"Diana Wynne Jones - Derkholm 1 - Dark Lord of Derkholm" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jones Diana Wynne)

safety. The towns and countryside are being devastated. If the
army of the Dark Lord doesnтАЩt march through and sack my city,
then the Forces of Good do it next time. I admit IтАЩm being paid
quite well for this, but the money I earn is so urgently needed to
repair the capital for the next Pilgrim Party that there is almost
none to spare for helping the farmers. They hardly grow anything
these days. You must be aware, High ChancellorтАФтАЭ
QueridaтАЩs hand went to the next pile, which was of paper, in
various shapes and sizes. тАЬI am aware, thank you, Your Majesty.
These letters are a selection of those I get from farmers and
ordinary citizens. They all state that what with magical weather
conditions, armies marching over crops, soldiers rustling cattle,
fires set by the Dark LordтАЩs minions, and other hazards, they are
likely to starve for the foreseeable future.тАЭ She picked up another
smallish pile of paper. тАЬAlmost the only people who seem to be
prospering are the innkeepers, and they complain that the lack of
barley is making it hard to brew sufficient ale.тАЭ
тАЬMy heart bleeds,тАЭ King Luther said sourly. тАЬWhere would we be
if a Pilgrim Party arrived at an inn with no beer?тАЭ
тАЬMr. Chesney would not be pleased,тАЭ murmured a high priest.
тАЬMay the gods defend us, Anscher preserve us from that!тАЭ
тАЬChesneyтАЩs only a man,тАЭ muttered the delegate from the Thieves
Guild.
тАЬDonтАЩt let him hear you say that!тАЭ Barnabas said warningly.
тАЬOf course heтАЩs only a man,тАЭ snapped Querida. тАЬHe just happens
to be the most powerful man in the world, and IтАЩve taken steps to
ensure that he cannot hear us inside this council chamber. Now
may I go on? Thank you. We are being pressured to find a solution
by several bodies. HereтАЭтАФshe picked up a large and beautifully
lettered parchment with paintings in the marginsтАФтАЬis an
ultimatum from Bardic College. They say that Mr. Chesney and his
agents appear to regard all bards with the tours as expendable.
Rather than lose any more promising musicians, they say here,
they are refusing to take part in any tours this year, unless we can
guarantee the safety ofтАФтАЭ
тАЬBut we canтАЩt!тАЭ protested a wizard two places down from
Barnabas.
тАЬTrue,тАЭ said Querida. тАЬI fear the bards are going to have to
explain themselves to Mr. Chesney. I also have here similar but
more moderate letters from the seers and the healers. The seers
complain that they have to foresee imaginary events and that this
is against the articles of their guild, and the healers, like the
wizards, complain of chronic overwork. At least they only threaten
not to work this year. And hereтАЭтАФshe lifted up a small ragged pile
of paperтАФтАЬhere are letters from the mercenary captains. Most of
them say that replacements to manpower, equipment, and armor
cost them more than the fees they earn from the Pilgim Parties,
and this one on top fromтАФBlack Gauntlet, I think the manтАЩs name
isтАФalso very feelingly remarks that he wants to retire to a farm,
but he has not in twenty years earned enough for one cooтАФтАЭ