"Katherine Kerr - Deverry 06 - A Time Of Omens" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kerr Katherine)

тАЬIf youтАЩre meant to have them, the coin will come,тАЭ he remarked. тАЬThey have the power to pick out their
true owners.тАЭ

тАЬReally, good sir?тАЭ

тАЬReally.тАЭ He leaned forward and ran a gnarled hand over the lid of the bronze-fitted box. тАЬIтАЩve sold
these sets for years, traveling round Orystinna, and IтАЩve come to know all about them. Now, the cheap
things, they have no power whatsoever. A man I know up in Orysat brings them in from Bardektinna by
the crateful. TheyтАЩre slave-made, I suppose. And those there in the cloth sacks, well, theyтАЩre good
enough, especially for a beginner. But every now and then a really fine set comes my way, like these.
You can just feel, somehow, that theyтАЩre different.тАЭ

He picked out a tile and held it faceup in his palm. It was the prince of birds, exquisitely carved with a
flare of wing and a long beak; into the graved lines the craftsman had rubbed some sort of blue and green
dye, staining the bone beyond the power of fingers to rub it away. As she looked at it, Marka felt a
peculiar sensation, that somehow she recognized that tile, that in fact she recognized the whole set and
particularly its box.

тАЬThereтАЩs a wine stain on the bottom,тАЭ she said, and then was horrified to realize sheтАЩd spoken aloud.

тАЬWell, so there is.тАЭ The vendor made the admission unwillingly. тАЬBut itтАЩs just a little one, and itтАЩs faded,
too. It hasnтАЩt hurt the tiles any.тАЭ

In the hot summer day Marka turned icy-cold. She managed to smile, then stood up. All she could think
of was running away from the box of tiles. When someone touched her shoulder from behind, she
screamed.

тАЬWell, a thousand apologies!тАЭ It was Eba├▒y, half laughing, half concerned. тАЬI thought youтАЩd seen me
come up. DidnтАЩt mean to startle you.тАЭ

тАЬOh, well, I was just, uh, well, talking with this man. He, uh, has these interesting things for sale.тАЭ

Eba├▒y glanced down and went as wide-eyed as a child. When he knelt down for a better look, she
wanted to scream at him and beg him to come away. Yet, when he gestured at her to join him, she knelt
beside him, as close as she dared. He picked the knave of flowers out of the box and held it up to let the
golden blossoms catch the light. With an eye for Eba├▒yтАЩs expensively embroidered shirt of the finest linen,
the vendor leaned forward, all smiles.

тАЬThe young lady found those most interesting, sir.тАЭ

тАЬOh, IтАЩm sure she did.тАЭ Eba├▒y was smiling, but his gray eyes were oddly cold and distant, like a flash of
steel. тАЬTell me, where did you buy these?тАЭ

тАЬFrom a merchant up in Delinth, last year it was. HeтАЩd won them in a gambling game, he told me, over
on Surtinna. He trades there regularly.тАЭ

тАЬYou donтАЩt happen to remember what city he got them in, do you?тАЭ Eba├▒y put back the knave and
picked up a careless handful of other tiles. Seeing them lying in his long, pale fingers made Marka feel like
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