"Paul B.Thompson, Tonya R.Carter. Darkness and Light ("DragonLance Preludes I" #1) (angl)" - читать интересную книгу автора

"I'll stand for Flint!" Caramon cried.

"Who has choice of weapons?" asked Tanis.

"Flint's challenged; it is his choice," Sturm said, smiling.

"What'll it be, old bear? Apple cores at ten paces? Ladles and
pot lids?" asked Kitiara.

"Anything but ale mugs," Tas quipped, his pose of haughty
dignity replaced by his usual grin. The laughter didn't stop until
Tika returned.

"Shh! Shh, it's late! Will you people be quiet!" she hissed.

"Go on, before someone spanks you," Caramon said, without
turning to look at her. Tika slipped in behind his stool and made
horrid faces at him. The others laughed at her. Caramon was puzzled.

"What's so funny?" he demanded.

Tika deftly lifted the dagger from Caramon's belt sheath. She
raised it over her head with a terrifying grimace, as though to stab
Caramon in the back. Tears ran down Kitiara's face, and Tas fell off
his chair. "What?" shouted Caramon. Then he snapped his head around
and spied Tika in midgrimace. "Aha!" He started after her. The girl
darted around the nearby empty tables. Caramon blundered after her,
upsetting chairs and stumbling against stools.

Otik appeared from the kitchen with a lamp in his hand. His
nightshirt was askew and his sparse white hair was standing up in
comic tufts. "What's this row? Can't a man get some sleep around here?
Tika, where are you, girl?" The red-haired girl peeked over the rim of
a table. "You were supposed to hush them, not join in the party."

"That man was chasing me." She pointed at Caramon, who was busy
studying the candle-lit rafters. "Go to your room." Tika went
regretfully. She cast a last grin back at Caramon and stuck out her
tongue. When he started toward her, she flipped his dagger at him. It
struck the floor quivering, inches from his feet. Tika vanished
through the kitchen's swinging doors.

Otik planted his fists on his hips. "Flint Fireforge! I expected
better of you. You're old enough to know better. And you, Master
Sturm; a well-bred fellow like you ought to know better than to be
roistering this late at night." Flint looked properly abashed. Sturm
smoothed his long mustache with his right forefinger and said nothing.

"Don't be an old sop," said Kitiara. "Tika was very amusing.