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

going. They're expecting me up at the castle."
Sudacar nodded without taking his eyes off the lure he tugged through the water.

Giogi left the Lord of Immersea by the water and hurried up the trail. It was
dark and cold by the time he reached the walls surrounding Redstone Castle; but
he still didn't relish the thought of entering. The castle was wrapped in shades
of gray and black. The reddish pallor of its stonework, which gave it its name,
was absent in the darkness. The castle squatted on the low hill overlooking the
Immer Stream, the town of Immersea, and the VVyvernwaterЧa great lake east of
CormyrЧbeyond, like a dragon watching a merchant road.
Looking up at the brooding monstrosity as he approached, Giogi was reminded
again of the dragon that had fallen on VVestgate and the earthquakes and
underworld power-struggle that had ensued. Having dealt with all those things,
Giogi assured himself, coping with this family crisis shouldn't be too
difficult.
2
Family
Giogi circled the castle walls to the front gate, strode into the courtyard, and
tapped on the hall door. An unfamiliar footman opened the portal a crack and
peered out at the shaggy, gangly noble dressed in yellow pants and a
red-and-white striped shirt covered with a black tabard. The tabard was
emblazoned with the Wyvernspur coat of arms, but the man who wore it looked more
like a traveling juggler than an Immersea noble. The servant stood waiting
impatiently for the man to speak.
Giogi was unaccustomed to having to announce his business at the doorstep of his
own family's ancestral home. He, too, stood in silence, waiting to be
recognized.
Finally the footman spoke. "Well, what is it?" he asked, his face creased with
irritation.
"I'm here to see my Aunt Dorath."
The footman opened the door an inch wider. "And you are?"
"Giogi. Giogioni Wyvernspur."
The footman's facial creases retreated just a fraction. "Oh," he said without
enthusiasm. He held the door open so that Giogi could enter the main hall. As
the noble clomped in, the footman eyed Giogi's dodders; his attention was not
lost on Giogi.
"Great boots, aren't they? Bought them in Westgate."
The servant maintained his stoic expression and did not comment on the boots. He
held out his arm for Giogi's cloak and said, "The gentlemen are still in the
dining room having their brandy. The ladies are in the parlor. I presume you
know the way."
"Yes," Giogi replied, handing over his cloak.
Laden with Giogi's outdoor gear, the footman disappeared through a small door.
Left alone again, Giogi felt hesitant to return to the bosom of his family.
There had been a reason he'd moved from Redstone to his parents' old townhouse.
His family thought him a fool and made a habit of reminding him of it. He was
branded for life just because, as a boy, he'd accidentally let an evil efreet
out of a bottle in Uncle Drone's lab and had once tried to fly off the stable
roof with pigeon feathersЧand had gotten himself locked in the family
cryptЧwhich had really been Cousin Steele's fault.