"(ebook) Anthony Piers - Xanth 03 - Castle Roogna" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

"That water's calling you a kind of fish," Grundy muttered.

Dor considered. "Well, I don't have anything you would value. UnlessЧthat's it! You can't talk to other people, but you still need some way to show them your prowess. You could do that with this button." He brought up the TRESPASSER / PERSECUTED button, showing both sides. "See, it says what you do to intruders. You can flash it from your surface in sinister warning."

"You're on!" the water said eagerly. "You hide, and if old three-point follows my voice instead of you, I win the prize."

"Right," Dor agreed. "I really hate to risk an item of this value, but then I don't think I'm going to lose it You distract him, and I'll hide under your surface.

35

If he can't find me before I drown, the button's yours.*1

"Hey, there's a flaw in that logic!" Grundy protested. "If you drownЧ**

"Hello, fishtail!" a voice cried from the far side of the moat. "I'm the creep from the jungle!"

The triton, who had been viewing the proceedings without interest, whirled. "Another one?"

Dor slipped into the water, took half a breath, and dived below the surface. He swam vigorously, feeling the cool flow across his skin. No trident struck him. As his lungs labored painfully against his locked throat, he found the inner wall of the moat and thrust his head up.

He gasped for breath, and so did Grundy, still clinging to his shoulder. The triton was still chasing here and there, following the shifting voices. "Over here, sharksnootl No, here, mer-thing! Are you blind, fish-face?"

Dor heaved himself out. "Safe!" he cried. "You win, moat; here's the prize. It hurts awfully to lose it, but you sure showed me up." And he flipped the button into the water.

"Anytime, sucker,** the water replied smugly.

The significance of Grundy's prior comment sank in belatedly. A sucker was a kind of fish, prone to fasten to the legs of swimmers andЧbut he hoped there were none here.

The decoy voices subsided. The triton looked around, spotting him with surprise. "How did you do that? I chased you all over the moat!"

"You certainly did," Dor agreed. "I'm really breathless."

"You some sort of Magician or something?'*

That describes it."

"Oh." The triton swam away, affecting loss of interest

The second challenge was now before them. There was a narrow ledge of stone between the moat and the castle wall. Dor found no obvious entry to the castle. "It's always this way,*' Grundy said wisely. *'A blank wall. Inanimate obstacle. But the worst is always inside.**

"Good to know,** Dor said, feeling a chill that was

36

not entirely from his soaking clothing. He was beginning to appreciate the depth of the challenge King Trent had made for him. At each stage he was forced to question his ability and his motive: were the risk and effort worth the prize? He had never been exposed to a sustained challenge of this magnitude before, where even his talent could help him only deviously. With the counterspells against things* giving away information, he was forced to employ his magic very cleverly, as with the moat. Maybe this was the necessary course to manhoodЧbut he would much prefer to have a safe route home. He was, after all, only a boy. He didn't have the mass and thews of a man, and certainly not the courage. Yet here he wasЧand he had better go forward, because the triton would hardly let him go back.

The mass and thews of a man. The notion appealed insidiously. If by some magic he could become bigger and stronger than his father, and be skilled with the sword, so that he didn't have to have an ogre backing him upЧah, then wouldn't his problems be over! No more weaseling about, using tricks to sneak by tri-tons, arguing with plaques ...

But this was foolish wishful thinking. He would never be such a man, even when full grown. "Full groan," he muttered, appreciating the morbid pun. Maybe he would have made a good zombie!