"Gordon R. Dickson - The Last Dream" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dickson Gordon R)

тАЬAs a matter of fact, it does. Ulcer?тАЭ

тАЬHigh-strung people working under nervous tension get them back where I come from.тАЭ

тАЬPeople?тАЭ inquired Carolinus suspiciously. тАЬOr dragons?тАЭ

тАЬThere arenтАЩt any dragons where I come from.тАЭ

тАЬAll right, all right, I believe you,тАЭ said Carolinus, testily. тАЬYou donтАЩt have to stretch the truth like that.
How do you exorcize them?тАЭ

тАЬMilk,тАЭ said Jim. тАЬA glass every hour for a month or two.тАЭ

тАЬMilk,тАЭ said Carolinus. He held out his hand to the open air and received a small tankard of it. He drank
it off, making a face. After a moment, the face relaxed into a smile.

тАЬBy the Powers!тАЭ he said. тАЬBy the Powers!тАЭ He turned to Jim, beaming. тАЬCongratulations, Gorbash, IтАЩm
beginning to believe you about that college business after all. The bovine nature of the milk quite smothers
the ulcer-demon. Consider me paid.тАЭ

тАЬOh, fine. IтАЩll go get Angie and you can hypnotizeтАФтАЭ

тАЬWhat?тАЭ cried Carolinus. тАЬTeach your grandmother to suck eggs. Hypnotize! Ha! And what about the
First Law of Magic, eh?тАЭ

тАЬThe what?тАЭ said Jim.
тАЬThe First LawтАФthe First LawтАФdidnтАЩt they teach you anything in that college? Forgotten it already, I
see. Oh, this younger generation! The First Law: for every use of the Art and Science, there is
required a corresponding price. Why do I live by my fees instead of by conjurations? Why does a
magic potion have a bad taste? Why did this Hanson-amateur of yours get you all into so much trouble?тАЭ

тАЬI donтАЩt know,тАЭ said Jim. тАЬWhy?тАЭ

тАЬNo credit! No credit!тАЭ barked Carolinus, flinging his skinny arms wide. тАЬWhy, I wouldnтАЩt have tried
what he did without ten years credit with the auditing department, and I am a Master of the Arts. As it
was, he couldnтАЩt get anything more than your spirit back, after sending the maiden complete. And the
fabric of Chance and History is all warped and ready to spring back and cause all kinds of trouble. WeтАЩll
have to give a little, take a littleтАФтАЭ

тАЬGORBASH!тАЭ A loud thud outside competed with the dragon-bellow.

тАЬAnd here we go,тАЭ said Carolinus dourly. тАЬItтАЩs already starting.тАЭ He led the way outside. Sitting on the
greensward just beyond the flower beds was an enormous old dragon Jim recognized as the great-uncle
of the body he was inтАФSmrgol.

тАЬGreetings, Mage!тАЭ boomed the old dragon, dropping his head to the ground in salute. тАЬYou may not
remember me. NameтАЩs SmrgolтАФyou remember the business about that ogre I fought at Gormely Keep?
I see my grandnephew got to you all right.тАЭ

тАЬAh, SmrgolтАФI remember,тАЭ said Carolinus. тАЬThat was a good job you did.тАЭ