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

'Doom!' Snarks exclaimed in agreement. ' 'Tis the only thing worse than the Grand Hoohah.'

'What -' I began.

'You don't want to know!' Snarks interjected rapidly.

'Indeed,' my master continued. 'This situation makes it that much more imperative that we begin the quest for aid at once.' He motioned to the other mages, most of whom seemed to have recovered from their sneezing bouts. 'We must confer for but a minute, and then the selection shall be made.' He turned to Norei. 'I am sorry, young witch, that we will have to exclude you, but I feel such a move is for the best. You see, I have discovered that when magic arises, my malady becomes contagious.'

My master turned and walked back in the direction of the library, the other wizards at his heels. I paced in the opposite direction, eager to pick up the Home Study Course where I had dropped it in the heat of battle. On my way there, I chanced to pass close to my beloved, who shook her head in disbelief.

'Can you believe it?' she asked.

Well, I could believe anything that came from those beautiful lips. Still, of late, whenever I had tried to express my devotion to Norei, it seemed to come out incorrectly. I decided, therefore, to take the safer path.

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'Believe what?' I asked.

'Your master kept me from casting a spell in the recent battle. I did not know that was his intention at the time, of course. He kept leaping in front of me, his head covered by his great robes, so that all I could hear were his muffled sneezes.' Norei chuckled. 'I thought the great wizard had taken leave of his senses.'

I nodded solemnly at Norei's explanation. With hardly any thought of his own malady, Ebenezum had prevented this young witch from suffering a similar fate. He was, truly, a great wizard. How many times had he saved me from similar misadventures? But with that thought came another: How would I survive my coming quest without him by my side?

I turned to Norei, intent on confiding my doubts. But my beloved was nowhere to be seen in the milling aftermath of battle. Was this what it had come to, then? Had I lost Norei's confidence completely? Would I be forever alone, without another soul to speak with?

There was a small explosion by my feet.

'A happy Brownie hello!' an equally small voice exhorted. 'You haven't perchance seen my student hereabouts?'

'Your student?' It only occurred to me once I had spoken that he must mean Snarks.

'Yes, the green fellow,' the Brownie replied, confirming my suspicions. 'That rapscallion led me to the official college bootery. Well, let me tell you, time can really fly when you get a chance to examine quality footwear. And how much more fascinating is it when that footwear is magical!' The Brownie whistled softly. 'There was one pair of ruby slippers that really caught my . . .'

Something pricked at my throat. I found it was a knife. It

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was attached to an arm, which was attached in turn to Vermin, that large, unspeaking member of the Vushta Apprentice Guild.

'What a surprise!' said Grott, whom I was sure could do enough talking for the both of them. He doffed his cap and bowed in what I thought was a rather exaggerated manner. 'To find you here at the Wizards College just after a battle. But how fortuitous. It seems we have a little unfinished discourse.'

A huge shadow blocked the sun. I looked up to see Slag grinning at me.

'Yeah,' the huge man said. 'Disco - uh, disc -.' He swallowed. 'Yeah,' he began again. 'Seems.'

'It also seems,' Grott continued all too jovially, 'that a certain party of our mutual acquaintance has just had his blood boiled and can no longer come to your rescue!'

'Yeah,' Slag smirked. 'Seems.'

'So we simply waited until the courtyard here was a little less populated,' Grott continued. I glanced about me as much as the knife at my throat allowed. It was true. My surroundings were quite deserted. 'When that happened, we knew it was time to become reacquainted and remind remind you of our simple demands: A total cure for our masters, or four hundred pieces of gold for -'