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

be seen to have faint marks around its edges. тАЬThe rest of you can
start reading those letters while weтАЩre away,тАЭ she said. тАЬAnd IтАЩll
need a name for you,тАЭ she told the young thief.
тАЬOhтАж Regin,тАЭ he said.
тАЬStand here,тАЭ Querida said, pushing him to one corner of the
flagstone. She pushed King Luther, Barnabas, and High Priest
Umru to each of the other corners and slithered between Umru and
King Luther to stand in the center of the stone herself. From the
point of view of the people still sitting at the table, she vanished
entirely behind UmruтАЩs belly. Then, quietly and without warning,
all five of them vanished and the flagstone was bare.
From the point of view of the four people with Querida, it was
like suddenly stepping into an ovenтАФan oven that was probably on
fire, King Luther thought, shielding his eyes with his stout woolen
sleeve. Sweat ran out from under BarnabasтАЩs curls. Umru gasped
and staggered and then tried wretchedly to get sand out of his
embroidered slippers and loosen his vestments at the same time.
Only Querida was perfectly happy. She said, тАЬAh!тАЭ and stretched,
turning her face up to the raging sun with a blissful smile. Her
eyes, the young thief noticed, were wide open and looking straight
into the sun. Wizards! he thought. He was as uncomfortable as the
other three, but he had been trained to seem cool and keep his wits
about him. He looked around. The Oracles were only a few yards
away. They were two small domed buildings, the one on the left so
black that it looked like a hole in the universe, and the one on the
right so dazzlingly white that sweat ran stinging into his eyes and
he had to look away from it.
While they waited for the other three to recover, Querida took
ReginтАЩs arm and pulled him across the sand, toward the white
building. тАЬWhy did you look so oddly when I said your guild must
have made a mint from the tours?тАЭ she hissed up at him. тАЬDoes that
mean you want the tours stopped, too?тАЭ
Trust her to notice! the thief thought ruefully. тАЬNot exactly,
Madam Chancellor. But if you think about it, youтАЩll see that after
forty years we havenтАЩt got much else to steal. WeтАЩre debating
stealing from one another, and even if we did, thereтАЩs nothing much
left to spend what we steal on. Actually, I was sent to ask whether
it was permissible to steal from the Pilgrims.тАЭ
тАЬDonтАЩt you steal from tourists?тАЭ Querida asked. When he shook
his head, another blissful grin spread over QueridaтАЩs little lizard
face. тАЬDo you know, I believe that must be one thing that Mr.
Chesney forgot to put in his rules. By all means, start stealing from
tourists.тАЭ Her face darted around toward Umru, who was now
mopping his head with his embroidered cope. тАЬCome along, man!
DonтАЩt just stand there! Come along, all of you, before you fry. WeтАЩll
begin with the White Oracle.тАЭ
She led the way to the white building. Regin followed, stepping
lightly in his soft boots, although sweat trickled past his ears. King
Luther and Barnabas trudged glumly after them. Umru floundered
behind and had some trouble fitting through the narrow white