"Jones, Diana Wynne - Chrestomanci 2 - 1980 - The Magicians of Caprona" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jones Diana Wynne)

There are thousands of worlds, all different from ours. Chrestomanci's world
is the one next door to us, and the difference here is that magic is as common
as music is with us. It is full of people working magicЧwarlocks, witches,
thaumaturges, sorcerers, fakirs, conjurors, hexers, magicians, mages, shamans,
diviners and many moreЧfrom the lowest Certified witch right up to the most
powerful of enchanters. Enchanters are strange as well as powerful. Their
magic is different and stronger and many of them have more than one life.
Now, if someone did not control all these busy magic-users, ordinary people
would have a horrible time and probably end up as slaves. So the government
appoints the very strongest enchanter there is to make sure no one misuses
magic. This enchanter has nine lives and is known as "the Chrestomanci." You
pronounce it KREST-OH-MAN-SEE. He has to have a strong personality as well as
strong magic.
Diana Wynne Jones


AUTHOR'S NOTE
The World of Chrestomanci is not the same as this one. It is a world parallel to
ours, where magic is as normal as mathematics, and things are generally more
old-fashioned. In Chrestomanci's world, Italy is still divided into numbers of
small States, each with its Duke and capital city. In our world, Italy became
one united country long ago.
Though the two worlds are not connected in any way, this story somehow got
through. But it came with some gaps, and I had to get help filling them. Clare
Davis, Gaynor Harvey, Elizabeth Carter and Graham Belsten discovered for me what
happened in the magicians' single combat. And my husband, J. A. Burrow, with
some advice from Basil Cottle, actually found the true words of the Angel of
Caprona. I would like to thank them all very much indeed.



For John



1
Spells are the hardest thing in the world to get right. This was one of the
first things the Montana children learned. Anyone can hang up a charm, but when
it comes to making that charm, whether it is written or spoken or sung,
everything has to be just right, or the most impossible things happen.
An example of this is young Angelica Petrocchi, who turned her father bright
green by singing a wrong note. It was the talk of all CapronaЧindeed of all
ItalyЧfor weeks.
The best spells still come from Caprona, in spite of the recent troubles, from
the Casa Montana or the Casa Petrocchi. If you are using words that really work,
to improve reception on your radio or to grow tomatoes, then the chances are
that someone in your family has been on a holiday to Caprona and brought the
spell back. The Old Bridge in Caprona is lined with little stone booths, where
long colored envelopes, scrips and scrolls hang from strings like bunting. You
can get spells there from every spell-house in Italy. Each spell is labeled as