"Tamora Pierce - Protector Of The Small 2 - Page" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pierce Tamora)

Tamora Pierce

Protector of the Small 02

Page

"Ladies have no place bearing arms…"
…so say many in the kingdom of Tortall. Of course, that hasn't stopped Keladry of Mindelan from pursuing her
dream of becoming a knight.
In this second book of the Protector of the Small quartet, Kel's hardships continue as she fights the prejudices that
come with being a girl while maintaining the rigorous training of a page. Kels skills aren't the only things that are
developing. Her feelings for her best friend, Neal, are also changing…in a very uncomfortable way. Luckily, Kel has
some new allies, including an ugly but lovable dog and an abused young woman whom she teaches self-defense. She
also discovers a new talent when a group of pages is trapped by bandits and suddenly the other pages must call on
the only "lady" to lead them.

ISBN 0-679-88915-9
Copyright © 2000 by Tamora Pierce.

This e-book is not for sale!!!
one

PAGE KELADRY

Fall that year was warm. Heat lay in a blanket over the basin of the River Olorun, where the
capital of Tortall covered the banks. No breath of air stirred the pennants and flags on their poles.
The river itself was a band of glass, without a breeze anywhere to ruffle its shining surface.
Traffic in the city moved as if the air were thick honey. No one with sense cared to rush.
Behind the royal palace, eleven-year-old Keladry of Mindelan stared at the rising ground that
led from the training yards to the pages' wing and decided that she had no sense. She felt as if
she'd let people beat her with mallets all morning. Surely it was too hot for her to do as she
normally did - run up that hill to reach her rooms and bathe. After all, she would be the only one
to know if she walked today.
Who would think this cursed harness would make such a difference? she wondered, reaching
under her canvas practice coat to finger broad leather straps. At some point during her first year
as page, she had learned that second-, third-, and fourth-years wore weighted harnesses, and that
more weights were added every four months, but she had never considered it in terms of herself.
Now she wished that she had donned something of the kind in the empty summer months, when
she made the daily trek to the palace to keep up her training. If she had, she wouldn't ache so
much now.
She wiped her sleeve over her forehead. It's not even like you're carrying a lot of weight, she
scolded herself. Eight little disks - maybe two pounds in lead. You trained last year and all
summer with lead-weighted weapons, just to build your strength. This can't be that different!
But it was. Hand-to-hand combat, staff work, archery, and riding took extra effort with two
pounds of lead hanging on her shoulders, chest, and back. I've got to run, she told herself wearily.
If I don't move soon, I'll be late to wash and late to lunch, and Lord Wyldon will give me
punishment work. So heat or no, I have to go up that hill. I may as well run it.
She waited a moment more, steeling herself. She hated this run. That slowly rising ground was
torture on her legs even last spring, when she'd been running it off and on for more than half a
year.