"02 - The Wyvern's Spur - Jeff Grubb & Kate Novak [4.0]" - читать интересную книгу автора (Finder's Stone)

his travels had left him gaunt and his hair in desperate need of a trim. His
sandy-brown locks straggled down his sunburned neck in back and into his muddy
brown eyes in front. His long face made his features seem less plain than they
were. He bore no resemblance, however, to the other living members of the
Wyvernspur family, who all had thin lips, hawklike noses, blue eyes, pale skin,
and dark hair.
Taking up his goblet of mulled wine, Giogi crossed the parlor to the fireplace,
where he warmed his fingers by the flames. It would take a day or two of blazing
fires to chase the last of the winter chill and damp from the parlor. Uncertain
as to his master's return, Thomas, Giogi's manservant, had decided not to waste
wood and effort heating an empty house. Giogi shuddered to think of the effect
that ten months of such neglect had on the plush wool Calimshan carpeting, the
brilliant Sembian satin furniture coverings, and the Cormyrian duskwood
paneling. At least, it being the month of Ches, the returning spring sunshine
kept ice from forming on the leaded glass windows. It had come as quite a shock
to Giogi, though, to find no candle burning in those windows upon his return,
neither literally nor figuratively.
The young noble wondered whether a mere fire laid in the hearth could burn off
the strange and unwelcome feeling he now sensed in his home. Everything was
familiar and in its proper place, but the townhouse felt empty. After months
spent at inns, aboard ships, and in traveling with strangers, now being alone
left Giogi disquieted. He took a long swig of wine to shake off his gloom.
On the mantlepiece lay the most interesting souvenir of his travels: a large
yellow crystal. Giogi had found it in the grass outside Westgate, and he was
sure there was something special about the stone besides its beauty and
financial value. The crystal shone in the dark like a great firefly, and Giogi
felt quite comforted whenever he held it. He considered showing it to his Uncle
Drone, but he decided against the idea, afraid that the old wizard would tell
him the stone was dangerous and take it away.
Giogi polished off his drink and placed the empty silver goblet on the
mantlepiece, then picked up the yellow crystal. Cradling it in both hands, he
flopped back into his favorite stuffed chair and propped his feet up on a
cushioned footstool. He turned the crystal over in his hands, watching the
firelight sparkle in each facet.
The crystal was roughly egg-shaped but far larger than any bird eggЧsmaller,
though, than a wyvern's egg. It was the color of the finest mead and faintly
warm to the touch. Where the facets met, the edges were not sharp but beveled
smooth. Giogi held the stone at arm's length, closed one eye, and tried to
divine if it held some secret within its depths, but he could make out only the
firelight shining through it and his own reflection broken by the facets.
"Now, what would be the best way to display you?" he asked the crystal. There
was no sense in having a case made for it, he realized. Taking it out every time
he wanted to handle it would be a bother, but it was too large to wear from a
neck chain. On the road, he had kept it tucked in the top of his boot, where
most adventurers kept their daggers.
The boots would have to suffice this evening, he decided at last. Although he
didn't plan to show it to Uncle Drone and the rest of his family, he very much
wanted to show the stone to his pals at the Immer Inn. With any luck, Aunt
Dorath would dismiss him from the family gathering early enough for him to slip
back into town before closing hour.