"Dragonlance - Deathgate Cycle 02 - Elven Star" - читать интересную книгу автора (Deathgate Cycle)

The elves revere life and so magically endow it on nearly all their creations. The feathers were under the illusion that they were still attached to the swan. Paithan, watching them, thought that this might be a good analogy for their entire family. They were all under the illusion that they were still attached to something, perhaps even each other.

His peaceful reverie was interrupted by the appearance of a charred, singed, and disheveled man, who bounded into the room, rubbing his hands.

'Made from a compound of calcium deposits taken from the bones of dead animals and processed with other organic elements to form a pliable paste.

"That was a good one, don't you think?" he said.

The man was short, for an elf, and had obviously once been robustly plump. The flesh had begun to sag lately; the skin had turned sallow and slightly puffy. Though it could not be told beneath the soot, the gray hair standing up around a large bald spot on his head revealed that he was in his middle years. Other than his graying hair, it might have been difficult to guess the elfs age because his face was smooth and unwrinkled-too 1 smooth. His eyes were bright-too bright. He rubbed his hands and looked anxiously from daughter to son.

'That was a good one, wasn't it?" he repeated.

"Sure, Guvnor," said Paithan in good-humored agreement. '^Nearly knocked me over backward."

Lenthan Quindiniar smiled jerkily.

"Calandra?" he persisted.

"You've sent the kitchen help into hysterics and put new cracks in the ceiling, if that's what you mean, Father," retorted Calandra, snapping the beads together viciously.

"You've made a mistake!" squeaked the abacus suddenly.

Calandra glared at it, but the abacus held firm. "Fourteen thousand six hundred eighty-five add twenty-seven is not fourteen thousand six hundred twelve. If s fourteen thousand seven hundred twelve. You've neglected to cany the one."

"I'm surprised I can still reckon at all! See what you've done, Father?" Calandra demanded.

Х Lenthan appeared rather downcast for a moment, but he cheered up almost immediately.

"It won't be long now," he said, rubbing his hands. "That last one lifted the rocket above my head. I think I'm close to discovering the proper mixture. I'll be in the laboratory, my (tears, if anyone needs me."

"That's likely!" muttered Calandra.

"Oh, ease up on the guvnor," said Paithan, watching with some amusement as the elf wound his way vaguely around the assortment of fine furnishings to disappear through a door at the back of the dining area. "Would you rather have him the way he was after Mother died?"

"I'd rather have him sane, if that's what you mean, but I suppose thaf s too much to ask! Between Thea's gallivanting and Papa's idiocy, we're the laughing stock of the city."

*8" WEIS AND HICKMAN

"Don't worry, Sister dear. The people may snigger but, with you scooping up the money of the Lords of Thillia, they do so behind their hands. Besides, if the guvnor was sane he'd be back in the business."

"Humpf," snorted Calandra. "And don't use that slang talk. You know I can't abide it: It's what comes of hanging around with that crowd of yours. Idle, time-wasting bunch of-"

"Wrong!" informed the abacus. "It's supposed to be-"

"I'll do it!" Calandra frowned over her latest entry and irritably went back to add up her figures again.

"Let that. . . that thing there do the work," suggested Paithan, motioning to the abacus.

"I don't trust machines. Hush up!" Calandra snarled when her brother would have spoken.