"Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon - Mage Wars 02 - The White Gryphon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

loose stone for mortared walls and furniture, then filled it with such gryphonic luxuries as they had brought
with them. It had a glorious view of the surf on the rocks below, but was sheltered from even the worst
winter storms by an outcropping of hard, black stone covered with moss and tiny ferns. It was easily the
best lair in the city; mage-fires kept it cozy in the winter, breezes off the sea kept it cool in the summer,
and there were plenty of soft cushions and carved benches to recline upon. Occasionally rank did have
its privileges.
One of those privileges was absenting himself from the likely unpleasant confrontation with this
Hadanelith character. He felt rather sorry for poor Amberdrake but, on the whole, rather relieved for
himself. Perhaps he could soothe his guilt later by visiting Amberdrake with a special snack or treat.
At least that Hadanelith mess was one decision I didn't have to make. All I had to do was
agree with Drake. What's happened to me, when not deciding someone else's fate is an event?
His wing muscles still ached, distantly, from his landing, and he felt a lot more tired than he should
have been after two relatively short flights. I'm going to have to increase the time I spend
skydancing, he decided. No matter how I have to juggle my schedule. I shouldn't be tiring this
quickly. After ten years you'd think I'd get most of my endurance back!
He folded his wings, and glanced back down at the surf before pushing open the door to the lair.
Cinnabar kept warning him, even after all these years, that the time he spent between Gates followed too
quickly by the perils of their cross-country trek had burned away every bit of his reserves. He was
stripped to the bone by the strain, so many years agoтАФbut he should have gotten all of it back by now!
Amberdrake, Gesten, and Lady Cinnabar had done their best for him, too. This is all the fault of a
sedentary life! I spend more time strolling around the streets than I do in exercises, and no one
says anything because I'm SkandranonтАФbut if I were any other gryphon, there'd be jokes about
my sagging belly!
He closed the door neatly behind him and stepped over the wall across the entranceтАФa necessary
precaution to keep unfledged, crawling, leaping gryphlets from becoming hurtling projectiles off the
balcony. The gryphons had never had to face that particular problem when their lairs had been on the
ground, but a small inconvenience seemed a trivial price for the added safety of their youngsters.
Small mage-lights illuminated the interior of the lairтАФunusual in the city at the moment, as were the
mage-fires that heated the lair by winter. Mage-lights and mage-fires were far down on the list of things
the mages needed to create during the brief times that magic worked properly. Skan had made most of
these, and Vikteren had done the rest.
There we are again. Another reason why I am such a feathered lump. Lying in place for days
on end to make mage-lights. Staring at a stone to enchant it to glow like a lovesick firefly while
hertasi and humans bring me enough food to sink a horse. What would Urtho think of me now?
The humans and hertasi had to make do with candles and lanterns; while mage-lights and mage-fires
were in limited supply, they went first to the Healers, then the gryphons and tervardi, then the kyree.
Only after all the nonhumans had sufficient lights and heating sources would humans receive them for their
homes. This had been a decision on Skan's part that although it seemed slightly selfish, had a sound
reason behind it. The Healers obviously needed mage-lights and heat sources more than anyone
elseтАФand as for the gryphons, tervardi, and kyree, well, the former had feathers, which were dangerous
around open flames, and the wolflike latter didn't have hands to light flames with.
Freshly crisped gryphon and roasted tervardi, mm-mm! Served fresh in their own homes, in
front of their childrenтАФMa'ar's secret recipe! That was the very phrase he'd used to persuade the rest
of the Council to agree to the edict, and as he'd figured, the invocation of Ma'ar's name did the trick,
more than logic had.
He hadn't enjoyed manipulating them, though. Tricks like that left a rather bad taste in his mouth. He
really didn't like manipulating anyone, if it came right down to it. Neither had Urtho.
There were many things Urtho didn't like, gods bless his memory. I always secretly pitied him
for the position he was put in by others' need for him. He never liked being the leader of all those
who craved freedom from Ma'ar, but it was something he had to do. I remember him looking at