"Watt-Evans,.Lawrence.-.Ethshar.1.-.The.Misenchanted.Sword" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dragon Stories)

"Well, I'm not sure of that. I may have lost them. I'm hoping they wouldn't
expect me to try and cross the marsh and that their trackers, if they have any,
can't follow me across water. If you could speak their language, I was hoping
you could convince them that I'm not here; after all, this far north, one of
their people would be just as likely as one of ours, even out here on the coast.
If you hadn't spoken Ethsharitic when I hailed you, I wouldn't have known which
side you were on and I might have gone around you. Maybe you can convince them
that I did go around."

"I wish I hadn't spoken Ethsharitic! I don't know any of their speech; I can't
fool them for a minute. I came out here to get away from the war, damn it, not
to get tangled up with shatra!"

"I wondered why you were here. Well, if you deserted, here's a chance to get
yourself a pardon; just help me get away from these three."

"I didn't..."

A voice called from outside, and the wizard stopped abruptly in mid-sentence.
The call was in the harsh northern tongue.

"Oh, damn it!" the hermit said. He reached for a thick leather-bound book on one
of the nearby shelves.

"Look, I'll see if I can slip out and lead them away," Valder said, suddenly
contrite. "I never meant to get anyone else into trouble." As he spoke he got to
his feet, leaving his boots behind and stumbling toward the doorway. The wizard
ignored him, fully occupied as he was in pawing desperately through the fat,
leather-bound volume and muttering to himself.

Valder leaned out the door, then jumped back in as a streak of red flame flashed
past, tearing through the twilight inches from his face.

Seconds later, three sharp smacks sounded, followed by an instant of uncanny
whistling screams as sorcerous projectiles tore across the interior of the hut
at roughly the level of a man's chest, narrowly missing Valder's arm as he fell
back. The sound ended in a second three-part snap as they exited through the
north wall.

Not quite sure how he got there, Valder found himself sprawled on the
hard-packed dirt of the hut floor. He looked up and realized that the wizard was
still standing, book in hand, staring nonplussed at the holes in his wall.

"Get down, wizard!" Valder called.

The wizard still stood motionless.

Concerned, Valder shouted, "Are you all right?"