"Beverly Henderson - Stormcrow and The Deer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Henderson Beverly)

saddest part was the Kahn; gathering his army together and watching the
coming battle, ready like a vulture to swoop down on them all.
The Stormcrow quickly saw that there was more hope for his adopted
world under the hand of the Queen than there would be under the heel of
the Kahn. So quickly, he laid his plans and called his men together,
knowing that success depended on the whims of a selfish, spoiled woman.
And he felt old. For the first time in his long life, he felt old and tired,
each year of his long life weighing heavily on his shoulders. He took to
soaring high above the forest, his spirit drawing comfort and peace from
the promise of hope from the quiet forest.
The night came that he found her.
For one day, wandering through the forest, a deer came across a
clearing that seemed very fair and inviting. It wasn't large, but the grass
was very sweet and a stream burbled its merry way through it. She found
herself attracted to the clearing. It had water, good forage, and gave her a
sense of security. One night, after a day grazing and basking in the
warmth of the sun, as she slept curled in her nest of leaves under the tall,
ancient oak at the edge of the clearing, a shadow passed overhead.
Waking thirsty, she stumbled toward the stream, shivering in the night
air. Pausing at an unfamiliar sound, she looked up, seeing the dark
shadow of a large bird pass overhead. Blacker than the night sky it was
silhouetted against. Shuddering from more than the chill air, she moved
quickly to the stream and bent her head to drink.
She froze.
That was not her face in the stream! This face was human! Fair
skinned, hazel eyed, brown hair, the face stared back at her with a stunned
expression. Hearing a noise behind her, she turned to see the black bird
landing on the large rock that sat next to the stream. Trembling, ready to
flee, she watched in amazement as the crow changed into a blonde hair
man. Slowly, hesitantly, she stepped toward him, each step taking her
further away from the safety and security of the ancient forest into the
world of human emotions, little knowing where the path would lead her.
Never dreaming of the heights of passion she would soar on or the depths
of despair she would plunge to, completely unaware that those few steps
she had taken had carried her beyond an unseen barrier that would never
allow her to regain the simplicity and tranquillity of her former life.
Midnight. A bell sounded somewhere deep within the castle. The Deer
sat on her bed in her room, watching Abby and Mari bustle about,
lighting the fire as well as a few candles. Trying to recall all that had
happened. The cheers, the endless names that she knew would only come
with time.
Trying to remember all the food, all the wine----------The wine, strong,
potent for her first taste. She was beginning to understand why her mind
was fuzzy. Lying back on the bed, her head spinning, she closed her eyes
against the light. The noise of the girls fades into the distance and she
drifted off toward sleep...
A surge of magic. She also remembered a surge of magic - not hers and
not the Stormcrow's. Trying to remember where that had come, she
opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. She tried to remember the evening
exactly. She couldn't. She remembered the bath and the dressing and the