"Anthony, Piers - Xanth 06 - Night Mare" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

The mare Imbri stood, letting the dread sun ascend,
watching its terrible beams lance their way cruelly through
the mists of morning. One launched itself right toward Im-
bri, amazingly swift, and scored before she could react.

She survived. The only effect was a shine on her coat
where the beam touched. The protective spell had held.

She had withstood the awful light of the sun. She was
now a day mare.

After the tension of the moment, Imbri felt an enormous
relief. Never had she suspected the Night Stallion of seek-
ing to eliminate her by tricking her into braving the sun-
beam, yet she realized now that some such suspicion had
made an attempt to harbor itself deep in her being. How
glad she was that her trust had been justified!

She took a step, feeling the soundness of her legs, the
solidity of the ground, and the springiness of the air she
breathed. Not only did she seem whole, she seemed twice
as real as before. She was now conscious of the weight of
her body, of the touch of weeds against her skin, and of the
riffle in her mane as a teasing breeze sought it out.

OUCH!

She made a squeal of protest and swished her tail, slap-
ping her own flank smartly. A fly buzzed up. The brute
had bitten her!

She had become a creature of tfae day, all right! No fly
could bite a true night mare. Few flies abounded at night,
and the mares were solid only when they willed themselves
so. Now it seemed she was solid and bitable-without ef-




12

Night More

Night Mare

13

fort. She would have to watch that; getting chomped by a
bug wasn't fun. Fortunately, she had a good tail; she could
keep the little monsters clear.