"Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon - Mage Wars 03 - The Silver Gryphon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

windows open to the sea breezes, and Aubri was no exception.
"Meeting with the Haighlei; they're picking out the next set of Silvers to be in Shalaman's personal
guard when Sella and Vorn come back." He preened a talon thoughtfully, chewing on the very end of it,
his beak making little clicking sounds as he did so. "They'll probably take Kally and Reesk," he added.
"They can't resist matched sets."
"You think so?" Blade asked skeptically; like Tad, she was aware that there were several pairs
available for the duty whose skills were greater than the partners named.
 Aubri snorted his contempt for anyone who would choose the looks of a set of guards over their
ability. Not that Kally and Reesk were bad; no one was offered for Shalaman's guards who was bad.
For that matter, anyone who wasn't up to Aubri's standards was generally asked to find some other
vocation long before they got out of trainingтАФand exceptions had better prove themselves within six
months or they would have to return that coveted silver badge. But by the yardstick of these that Judeth
and her partner picked to represent White Gryphon in the service of the Haighlei Emperor, these two
were just average.
Nevertheless, they were showy, their plumage of ruddy gold and bronze would complement the gold
and lionskins of Shalaman's Grand Court, and they could stand at perfect attention for hours without
moving a feather. Tadrith pointed out all of those attributes.
"The Emperor's Chief Advisor has other things to consider, sir," he finished politely. "It is very
important, protocol-wise, for the Emperor's guards to be as still as carvings all during Court. That
stillness implies his power and control."
"It's not as if they're ever going to have to do anything, sir," Blade said injudiciously. "Even assuming
an assassin or madman got as far as the Emperor's Guard, he'd take one look at a pair of gryphons in full
battle rage and pass out."
Tad winced. That was not a bright thing to sayтАФnot to a veteran of the Great Wars and the
Migration. There was a slight grating as Aubri's talons reflexively scratched the terrazzo.
"Maybe," Aubri replied with a narrow-eyed glare in her direction that thoroughly cowed her. "
Maybe. Never assume anything, young Silver. Assumptions get you killed. Either you know, or you
make your plans for the worst-case contingency. Always. Never count on the best happening. I thought
we taught you better than that."
The ice behind his words would have done his partner Judeth proud, and his tone was so sharp that
even an idiot would have known he had made a mistake.
Blade flushed at the rebuke, and snapped stiffly to attention. Aubri waited a moment, to make
certain that his words had taken effect, then waved a talon at her, and she relaxed, but warily.
That's one mistake she won't make again.
"Now, what was I saying? Outpost Five...." He yawned, all trace of the Commander gone from his
demeanor again. He could have been any lazy old gryphon, without a single interest beyond a place in the
sun to rest, a bit of good gossip, and the quality (and timely delivery) of his next meal. "Standard outpost,
all the comforts of home if you happen to be a hermit, good hunting, always pretty damp, the nights are a
bit chilly. Oh, and the area is largely unexplored." He gryph-grinned at Tad's ill-suppressed look of
eagerness. "Figured that out, did you? If I were to guess, and it's only a guess, I'd say your best bet
might be gold. Quartz pebbles in the river and streambeds that match the kind I've seen in the past where
gold can be panned and separated out. We didn't bother looking when Judeth and I were there; we're
too old to go wading around in cold water sloshing pans about. Since you've got a two-legger with you, it
wouldn't hurt to do a little panning, just to see if there's anything there."
"No, it wouldn't," Tad agreed, as Blade grimaced, but nodded. That would be the easiest way to
find gold, if Aubri was right and the area was sitting atop a vein or even a lode. Chances were, if they did
find gold, panning would be the only way any of it would be taken out of the place for a long time. The
Haighlei would first have to perform a divination to see if the gods approved of mining there, then they
would have to wait for approval from Shalaman himself, then the priesthood and the Emperor would
make a joint declaration that mining would be permitted. Even then, there would be no rush to sink