"Dave Duncan - Tales of King's Blades 2 - Lord of The Firelands" - читать интересную книгу автора (Duncan Dave)

must be the third worst day of his life. Down on
his knees, he was attempting to wash the main
courtyard with a bucket of water and a small rag
--an impossible task that had been assigned
to him by a couple of beansprouts because trying
to drive the Brat crazy was the juniors'
traditional pastime. Having all survived
Brat-hood themselves, they felt justified in
giving what they had received. Few of them ever
realized that they were being tested just as much as the Brat
was and would be expelled if they displayed any real
sadism.
An elderly knight passing by when the shout went
up told the Brat to run and inform Grand Master.
Grand Master was the highest of the high, but the Brat
felt comfortable near him, safe from persecution.
Grand Master did not dunk him in a water trough
or make him stand on a table and sing lewd songs.
The old man was in his study, going over accounts
with the Bursar. He displayed no emotion at the
news. "Thank you," he said. "Wait, though.
Bursar, can we continue this another time?" Then, as
the other man was gathering up his ledgers, he turned
back to the Brat and absolutely ruined his third
worst day. "His Majesty will undoubtedly bind
some of the seniors tomorrow night. You have heard of the
ritual?"
"He sticks a sword through their hearts?" the
Brat said uneasily. It was a sick-making
thought, because one day it would happen to him.
"Yes, he does. It is a very potent
conjuration to turn them into Blades. Don't
worry, they always survive." Almost always. "But
you will have a part in the ritual."
"Me?" the Brat squawked. Conjury? With the
King present? That was worse than a hundred
water troughs, a thousand ....
"Yes, you. You have three lines to say and you
lay the candidate's sword on the anvil.
Go and find Master of Rituals and he will
instruct you. No, wait. First find Prime and
make sure he knows about the King." Prime, after
all, must have more interest in the royal visit than
any other candidate, for his fate was certain now.
Whoever else the King took, Prime would be first.
"He'll be in the library."
Regrettably, Grand Master was wrong. The
seniors were not in the library that afternoon. The Brat
had not yet learned his way around the school and was
too unsure of himself to ask for help, so he never