"Anthony, Piers - Adept - 02 - Blue Adept" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

CHAPTER 1

Unicorn

A lone unicorn galloped across the гeld toward the
Blue Castle. It was a male, with a glossy dark blue coat
and red socks on his hind feet and a handsomely spiraled
horn. As he moved he played a melody through that hol-
low horn, sounding like a mellow saxophone. The notes
floated across the field ahead of him.

Stile walked to a parapet and looked down. He was an
extremely small but fit man, a former jockey who remained
in shape. He was dressed in a blue shirt and blue jeans,
though there were those who felt that neither became his
station. His station was such, however, that he could ig-
nore it with impunityЧto a degree.

"Clip!" he exclaimed, recognizing the visitor. "Hey,
NeysaЧyour brother's herel"

But Neysa already knew it. Her hearing was better than
his. She trotted out of the castle and met Clip at the front
gate, crossing horns briefly in greeting. Then the two went
into their more extended ritual of reunion, prancing out
side by side in unison as they played a duet. Neysa's horn
had the sound of a harmonica, and it blended beautifully
with the music of the saxophone.

Stile watched and listened, entranced, and not by magic.
He had always been fond of horses, and he liked unicorns
even better. He was of course biased; Neysa was his best
friend in this frame. StillЧ

The two equines intensified the beat, their hooves strik-
ing the turf precisely. Now they went into the syncopation
of the five-beat gait, the Unicorn Strut, their music match-
ing it. Stile, unable to resist, brought out his good harmon-

2 Blue Adept

ica and matched the tune, tapping the beat with his heel as
well as he could. He had a natural flair for music, and had
sharpened his skill recently because it related so intimately
to his magic. When he played, intangible magic formed
around him. But he refused to let that inhibit him; the
magic only became tangible when he invoked it in his
special fashion.

When the unicorns finished their dance of delight, they