"Eisenstein,.Phyllis.-.Elementals.2.-.1988.-.Crystal.Palace" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eisenstein Phyllis)

УThank you,Ф it said. УI appreciate an invitation from such a fine cook.Ф
* * *
Supper was somewhat strained, for neither Cray nor Sepwin would speak much,
though Delivev and the demons were able to chat amiably enough. Afterward, they
all sat in the garden over wine until Sepwin decided it was time to pack up the
mirror.
УIТll carry you and it home, if you like,Ф offered Elrelet, Уas a small
repayment to my lady for the excellent supper.Ф
УThank you,Ф said Sepwin. УFlight would be safest for the mirror. But for
myself, IТd really prefer a horse.Ф
УThatТs a simple matter. My old master gave me a horseТs form so he could roam
the world in disguise. As a talking and untiring horse, I am at your service.Ф
Sepwin shook his head. УI wouldnТt want to keep you in the human realm so long.
The journey is a long one.Ф
Elrelet chuckled softly. УI donТt mind the human realm, as long as IТm visiting
it of my own free will.Ф For the meal, the demon had assumed a vaguely man-like
shape, with torso and limbs of puffy white and a blob of a head with a large
mouth but no eyes, nose or ears. Now it settled to the ground, all four limbs
straight beneath it, the torso arching. The insubstantial-looking cloud
solidified, smoothed out, became sleek and graceful. The horse that had been
Elrelet tossed its white-maned head, and a pale leather saddle took form from
the powerful muscles of its back.
Sepwin stood and bowed awkwardly to Delivev. УPerhaps youТll give me some
provisions for the trip, my lady ... ?Ф
Her smile was puzzled. УYouТre not going this very moment, are you, Feldar?Ф
He glanced sidelong at Cray. УI donТt know. Perнhaps youТre all weary of me ...
and my foibles.Ф
Demon and human alike, they turned to Cray at that, waiting for him to pass
judgment on his friend. For just a moment, his lips made a thin, exasperated
line; then he shook his head and rose to clap Sepwin on the back. УOf course
youТll stay. Do you think I brought you all this way to have you leave in less
than a day?Ф
Sepwin hesitated, looking into CrayТs face, and then his mouth curved into a
slow smile. УIt does seem an inefficient use of time.Ф
УOf course it is. Elrelet can take you home a week hence as easily as now.
ThereТs a game of chance IТve been wanting to try with you, one I observed in
the webs some time ago, very popular in the south, and I was wondering if your
powers as a Seer might have some effect on the outcome ... Ф
Sepwin stayed the week, and in that time he did not speak of the mirror again.
* * *
The fame of the Mirror of HeartТs Desire spread far during the next few years.
Kings and commoners came to look into it. The young, the old, the wandering, the
people wanting to be told what to do with their lives, where to go, who to
serve-all the folk who did not know their own minds came to the mirror. In it
they saw objects, places, people, or they saw themselves in strange
surroundings, doing unfamiliar things. And the Seers stood by, Sepwin and the
lady Helaine, to tell them, if they asked, what those visions meant.
But though he visited the SeersТ cave often in those years, and though he passed
the velvet drapery that hid the mirror a dozen dozen times, Cray did not look,
no matter how obliquely Sepwin suggested it.