"Gordon R. Dickson - Dragon Knight 02 - The Dragon Knight" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dickson Gordon R)

тАЬMerely a matter of time until I found the right spot myself, of course,тАЭ he said. For a moment he
sounded almost genial.

He looked at Jim again.

тАЬWell now,тАЭ went on Carolinus in what, for him, was a reasonable tone, тАЬwhat does bring you to see
me, then?тАЭ

тАЬDo you mind if we step outside to talk about it?тАЭ asked Jim, still diffidently. The fact of the matter was
that with his size and the low ceiling of the room, plus its general darkness at the moment, he had a vision
of stepping on, or brushing off a table, some priceless, object; and sending Carolinus back into his
ill-temper once more.

тАЬI suppose I could do that,тАЭ said Carolinus. тАЬAll right men. After you.тАЭ

Jim turned and squeezed back out the door into the sunlight. Gorp raised his head momentarily from the
grass he was cropping to look at the two of them as they emerged; and then went back to the more
important business of feeding himself. Jim stepped down from the red step to the pathway and Carolinus
joined him there.
тАЬSo,тАЭ said Carolinus, тАЬyouтАЩre here in dragon body. Why?тАЭ

тАЬThatтАЩs it,тАЭ answered Jim.

тАЬWhat do you mean, thatтАЩs it?тАЭ echoed Carolinus.

тАЬI mean,тАЭ said Jim, тАЬitтАЩs the dragon body, thatтАЩs the reason IтАЩm here. I seem to have started turning into
a dragon unexpectedly from time to time. I asked the Accounting Office and all theyтАЩd tell me was that
my account had been activated.тАЭ

тАЬHmmm,тАЭ said Carolinus, тАЬthatтАЩs right, been a good bit over six months hasnтАЩt it? IтАЩm surprised they
didnтАЩt do it before now.тАЭ

тАЬBut I donтАЩt want my account activated,тАЭ said Jim. тАЬI donтАЩt want to keep changing into a dragon and
back again without warning like this. I need your help to stop it.тАЭ

тАЬStop it?тАЭ CarolinusтАЭs white eyebrows climbed up his forehead. тАЬThereтАЩs no way I can stop an account
being activated. Particularly since the time limitтАЩs more than run out.тАЭ

тАЬBut I donтАЩt even understand whatтАЩs meant by my account being activated!тАЭ said Jim.

тАЬWhy, my good James!тАЭ said Carolinus, exasperatedly. тАЬYou shouldnтАЩt need any help to reason that out.
YouтАЩve a certain balance with the Accounting Office. A balance is energy-potential magical energy. And
energy is not static. It has to be active, by definition. That means you put it to use, or-as now, very
evidently-it puts itself to use. Since you havenтАЩt done anything with it; and all it knows as far as your taste
and choices of use go, is that you once were in the body of a dragon, itтАЩs started turning you into a
dragon and from a dragon back again into a human at random. Quod erat demonstratum. Or, in language
you can understand-тАЬ

тАЬ тАШ-as has been demonstrated,тАЩ тАЬ translated Jim, a little testily, himself. He might be an ordinary
twentieth-century M.A., but he did know Latin.