"Simon Hawke - Wizard 7 - The Wizard of Camelot" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hawke Simon)

with
fascinated incredulity as he told us his story And what a story it was! I
didn't
believe a word of it, of course, though I had to admit that his delusion, for
I
was convinced it was that, had a remarkable consistency. Yet, there was still
the matter of the food mysteriously appearing out of nowhere, and the
cordwood,
which had not been there before. If there was any truth to his assertions,
which
clearly seemed impossible, then it was difficult to argue with the apparent
fact
that he had somehow produced it, which also seemed impossible. I was certain
there had to be another explanation.

"I see," I replied. "But there's one thing I don't quite understand. If it is
your own energy you are using in, uh... magically creating all the food we're
eating, and the wood we're burning in-the fireplace, then a certain amount of
energy must be expended in the act, which means there is that much less
energy
inherent in the product. You cannot keep creating your own energy out of
nothing. It violates the laws of thermodynamics. There must soon come a point
of
diminishing returns, if you see what I mean."

"Quite correct," said Merlin with a smile. "I thought you were a bright
fellow.
Obviously, I cannot simply create my own sustenance, not only for the reason
you
just mentioned, but because you cannot create matter, you can only alter its
form, which is a well-known principle of alchemy."

"We call it physics," Jenny said.

"Physics? Physics... interesting. I shall have to remember that. In any event,
I
did not create this fine food we are enjoying, nor the wood that is heating
this
home even as we speak. I merely borrowed it, in a manner of speaking."

"Borrowed it?" I asked with a puzzled frown. "From where!"

"Oh, here and there," he replied with a shrug. "The wood was taken from the
very
tree in which I was confined. I merely altered its form somewhat and
transported
it here. And it certainly does my heart good to see that damnable tree burn
after being imprisoned within it for so long. As for the food, some of it was
wild, such as the partridges and the turkey, and some of it had been stored
elsewhere, such as the hams and sausages and the like."