"Lawrence Watt-Evans - Ethshar 2 - With a Single Spell" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watt-Evans Lawrence)

tales were truer than he had thought and seemed like fantasy to a Telvener
only because Telven was an exceptionally dull part of the World.
Tobas moved on, intrigued by the idea that there might be far more to the
World than he had realized. Perhaps, he thought, he would find an opportunity
here that would be better than trying to make a living off wizardry. It seemed
unlikely, but it might be possible.
The next group was again recruiting for a ship, and the one after that
hiring miners to work in the diamond mines of Tazmor; Tobas began to lose
interest. This was all very well, but none of it was getting him anywhere.
These job opportunities were not what he wanted, and he berated himself for
his momentary foolishness in thinking he might find anything worthwhile here.
He had no money, no food, no place to sleep, and the afternoon was already on
the wane; he had done nothing about learning more spells. If he really wanted
to, he could come back here later; right now, though, he had more urgent
matters to attend to.
What could he do, though? He had not thought this out in advance. He
cursed himself for wasting all the time aboard ship that he could have spent
thinking and planning for every eventuality.
He had no money, so he could get no food or shelter save by stealing or
by selling something. He had nothing to sell save himself and his single spell
and he was not yet desperate enough to sell himself into slavery -- nowhere
near it! -- and could not imagine why anyone in this vast and wealthy city
would want fires lit by magic. He might find work of some sort -- would have
to, he supposed -- but all the recruiters in this particular market appeared
to be hiring for work outside the city, usually dangerous or unpleasant, and
he was not yet ready to leave the city, nor desperate enough to sign up for
anything that might get him killed. He would prefer to learn more spells,
somehow, and become a proper wizard. To learn more spells he needed a teacher,
and surely, if there were wizards anywhere in the world, there would be
wizards in Ethshar of the Spices!
And that brought him to his one feeble hope of establishing himself
without immediately having to undertake any hazardous or strenuous work. He
could appeal to his Guild brothers, tell them his tragic tale, and hope that
they could spare him enough to keep him alive until he could find a worthwhile
position.
They might even teach him more spells at no charge.
First, though, he had to find them. Gathering up all his nerve, he tugged
at the sleeve of a man listening in amusement to a particularly incoherent
speaker.
"Excuse me, sir," Tobas said when the Ethsharite turned, "but I'm newly
arrived... ah, from Tintallion. Could you tell me where I might find a
wizard?"
"Wizard Street, I suppose." The man stared at Tobas' rather worn and
dirty clothes with obvious disdain.
"Of course, sir, I should have realized. Ah... how do I get there from
here?"
The Ethsharite smiled unpleasantly. "I'll be damned if I know," he said.
"That's not my part of town. The Wizards' Quarter is all the way across the
city, down by Southgate." He pointed in a vaguely southeasterly direction.
Tobas thanked him and looked about.