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

тАЬHo, there!тАЭ cried Angie to the room at large. тАЬAnother robe for His Lordship!тАЭ

There was a few minutes of scampering around before another, untorn robe of JimтАЩs was produced. He
slipped into it gratefully.

тАЬAnd now, you, Theoluf!тАЭ Angie went on, to the chief of the men-at-arms. тАЬSee that Sir JamesтАЩs horse is
saddled, provisioned, equipped, his light armor brought down, and everything made ready for him to
leave immediately.тАЭ

Theoluf, having started off with her first words, turned back briefly. He was a man of middling height
with a not unfriendly smile when he smiled, but a face badly disfigured by the scan of some form of the
pox.

тАЬRight away, mтАЩLady,тАЭ he answered. тАЬHow many men will mтАЩLord be taking with him?тАЭ

тАЬNone!тАЭ boomed Jim, louder than he had intended. The last thing he wanted was for the people he
governed to see him switching back and forth between the human and dragon forms; and possibly come
to suspect that he could not control the change.
тАЬYou heard your Lord,тАЭ said Angela to Theoluf.

тАЬYes, mтАЩLady,тАЭ answered the man-at-arms, who would have been very deaf indeed not to have heard.
He headed toward the exit door at the end of the great hall. Angie came back to Jim.

тАЬWhy are you doing this?тАЭ half-whispered Angie angrily, as she came close.

тАЬI wish I knew,тАЭ answered Jim grouchily, but in an equally low-pitched voice. тАЬYou must know I canтАЩt
control it, or else I wouldnтАЩt be doing it.тАЭ

тАЬWhat I mean is,тАЭ insisted Angie, тАЬwhat do you do just before you turn into a dragon, what makes you
do it?тАЭ

She paused and stared at him with a suddenly stricken face.

тАЬYouтАЩre not Gorbash all over again?тАЭ

Jim shook his head. Gorbash had been the dragon whose body he had inhabited when he had first come
to this strange world.

тАЬNo,тАЭ he answered, тАЬitтАЩs just me, in a dragon body. But it just happens to me without warning. I canтАЩt
control it.тАЭ

тАЬThatтАЩs what I was afraid of,тАЭ said Angie. тАЬThatтАЩs why I ordered your horse and armor. I want you to
talk to Carolinus right away about this.тАЭ

тАЬNot Carolinus,тАЭ protested Jim feebly.

тАЬCarolinus!тАЭ repeated Angie firmly. тАЬYouтАЩve got to get to the bottom of this. Do you think you can stay
human long enough to put on the armor, get on the horse, and get out of sight, before you do any more
changing?тАЭ