"Julia Gray - Guardian 02 - The Jasper Forest" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gray Julia)

'He'd only tell you the same as me. He'd never go against moon-lore,
especially in a place like this.'
Olandis fell silent, wondering why he could never win an argument with his
brother. At nineteen he was Aylen's senior by two years, and was much stronger
physically, but that counted for nothing when it came to a war of words. Even
as an infant Aylen had always been able to get the better of him that way. And
the most galling thing of all was that Olandis knew his sibling was almost
always right.
The previous night had seen the rebirth of the Red
Moon, so that now it was just beginning to wax again, and that - together with
the fact that the unseen Dark Moon had been full at the same time and was now
beginning its slow decline - made Anador a place of peril. None of their
people would dare enter the lagoon until the heavens were realigned in a more
favourable way.
'There was something strange about his eyes,' Aylen said quietly.
Olandis had seen that too. The castaway's gaze had been unnerving, and his
eyes had seemed to glitter in an unnatural way.
'Fever?' he guessed.
'Maybe,' Aylen replied, though he sounded unconvinced. 'I wonder how he got
here.'
It had not occurred to Olandis to be curious about this. He had simply seen
another human being in trouble and wanted to help him out. It had been his
sharp ears that had picked up the earlier hissing cry, above the shuffle and
lapping of the swell, and he who had insisted on going to investigate. He
hadn't really believed that there would be anyone there, but as soon as he
glimpsed the flimsy raft he had turned to his brother, meaning to say 'I told
you so' - but then he had seen the expression on Aylen's face and had kept
quiet. This was a place the brothers normally avoided, even when moon-lore
allowed navigation in the area. There was something about the unusual colours
in the water that made them nervous. Dreams hung heavy within this part of the
coastal maze.
'Maybe he's a sharakan,' Olandis suggested. He meant it as a joke, wanting to
lighten the mood, but - to his astonishment - Aylen seemed to take the idea
seriously.
'Perhaps,' he murmured, nodding slowly. 'This
would be a good place to trade, if his magic was strong enough.'
''Nothing about him looks strong!' Olandis exclaimed. 'Besides, he's no more
than a child.'
'Age is no barrier to talent тАФ or ambition,' Aylen remarked sagely, glancing
at the sky. As dusk fell, the only moon visible was the White, three days past
full and still bright and pure against the fading blue. Under other
circumstances he might have been content to stare at her delicate face, asking
for her dreams to guide his way, but that was impossible now.
'Is he asleep?' Olandis asked, peering at the huddled figure on the raft.
The brothers stared, both wondering if it was a sleep from which the boy would
ever awake, and then, with one accord, they began shouting again.
The suddenly renewed noise, and the unearthly echoes it set up, roused Terrel
from his stupor. He cursed silently, then forced his eyes open and glanced at
the source of the din. What could they want now? The two men had still not
moved, and their words meant nothing, but their urgent tone and the meaning of