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

Jim stared at Carolinus. He had never spoken at all irritably to the Accounting Office, himself. Something
in his bones warned him that it would not be a wise thing to do. Even if he had not remembered the single
moment, some nine months ago, in which Earth, sky, and sea had spoken with a single voice, echoing
what the Office had just said, he had the feeling that he would know better than to speak up to the
Accounting Office voice.

It had been true that the one word the Accounting Office had uttered then had not been addressed to
him. But all the same, he would remember it for the rest of his life.

Nor had it been ineffective. The Dark Powers, for all their omnipotence, had been immediate in
delivering Angie back to him once that command had been given. Yet here was Carolinus, who regularly
treated the Accounting Office voice as if it was some junior employee, and a half-witted one at that.

тАЬAh!тАЭ said Carolinus.

A leather-bound book big enough to make the first volume of the Britannica look like a postage stamp
appeared out of empty air and fell downwards. Unbelievably, Carolinus caught it as lightly in the palm of
one hand as if it had been a feather. Jim was just close enough to read the slanted writing in gold across
the cover of the book.
Encyclopedie Necromantick.

тАЬComplete with index. ThatтАЩs right,тАЭ said Carolinus, balancing the volume in his hand and gazing
piercingly at it. тАЬNow you-small down!тАЭ

The huge volume began to shrink. It got smaller and smaller until it was the size of a sugar cube-until it
was no more than the size of a very small medicine tablet. He passed it over to Jim, who automatically
braced his arm to receive its weight and was surprised to find that he could hardly feel it in the palm of his
dragonтАЩs horny paw. He stared at it.

тАЬWell,тАЭ said Carolinus, тАЬdonтАЩt just stand there. Swallow it!тАЭ

With some misgivings, Jim flicked out a long red dragon tongue, curled it around the tiny pill-sized thing
he was holding, drew it back into his mouth, and swallowed.

It vanished down his throat without any feeling; but a moment later he felt rather as if he had eaten an
enormous meal.

тАЬThere you are,тАЭ said Carolinus satisfiedly. тАЬEverything a young magician needs to know. In fact,
everything any magician needs to know-those who still have to go by spells, of course. YouтАЩve got the
knowledge now, my boy. ItтАЩs just a matter of your learning how to use it. Practice, practice! ThatтАЩs the
answer. Practice!тАЭ

He rubbed his thin hands together.

тАЬHow-how do I practice?тАЭ said Jim, still battling with the feeling of having eaten two Christmas dinners
at once.

тАЬHow do you do it?тАЭ said Carolinus. тАЬI just told you. Practice! Look up the spell you need in the index,
find it in the Encyclopedie, and apply it. ThatтАЩs what you do. Moreover, you keep on doing it until you
have the whole Encyclopedie by heart. Then, if you have the talent, you move up a step to the point