"David Eddings - The Dreamers 03 - Crystal Gorge" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

тАШNew Lattash,тАЩ he corrected her. тАШOld Lattash was just fine, but itтАЩs not there any more. ItтАЩs New Lattash
thatтАЩs got me worried.тАЩ

тАШAnd whyтАЩs that, dear boy?тАЩ

тАШBoy?тАЩ Red-Beard found the term to be a bit offensive.

тАШItтАЩs just a relative term,тАЩ she said, smiling. тАШWhatтАЩs troubling you so much, Red-Beard?тАЩ

тАШIтАЩd really be much happier if word that IтАЩm here on the Seagull didnтАЩt leak out anywhere in the vicinity
of the new village.тАЩ

тАШItтАЩs your home, isnтАЩt it?тАЩ

тАШWell, it used to be. After my uncle White-Braid came apart when Old Lattash was buried by that lava
flow, the villagers decided that I should be the chief.тАЩ

тАШIt seems that IтАЩd heard about that. Did I ever congratulate you?тАЩ

тАШNo, and I think IтАЩd like to keep it that way. To be honest about it, I didnтАЩt want to be the chief, and I still
donтАЩt. If IтАЩm lucky, these wars in the other parts of the Land of Dhrall will go on and on for years. IтАЩve
never wanted to be the chief of the tribe, and I still donтАЩt.тАЩ

Zelana laughed. тАШYou and my sister make a very odd pair, Red-Beard. She wants all that authority and
adoration, but you keep running away from it.тАЩ

тАШHow can she stand all that foolishness?тАЩ

тАШIt makes her feel important, Red-Beard, and being important takes some of the sting out of the fact that
our older brother outranks her in this particular cycle.тАЩ She paused, looking thoughtfully at Red-Beard.
тАШYou do know about our cycles, donтАЩt you, Red-Beard?тАЩ she asked.

тАШSort of. As I understand it, you and your family stay awake for a thousand years, and then you hand
your task off to some younger relatives and take a long nap. Is that anywhere close to what happens?тАЩ

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 Crystal Gorge



тАШFairly close - except that your number isnтАЩt quite right. Our cycles are twenty-five times longer than
one thousand.тАЩ

Red-Beard blinked. тАШYouтАЩve been awake for that long?тАЩ he asked her in a voice filled with wonder.

тАШNot quite yet, but itтАЩs getting closer to nap-time. When our current cycle began, people - your species -
were at a very primitive level. They hadnтАЩt even discovered fire yet, and their most sophisticated weapon
was the club. In many ways, this is the most important period in the history of the world. The man-
things -your species - spend most of their time changing things. That makes this particular cycle very
significant - and very dangerous. There are some things that should not be changed - and that brings us