"doyle, deborah - mcdonald, james d - circle of magic 02 - The Secret of The Tower" - читать интересную книгу автора (Doyle Debra)

"Let me look at you, boy. Is this
blood on your face?"
Randal shook his head. "It doesn't matter, my
lord," he muttered.
Then he realized that his cousin wasn't going to go
away as long as he lay there on the packed dirt.
He tried to stand, but the last kick to his knee had
been too much for him, and he faltered as he came
upright.
A strong arm caught him before he could fall. Randal
felt the limber muscle beneath the heavy chain mail
and a linen surcoat. Walter had grown over the last
three years from a gangly boy into a young man of
almost twenty. Randal looked away, still hoping not
to be recognized.
"Here," said Walter. "Let me give you a hand.
He slipped an arm under Randal's and began
helping the young wizard limp back toward the lighted
inn. Randal muttered something he hoped sounded like
thanks; his voice hadn't finished changing when he'd
left Doun for the Schola, so maybe Walter
wouldn't remember him well enough to recognize his
voice and accent.
But Walter had never been stupid. He paused,
and the idle kindness in his voice changed to genuine
curiosity. "What's your name, boy?"
A wizard never tells anything but the truth,
thought Randal, despairing.
Lies and magic don't work in the same mouth.
"Well, answer me," Walter said, more sharply this
time. "What's your name?"
"Randal," Randal said, almost in a whisper. Then, more
strongly, "Randal of Doun, cousin."
II. Squire
RANDAL sat ON the floor of the small room that
Walter had rented for the night. The young wizard dabbed
at his cut cheek with a wet rag and looked up at his
cousin.
"When did you get here, anyway?" Randal asked.
He wrung out the rag into the wooden bowl on the
floor in front of him, dampened the scrap of
cloth with fresh water from the pottery jug beside the
bowl, and dabbed at his cheek again.
"I came in after dark," Walter said. "They had
to open the gates for me. I'd barely gotten done
seeing to my horses when I heard that racket
outside the stable."
Walter sat on the lumpy pallet that served as the
room's only mattress, his long legs stretched
out in front of him. The smoky light of the tallow