"Watt-Evans,.Lawrence.-.Ethshar.5.-.Taking.Flight" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dragon Stories)

But... Kelder was flustered, unsure what question most needed asking now. It didnt help any that he still had some difficulty thinking in Traders Tongue. Finally, he managed, How far is Hlimora Castle?
About a league, maybe a little morejust out of sight of where we met. But its in the wrong direction, if youre going to Shan. And besides, its boring.
Oh. Kelder struggled to decide which was more important, going to Shan and not being boring, or getting something to eat. The three leagues to Amramion seemed like an awfully long distance to travel without his breakfast.
There were no other travelers in sight just now. Had there been, Kelder might have attempted to beg some food, but as it was he didnt have that option. He looked down the road ahead, where he could see nothing but cornfields and pasture and forest, and then he looked back toward Hlimora, where he could see nothing but hills and cornfields and pasture, and he thought about the difference between the hour or so it would take to reach Hlimora Castle, and the three hoursmore, really, as hed need to stop and rest somewhereit would take to reach the village of Amramion, and he thought about the emptiness in his stomach.
Then, when he thought hed decided, he looked at Iriths face and forgot about food.
Oh, he said, Ill be fine. He glanced around, and added, But if you see anything to eat anywhere, tell me. He eyed the corn growing in the fields, but as yet there were only green stalks, not even unripe ears to eat.
All right, she said.
They marched on, and the forest stretched on alongside. They met no other travelers on this stretch.
About twenty minutes later Irith pointed to a low plant growing by the roadside, almost in the shade of the forest. Those are strawberries, she said, but I dont know if any of them are ripe.
Kelder wasnt sure hecared if they were ripe, and picked a handful. After his first taste, however, he decided that ripening was important after all; he tossed the rest away. He and his stomach grumbled on.
An hour or so later, after silent encounters with two more horsemen and twice that number westbound afoot, they came to the border between Hlimora and Amramion, a border marked by a small tower of reddish stone. It looked deserted, but as they approached a man in a steel helmet leaned over a merlon atop the tower and shouted at them.
Neither could make out the words, but Irith waved cheerfully.
The two of them strolled on, Kelder growing nervous, Irith quite calm as they approached the watchtower.
The man shouted again, and this time Kelder understood him; he was speaking Traders Tongue.
Who goes there? he called.
Kelder looked at Irith, unsure what to say. She just waved gaily and called, Hello!
The guard squinted down at her.
Irith? he called.
She nodded.
Walking this time, are you? the guard called. What happened to your wings?
She grinned and stepped back away from Kelder for a moment.
When she stepped away she was just a girla very beautiful one, but a girl. Then, suddenly, she had wings that unfolded behind her, those great glistening white wings he had seen before. Kelder revised his earlier estimate; her wingspan was more than fifteen feet, and might be a full twenty.
She folded her wings, and then they were gone again. Kelder started to ask something, then didnt bother.
Magic, he muttered to himself. Wonders and magic.
What about him? the guard called, pointing at Kelder.
I met him up the road, Irith called. His names Kelder.
That right, boy? the guard called.
Yes, sir, Kelder replied, Kelder of Shulara.
You a trader?
No, sir.
You of noble birth?
No.
You armed?
No, just a belt knife.
Doesnt count. You a magician?
No.
You swear that youve told me the truth?
Yes, sir.
Irith?
Oh,I dont know, I just met him, Irith replied, a bit flustered. But Ithink its all true. Its the same thing he toldme!
All right, go on, then, the guard said. And you, Kelder, you be careful of Irith.
Kelder blinked, and nodded. The soldier waved them on, and they walked on.
Kelder puzzled over the guards last sentence. His knowledge of Traders Tongue was still far from perfect, and he wasnt sure whether the guard had meant that he should defend Irith, or beware of Irith.
The latter didnt seem to make much sense. She might be a shapeshifter, but she was still just a girl. And the guard himself certainly didnt seem very worried about her; hed greeted her as an old friend.
So he must have been asking him to look after her.
Well, that sounded fine to Kelder. He was very interested indeed in looking after Irith indefinitely.
And the guard knew who and what Irith was, and had greeted her by name. He had seemed willing to take her word for Kelders identity. That implied, at the very least, that she really had traveled the Great Highway before, probably more than once. Kelder looked at his companion again, wondering how she had managed it. She must have started travelingawfully young!
Impressing her was going to be very difficult, he realized, if she had traveled so far and seen so much. He wished he knew more about her, and more about women in general. All the other girls he had associated with much were people he had known since childhood; he had had no practice in getting to know females, in attracting their interestand he needed Irith to be interested in him. She was so beautiful, so endearing, that just walking beside her was a constant blend of agony and delightdelight at her presence, and agony at the frustration of doing nothingbut walking beside her. He wanted to touch her, hold herbut he didnt have the nerve, yet.
The mere fact that she was there meant she liked him, since after all, she could fly away at any secondbut he had no way to judge howmuch she liked him, or what she wanted from him.
Boiling with indecision, he walked on, watching her.