"Anthony Piers - Xanth 24 The Dastard" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

Anthony, Piers - The Magic of Xanth-24 The Dastard

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1 A Spell for Chameleon
2 The Source of Magic
3 Castle Roogna
4 Centaur Aisle
5 Ogre, Ogre
6 Night Mare
7 Dragon On A Pedestal
8 Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn
9 Golem in the Gears
10 Vale of the Vole
11 Heaven Cent
12 The Man from Mundania
13 Isle of View
14 Question Quest
15 The Color of her Panties
16 Demons Don't Dream
17 Harpy Thyme
18 Geis of the Gargoyle
19 Roc and a Hard Place
20 Visual Guide to Xanth With Jody Lynn Nye
21
22
23
--> 24 The Dastard

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The Dastard by Piers Anthony

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Prolog

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PART 1

DRAGON

Draco Dragon oriented on his prey. He saw it fleeing across the plain, having foolishly exposed itself by daylight here in dragon country. Foolishness had but a single reward: to become food for a moderately hungry predator.

He angled his wings, banked, and sailed downward. There was a small cloud between him and the prey, and he maneuvered to keep it in the line of sight as long as feasible, so that the prey would not realize that it was in danger. But such cover was only temporary; soon he was in the final lap, and had to depend on sheer velocity. He folded his wings halfway and dived, making fantastic speed.

Now the prey spied him. It screamed and dived sideways into a pool, surprising him, so that he missed his first pass. Disgusted, he nosed up, made a looping turn, and came in for the second pass. The pool was hardly more than a puddle, too shallow to provide much protection. He could still nab the meat.

But the creature dived under the surface of the water, barely escaping Draco's reaching talons. He missed again, losing track in the stirred muck. Disgusted, he let fly a belch of fire, vaporizing a gout of water ahead of him. Then he banked again and came in for a landing. He would pull the creature out from under and eat it right there.