"02 Myth Conceptions (e)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Asprin Robert)

That woke me up fast. The only thing nastier than
a demon from Perv is a demon from Perv with a

hangover.
I was on my feet and headed for the door in a

flash. (My agility was a tribute more to my fear
rather than to any inborn talent.) Wrenching the
door open, I thrust my head outside and surveyed the
terrain. The grounds outside the inn seemed normal.
The weeds were totally out of hand, more than chest
high in places. Something would have to be done
about them someday, but my mentor didn't seem to
mind their riotous growth, and since I was the logical
candidate to cut them if I raised the point, I decided
once again to keep silent on the subject.

Instead, I studied the various flattened patches and
newly torn paths in the overgrowth, trying to deter-
mine the location or at least the direction of my quar-
ries' movement. I had almost convinced myself that
the silence was at least semipermanent and it would
be all right to go back to sleep, when the ground
began to tremble again. I sighed and shakily drew
myself up to my full height, what there was of it, and
prepared to meet the onslaught.

The unicorn was the first to come into view, great
clumps of dirt flying from beneath his hooves as he
ducked around the corner of the inn on my right.

"Buttercup!" I shouted in my most authoritative
tone.

A split second later I had to jump back into the
shelter of the doorway to avoid being trampled by the
speeding beast. Though a bit miffed at his disobe-
dience, I didn't really blame him. He had a dragon
chasing him, and dragons are not notoriously agile
when it comes to quick stops.

As if acting on a cue from my thoughts, the dragon
burst into view. To be accurate, he didn't really
burst, he thudded, shaking the inn as he rebounded
off the corner. As I said, dragons are not notoriously
agile.

"Gleep!" I shouted. "Stop it this instant!"