"Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman. Time of the Twins ("DragonLance Legends" #1) (angl)" - читать интересную книгу автора

shrank away from her.
"You want to make bet?" Raf muttered, but well under his
breath. Tika's temper these days was as fiery as her flaming
hair.
Fortunately for Raf, Tika didn't hear him. She finished filling
the beer mugs, then carried the tray over to a large party of
elves, seated near the door.
I'm expecting friends, she repeated to herself dully. Dear
friends. Once she would have been so excited, so eager to see
Tanis and Riverwind. Now... She sighed, handing out the
beer mugs without conscious awareness of what she was doing.
Name of the true gods, she prayed, let them come and go
quickly! Yes, above all, go quickly! If they stayed... If they
found out....
Tika's heart sank at the thought. Her lower lip trembled. If
they stayed, that would be the end. Plain and simple. Her life
would be over. The pain was suddenly more than she could
bear. Hurriedly setting the last beer mug down, Tika left the
elves, blinking her eyes rapidly. She did not notice the bemused
gazes the elves exchanged among themselves as they stared at
the beer mugs, and she never did remember that they had all
ordered wine.
Half blinded by her tears, Tika's only thought was to escape
to the kitchen where she could weep unseen. The elves looked
about for another waitress, and Raf, sighing in contentment,
got back down on his hands and knees, happily lapping up the
rest of the beer.

Tanis Half-Elven stood at the bottom of a small rise, staring
up the long, straight, muddy road that stretched ahead of him.
The woman he escorted and their mounts waited some distance
behind him. The woman had been in need of rest, as had their
horses. Though her pride had kept her from saying a word,
Tanis saw her face was gray and drawn with fatigue. Once
today, in fact, she had nodded off to sleep in the saddle, and
would have fallen but for Tanis's strong arm. Therefore,
though eager to reach her destination, she had not protested
when Tanis stated that he wanted to scout the road ahead
alone. He helped her from her horse and saw her settled in a
hidden thicket.
He had misgivings about leaving her unattended, but he
sensed that the dark creatures pursuing them had fallen far
behind. His insistence on speed had paid off, though-both he
and the woman were aching and exhausted. Tanis hoped to
stay ahead of the things until he could turn his companion over
to the one person on Krynn who might be able to help her.
They had been riding since dawn, fleeing a horror that had
followed them since leaving Palanthas. What it was exactly,
Tanis - with all his experience during the wars - could not
name. And that made it all the more frightening. Never there