"Barb & J. C. Hendee - Noble Dead 03 - Sister of the Dead" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hendee JC & Barb)

she could choke down one more dried biscuit for breakfast. She longed for intelligent conversation and a
bowl of warm lentil stew with tomatoes and rosemary. And watching Magiere and Leesil, she wondered
what it would be like to nestle beneath a blanket, exchanging whispers of forgotten histories and faraway
civilizations... with Chane.

Wynn stiffened.

She pushed away such an unsettling notion. Loneliness was getting the better of her. Self-pity was as
pointless as pining for a past moment lost forever.

Weighing more heavily upon her was a growing sensation of betrayal, now that she had spent so many
days in the company of Magiere. She had not exactly lied about her reasons for making this journey, but
she had omitted the fact that Domin Tilswith placed upon her the task of observing Magiere. This had
been his reason in sending Wynn, since she had already established a connection with Magiere. He
wanted specific accounting of every aspect of the "dhampir" badly enough to send his apprentice off with
two hunters of the undeadтАФthree, counting Chap.

At first, this unique task was the promise of adventure, and her domin's confidence filled Wynn with
pride. She had been raised by the sages, who cared for her health and happiness, and could provide the
guild with something no one else could. But the reality of secretly studying a traveling companion and then
documenting her findings made Wynn feel like a spy. Once she had almost told Magiere the whole truth
but thought better of it at the last moment. She could never predict how Magiere might react to anything,
and Wynn feared being sent back on the first available barge headed downriver.

Wynn reached inside her pack and pulled out a squat cold lamp. She lifted its tin lid and glass cylinder
and removed the small crystal it held in place of a wick. She rolled the crystal between her fingertips.
There was little to note regarding Magiere, as yet, but they had been in Droevinka for some time. At least
she might document the climate and land so far. Standing, she tried to smile at Magiere.

"I think I will scribe some notes for a while. "

Magiere nodded. "Then get some sleep. And try to stay close to the fire. The nights here will keep
getting colder. "

Wynn retrieved her materials and, with the cold lamp and crystal in hand, stepped a short ways off to sit
upon a downed tree. She gently rubbed the crystal between her palms and returned it to its holder in the
lamp. Its light burst out to push back the dark and illuminate the tools of her trade resting upon her lap.

Unstrapping a flat, folded leather bundle, she shuffled the loose parchment sheets within to expose a
blank one and carefully uncorked her ink vial to dip a quill. She set to documenting the vegetation they'd
encountered, noting where along their path the changes occurred so they could later be referenced upon
maps of the territories. It seemed she had written only a few lines when Leesil's voice broke the silence.

"Forgetful gods, Wynn!" he called. "That lamp is brighter than the fire. Put it out so we all get some
sleep. "

Her writing hand flinched, fouling several characters in spattered ink.