"Peter David - Sir Apropos 01 - Sir Apropos Of Nothing" - читать интересную книгу автора (David Peter)

that she was no longer welcome in his home, having violated the strict rules of propriety set down.
Pregnant she might no longer have been, but strumpet and tramp she quite permanently was. Since there
was no going back, Madelyne opted to go forward.

She wandered, sticking primarily to the back roads and less-traveled areas, wanting to avoid the
more common paths frequented by highwaymen. It was a brutal and grueling time for her, but when she
recounted it for me, she tried to turn it into a grand adventure. She spoke to me of creatures that she had
encountered...unicorns, dragons, and the occasional werecreature. If she was to be believed, the
Elderwoods were simply crawling with such wondrous beasts.

Her most fanciful tale was her description of stumbling upon the birth of a phoenix. Such things
happen with great rarity, particularly considering that there is only one phoenix at a time, reborn from the
ashes of its predecessor.

Madelyne claimed that it was a particularly cold and bitter night when she witnessed "the event," as
she was wont to call it. She was huddled within a makeshift shelter of well-placed branches, shivering
against the elements because she had no money to stay at an inn, and she had been unable to secure any
sort of gainful employment, times being what they were (as they so often are). She felt her toes and
fingers going numb as she lay curled up, and flexed them as much as she could to try and restore
circulation to them.

And then she felt something very curious. It was warm air, wafting in her direction. On such a cold
night, it was hard for her to guess from whence such warmth might be originating. But if there was a heat
source anywhere to be had, then she was quite determined that it should serve her as well as anyone else.
The possibility did not escape her that it might be a fire lit by the exact type of criminal, robber, or
highway bandit that caused her such concern, but at that moment she was not especially inclined to be
concerned about anything other than avoiding freezing to death.

She made her way through the Elderwoods, following the heat source, blowing into her palms to try
and get some bit of warmth into her hands, since her threadbare gloves were affording her almost no
protection at all. There was a clearing just ahead of her, and what she saw astounded her.

A massive, birdlike creature was enveloped in flames.

She had never seen anything like it, although at first she fancied she was witnessing the pitiless slaying
of a roc or some other creature. She looked around to try and spot whatever vicious hunters might have
brought the poor animal to such straits. But slowly she came to realize that she was, in fact, the only
human being in the area. She also realized that the creature was being immolated, not from without, but
from within. The creature itself generated the flames consuming it, from deep within its own fiery heart.
Nor was the creature crying out in any way, indicating that there was no pain involved. Indeed, it
appeared to accept its fate with quiet, dignified resignation.

Within moments, the creature had been reduced to a huge pile of ashes. Even at that point, she didn't
fully comprehend what it was that she was seeing. The fact was, she was concerned only about her own
chill, and the growling of her belly reminded her that she had not eaten in some time. She took a step
toward the pile of ashes in a vague sort of hope that there might be bits or parts of the bird--freshly
cooked, of course--upon which she could dine.

Before she got anywhere near the ashes, however, they began to stir. It was a subtle movement, but
enough to fully capture her attention and startle her out of her wits. She bolted back to relatively safe