"Foster, Alan Dean - SS3 - The Day of the Dissonance" - читать интересную книгу автора (Foster Alan Dean)

Jon-Tom frowned and leaned on his long ramwood staff.
"What are you talking about?"

"Ever since we returned from the great battle at the
Jo-Troom Gate my daily life has been one unending litany
of misery and frustration. All because you had to go and
turn my rude but dutiful famulus Pog into a phoenix.
Whereupon he promptly departed my service for the dubi-
ous pleasures his falcon ladylove could bestow on him."

"Is it my fault you've had a hard time replacing him?
That's hardly a surprise, considering the reputation you got
for mistreating Pog."

"I did not mistreat Pog," the wizard insisted. "I treated
him exactly as an apprentice should be treated. It's true
that I had to discipline him from time to time. That was
due to his own laziness and incompetence. All part of the
learning process." Clothahump straightened his new glasses.

"Pog spread the details of your teaching methods all
over the Betlwoods. But 1 thought the new famulus you
finally settled on was working out okay."

"Ha! It just goes to show what can happen when you
don't read the fine print on someone's resume. It's too late
now. I've made him my assistant and am bound to him, as
he is to me."

"What's wrong? I thought he was brilliant."

THE DAY OF THE DISSONANCE 5

"He can be. He can be studious, efficient, and eager to
learn."

"Sounds good to me."

"Unfortunately, he has one little problem."

"What kind of problem?"

Clothahump's reply was interrupted by a loud, slurred
curse from the room off to the left. The wizard gestured
with his head toward the doorway, looked regretful.

"Go see for yourself, my boy, and understand then what
a constant upset my life has become."

Jon-Tom considered, then shrugged and headed under