"David,.Peter.-.Sir.Apropos.3.-.Tong.Lashing" - читать интересную книгу автора (David Peter)

gods have in store for us had received a good deal of play in my life.
Furthermore, I found myself considering the fact that most men live their lives
in quiet Desperation... Desperation being the single largest city in all the
world, and reputedly the most staggeringly boring. Hence the "quiet"
appellation. Situated west of the state of Isteria, quiet Desperation was the
capital of the state of Grace, named for the founder's wife (whose name was,
curiously, Margaret). People flocked there because of the easy living and
usually balmy weather. And those who didn't live in quiet Desperation often
aspired to live long enough to earn enough money to move there.
I found myself comparing myself to those who lived in quiet Desperation, and
considered that they truly were destiny-free, because their lives were so damned
dull. My life, by contrast, had been anything but dull. Even when it had been
dull, it was more along the lines of my life catching its breath before hurling
me headlong into the next series of insane events. It led me to wonder, then,
whether the very nature of perpetual warped activity that constituted my life
more or less indicated that perhaps I did, indeed, have a special fate that was
above and beyond what other "mere mortals" faced.
The questions before me then, were twofold: What exactly was the kind of destiny
I was faced with, and how much of it was truly in my control? I had the answers
to neither, and I think it was the lack of knowing that simply added to my
bitterness, rather than exciting me about the possibilities.
I discussed none of this with Mordant or Sharee, of course. Part of me was
certain they wouldn't understand, while part of me was certain they would. For
the life of me, I'm not sure which prospect bothered me more.
Instead I tried to focus purely on Mordant's background, with the reasoning that
people usually like talking about themselves. This notion was thwarted by the
fact that Mordant wasn't people. He was disinclined to talk about himself at
all. Despite prodding from Sharee and myself, he would not go into detail as to
whether others of his species could converse, or how long he'd been speaking, or
how he'd come to learn the language.
"Why now?" I asked him. "Why did you suddenly start making it obvious to me now
that you could speak?"
"Because she's here," said Mordant, "which means it's unlikely that you'll be
forthcoming about yourself anymore. So I felt I might as well join future
conversations. Although, frankly, I doubt you'll enjoy hearing anyone converse
as much as you enjoy hearing yourself."
"That's reasonably accurate," Sharee said.
My famed glare had little effect on her and, unfortunately, did not reduce her
to the puddle of goo I was hoping it would.
We made our way then across the land of Wuin. When we happened to come upon
other travelers, Mordant would fall silent so as not to garner further questions
from startled passersby. We encountered one or two threats, but it was nothing
that a healthy running away from couldn't handle.
The greatest challenge we encountered was trying to steer clear of cities or
towns that had known the ravages of my army during my time as a "peacelord."
During those excursions, certain magicks had given me an unusual strength and
vitality that would have not seemed readily apparent in my more natural form. My
red hair and by then thick beard were very easy to spot, but the pronounced limp
resulting from my lame and deformed right leg might have put anyone off the
scent if they thought to associate me with the more robust Apropos the