"Andre Norton - Witch World - Warlock of the Witch World" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

That had puzzled me, for my reading of him was that he had too much force of
character to accept rebuffs tamely.
“He was bound by custom,” Kyllan said. “There has been no compelling, nor pleading,
between race and race after they fled into refuges. They have been content to go their
own roads apart.”

“Custom cannot save any of us now,” I countered. “Which way did Dinzil ride?”
Deliberately I came back to my own questioning. “Kyllan—you know how it has been with
us always. Would I push this uneasiness if I were not convinced that it holds some danger
for us three?”

He looked me eye to eye as Dahaun had done earlier, and we mind touched; I opened
to him all my worries.
“I believe that you believe, brother.”

“But—you do not?”
“Enough so that I shall hold watch and ward if he returns. But—this I must say to
you, Kemoc—do not flutter those flags of war before our sister, not when they are to raise
hosts to face in that direction!”
My hands tightened until my stiff fingers pointed palely.

“It is like that then.” I did not ask a question; I stated a fact.

“She has clearly shown her liking. She will read ill will into any contrary urging, not
against him, but against the one giving the warning. She has . . . changed.” There was
uncertainty in him also, a kind of bewilderment which was less than that pang I felt when
she had closed her mind to me an hour earlier, yet which carried some of the same hurt.

“She is a maid, unwed. We knew that sometime she would look upon some man with
eyes she did not turn to us. That we could face . . . but this man—no!” I said that as one
swearing an oath. I knew that Kyllan heard it so, but he shook his head slowly.
“Over this we may have no control. He is a man esteemed, and he pleases her; that is
to be seen by the least observant. Against that, you offer but a feeling of wrongness,
which she and others may read as jealousy. You must have more proof.”
He spoke the truth, but sometimes the truth is black hearing. So did it seem to me
now. Again Kyllan picked up my thought.

“It is hard to believe that you summoned one of the Great Ones and were answered.
We were schooled that such is impossible save for an adept. No man of Estcarp ever trod
that path, so you can see that Kaththea finds it hard to accept. How did you do it?”

“I tell you, I do not know. Ethutur warned of thrice-ringing; we were riding to cut
through before that happened.” I spoke of seeing the words as fiery darts. And then that
sound which had blasted at us all.
“Our mother asked wisdom for your share when she called our futures,” he said
thoughtfully when I was done. “It would seem that you do have some power . . .”
 I shook my head. “There is a vast difference between learning and wisdom, brother.
Do not confuse the two. I called upon learning then, and without thinking. Perhaps that
was folly—”