"Cook,.Rick.-.Wizardry.03-04.-.Cursed.And.Consulted" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cook Rick)

The seneschal nodded and began to back away, but the dwarf king
caught his sleeve and pulled him close.

"Send Glandurg to me in my chamber," he commanded in a low
voice.

There was a flash of bewilderment on the seneschal's leathery
face. Normally it was part of his job to keep Glandurg as far away
from his royal relative as he could. But he nodded, sketched
another bow and hurried to do his master's bidding.
* * *

Beyond the barrier, Bal-Simba was waiting. The enormous black
wizard sat patiently on a rock, wrapped in a cloak against the
evening chill. Beside him was Danny, the other member of the
programming team. Huddled next to Danny was his wife June.
Fortunately it was a large rock.

Bal-Simba was there because it was as close as he could get to
the negotiations. Despite being the head of the Council of the
North and as such the leader of nearly all the mortals in the World,
the non-mortals would not treat with him. Wiz Zumwalt's new magic
was stronger and to the non-mortals that made him the only mortal
who mattered. They would tolerate Jerry, Wiz's cubicle mate from
his days as a programmer in Cupertino, because Jerry was Wiz's
right-hand man and also an expert with the new magic.

Danny was there because Wiz and Jerry were. Like Jerry, he had
been magically brought to this world to help Wiz complete his
magic compiler and like Jerry he had chosen to stay behind when
most of the programmers went back. He had matured considerably
in the year or so since he had come to the World, but there was
still a lot of punk kid and hacker in Danny.

June was there because Danny was. If being a father and husband
had matured Danny, being mother and wife apparently affected
June not at all. She was still an almost feral presence; shy, silent
and remote from everyone except Danny and their infant son. Even
pregnancy and motherhood had not added a single pound to her
painfully thin frame.

Sitting pressed up against Danny she reminded Wiz of a wild
animal, unsure of her surroundings and ready to lash out at anyone
who came too close. As she moved, Wiz saw that she had Ian with
her, nursing under the cloak.

"Well, Sparrow?" Bal-Simba asked as they approached.

"They said they'd do it, but they won't say when. I think we're
supposed to meet again at the next full moon."