"Laurell K. Hamilton - Ravenloft - Death of a Darklord" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Laurell K)

it. She felt something inside herself flare upward, something neither fire nor cold nor anything she had a
name for. Whatever it was, Elaine felt it pouring up through her body, responding to the mageтАЩs magic.
Like calling to like. Elaine took a soft, shallow breath. SheтАЩd been holding her breath without realizing it.
Her fingertips tingled as if magic would pour from her hands. She had the urge to touch the mage, to see
if the pull of magic was stronger with a touch. She suspected it would be. She wanted to touch his hand.
Her skin ached with the need to see what would happen. With the need came the fear. She crossed her
arms over her stomach, hiding her hands against her body. They balled into fists, digging into her sides, as
if they would burrow out of sight. It took all the determination Gersalius had spoken of not to reach out
to the mage.

She sat back in her chair as far from him as she could get without standing up. Gersalius leaned back
from her, giving her room. тАЭIt can be stronger when mage touches mage. It depends on what sort of
magic a person possesses. Yours, even more than mine, is a laying on of the hands, I think.тАЭ тАЭHow can
you tell that?тАЭ

He shrugged, smiled. тАЭIt is one of my gifts to judge talent in others. Most mages can spot power and
judge potential strength, but few can decipher the actual method the magic will choose to come out.тАЭ
тАЭThe magic chooses the way it will come out?тАЭ She made it a question, so he answered it.

тАЭOften. If you had been trained earlier, perhaps you could have chosen the path of your own power,
perhaps not. But now the magic has made some of the choices on its own. Your visions, for one.тАЭ

Elaine shook her head. тАЭYou make magic sound like a second being inside of me, with a will of its own.тАЭ

тАЭI do not mean to. It is not separate from you. It has no thoughts or feelings of its own.тАЭ The wizard
frowned, thinking. He smiled as if something pleasant or clever had just occurred to him. тАЭSay you had a
talent for sewingтАФnot a learned talent, but something you were born with. You were born to be a
seamstress, or a tailor. But you were never allowed to study sewing. Then one day you made a beautiful
ball gown. A week later you made another even more lovely than the first.

тАЭNow, if youтАЩd been allowed to study sewing from a young age, you might have decided to sew
ceremonial robes, or winter woolies, but because you left your talent unused, the talent chose to make
ball gowns. You might be happier knitting shawls or designing simpler dresses for more modest
occasions, but it is too late. Your sewing has decided to make party dresses for the rich.тАЭ He studied her
face for a moment, as if trying to gauge whether his analogy was working.

тАЭWhy donтАЩt you know what IтАЩm thinking now?тАЭ she asked. His voice broke into a lovely grin. тАЭVery
good, Elaine, very good. When you drew away from me that last time, you closed off more than just your
body. You closed your thoughts as well. It was neatly done. But I think the fact you so quickly figured
out I could no longer read your thoughts is even more promising.тАЭ тАЭBut I donтАЩt know how I did it.тАЭ

тАЭThink to how your body felt when you drew back. Think of the sensations. What did it feel like?тАЭ

Elaine thought about that for a moment. Had it felt like anything? She couldnтАЩt remember. She had
moved away from him physically, but had she done anything else? Elaine closed her eyes, trying to recall
what it had felt like. The sensation along her skin had retreated when she moved backward. The magic
itself had moved back with her, inside her. She had broken contact with Gersalius. She had closed off
her mind and her magic to him. That was a comforting thought. She opened her eyes.
тАЭTell me,тАЭ the mage said.