"Bud Sparhawk - Magic's Price" - читать интересную книгу автора (Sparhawk Bud)

led him away from the pillar. “Let us talk of other things. Tell me of this farm, this place where you live.”

“It would be better to ride,” he suggested. The thoughts of being so close was quite appealing. He
mounted Dan and then extended a hand to help her up. Instead of taking his hand Tash placed one hand
on the saddle and vaulted astride the horse. Dan snorted and jumped at the sudden addition, but calmed
down after a tug on the bridle. Tash casually put her arm around Jacob's waist as Dan ambled forward.

Jacob spoke in brief bursts as they rode. He described the town, the locations of every dead machine
and ancient device. “People say all of these things came here on a ship,” he said, repeating the tales he'd
heard. “But I think that it had to be a wagon because our river's too shallow for a ship.”

Tash gave him another smile. “Indeed it was a ship, Jacob. A ship the like of which you've never seen.
I've saw it two years ago, you know, sitting on the plain, far to the west. Larger than the biggest building
you can imagine. Made of metal so hard no tool can cut it. Neither had the weather rusted it. A marvel it
was. A wonder.”

He tried to imagine a ship of that immense size and wondered about the oars it would need. “A ship,”
Jacob whispered. “Tell me more, please.”

“And of what interest would that have to a farm boy such as you?” Tash teased. “I would expect you to
be more interested in the crops I've seen and of the ways of other towns and people.”

“I don't give a damn about that,” Jacob spit out. “Tell me more about the ship!”

Tash jerked back. “My, you certainly are intense. Well, that's no surprise. I will tell you about the ship,
Jacob Kettleman, but only after you tell me about yourself. But don't talk of old machinery or boring
townsfolk. Talk instead about yourself, your place in the world.”

Jacob couldn't believe that Tash, a gorgeous, worldly magician, would have any interest in his dull and
uneventful self. Still, her lovely eyes, her parted lips, her potential smile were too promising, too tempting.
He could not refuse; not if she was going to tell him more about the mythical ship and who knew what
other wonders of the world.

He stumbled at first, not knowing where to start. She blessed him with another smile and, encouraged by
her obvious attention, Jacob began to speak in earnest of his life and dreams. Then he heard himself
saying, “and that's when I wanted to learn how to do magic.”

Jacob clapped hand to mouth, half-afraid that she would laugh at his unseemly ambition, half afraid that
she would strike him down for having the temerity to aspire to such heights. He cursed his pride. He'd
been deluded by the innocent look of a beautiful woman and forgotten the awesome power that she
commanded. How pathetic she must think him to be.

“No, that's wrong,” he apologized. “I just want to be a tinker,” he declared suddenly. “Not a magician.
Just a tinker!”

“No, I don't think so,” Tash said quietly. “Jacob Kettleman will never be a tinker.” She abruptly jumped
down to the ground as Dan continued to plod forward.

“Forget what I just said,” she shouted. “It was foolish of me to mention it.” Jacob watched in disbelief as
she raced across the field. She was indeed a magician: No ordinary human could run through the snow