"Brooks - Heritage 2 -The Druid of Shannara" - читать интересную книгу автора (Brooks Terry)

She took a tentative step forward, then another. Finding that
she could walk, she began to move more quickly, testing her
abilities in various ways as she circled her father, glancing cau-
tiously, shyly at the old man as she went. She looked around
curiously, taking in the sights, smells, sounds, and tastes of the

The Druid of Shannara 5

Gardens, discovering in them a kinship that she could not im-
mediately explain.

"Are these Gardens my mother?" she asked suddenly, and
he told her they were. "Am I a part of you both?" she asked,
and he told her yes.

"Come with me," he said gently.

Together, they walked through the Gardens, exploring in the
manner of a parent and child, looking into flowers, watching
for the quick movement of birds and animals, studying the vast,
intricate designs of the tangled undergrowth, the complex layers
of rock and earth, and the patterns woven by the threads of the
Gardens' existence. She was bright and quick, interested in ev-
erything, respectful of life, caring. He was pleased with what
he saw; he found that he had made her well.

After a time, he began to show her something of the magic.
He demonstrated his own first, only the smallest bits and pieces
of it so as not to overwhelm her. Then he let her test her own
against it. She was surprised to learn that she possessed it, even
more surprised to discover what it could do. But she was not
hesitant about using it. She was eager.

"You have a name," he told her. "Would you like to know
what it is?"

"Yes," she answered, and stood looking at him alertly.
"Your name is Quickening." He paused. "Do you under-
stand why?"

She thought a moment. "Yes," she answered again.

He led her to an ancient hickory whose bark peeled back in
great, shaggy strips from its trunk. The breezes cooled there,
smelling of jasmine and begonia, and the grass was soft as they
sat together. A griffin wandered over through the tall grasses
and nuzzled the girl's hand.

"Quickening," the King of the Silver River said. "There is