"01 - A Difficulty With Dwarves" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gardner Craig Shaw)

'Don't even start!' she replied.

'But . . .' I added. What could I say? This was terrible. Now she would go to the Western Woods for sure! What could possibly be worse than this?

There was a small explosion by Snarks' foot. I used the momentary diversion to disengage myself from the clutching damsel.

'Surprise! Did you miss me?'

'You're right,' Snarks replied. 'Next time I'll have to take better aim.'

It was Tap the Brownie.

'Good news!' he exclaimed in his tiny Brownie voice. 'His Brownieship has given me another chance!'

'Good news?' Snarks repeated. 'If that's good news, I'd hate to think what's bad news!'

'Oh, yes!' Tap added. 'And in a few minutes we'll be visited by His Brownieship in person!'

'Yes, you're right,' Snarks responded. 'That's bad news.' A shudder ran through the demon's sickly green frame. 'His Brownieship?' Snarks wandered away to collect his thoughts.

Something poked me in the back. Could it be? Maybe she would give me a chance to talk to her in private! I turned quickly.

'Norei . . .' Her name died on my tongue. It was the unicorn.

'I said I'd come.' The magnificent beast tossed back its flowing mane. 'Unfortunately, it's much too crowded around here for us to really talk.'

I told the unicorn that that was really too bad, but we had to wait for Ebenezum.

'I realized,' the beast continued, its voice tinged with a

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magnificent melancholy, 'when I followed you all the way from the Western Woods, that I would have to make sacrifices.' The unicorn lifted its golden horn to the sky, its dark eyes staring into the distance. 'If only my head were not so heavy. If only there were a lap somewhere where I might rest.'

'Wuntie!' Alea called to me from a few feet away. 'You weren't going to wander off and leave me all alone, were you?'

'Um, er. . .'I began.'I've been meaning to talk to you-'

'Wuntie!' Alea stopped and stared at the unicorn. 'I remember this magnificent creature.'

'Um.yes. . .' I began.

She walked rapidly toward us. 'Well, don't you think it's time to introduce me?'

'Um. . .'Ibegan. 'Surely.' Perhaps here was the chance I was looking for. While Alea and the unicorn were temporarily involved, I might at last seek out Norei and explain. I turned to the unicorn. 'Do you recall this young lady -'

'I would rather not,' the beast interjected. 'Isn't there someplace we could go' - the creature allowed the slightest mournful sigh to escape from between its perfect teeth -' only the two of us?'

'My name is Alea.' She smiled enough for her dimples to show. 'I believe we met before. In the Western Woods.'