a chaos wielder who threatened her sister's rule of Sarronnyn and who killed a good
score with the fire of chaos before renouncing chaos for order. She did not renounce chaos
willingly, either, but fought it the entire way, submitting to the rule of order only to save her
life. She took up the blade with the sole aim of besting Creslin and proving that she could kill
as effectively as he could.
"And our revered founders-what of their harmonious life together? They squabbled and fought the


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whole way from Montgren to Recluce. They refused to share bedrooms until well beyond a year after
they were married, and the lightnings and storms of their final fight were seen from dozens of
kays away. Admittedly, they seemed to have settled into a less conflicting relationship
thereafter, but I can guarantee it was scarcely one of sweetness and light portrayed by your
teachers or conveyed by the Brotherhood."
Lortren jabs a finger at Edil. "What does this tale tell you?"
"... Ah .. . that things are not always what they seem ..." "You can do better than that." The
magistra fixes her eyes upon Jyll. "You, merchant princess, what does the story tell you?"
"I think you are out to shock us with the truth-"
"Be very careful when you use the word 'truth,' child. Facts and truth are not exactly the
same." Lortren looks at Dorrin.
"You, toy-maker. What do you think the purpose of my story is?"
Dorrin tries to gather his scattered thoughts. "Besides trying to shock us, you're trying to
show that you, and I'd guess the world as well, doesn't care very much who or where we came from,
and that we have lived a very . . . sheltered life."
Lortren smiles, coldly. "That's not too bad, for a start. All of that is correct. I am also
trying to make you think. To reason, if you will."
Dorrin thinks about how cool and detached Lortren appears, and wonders whether his father has
seen this side of the magistra. Then he recalls how carefully the weather wizard had addressed
Lortren.
"Remember this. There are two sides to reality. There is what is, and there is what people