"Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill - The Bard - 03 - Spirits " - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

made his entrance in time to take the melody away from the banjo and carry it.

Hosea, like many an Irish player at the Faires, had a wicked sense of humor and liked to accelerate the
pace of an already fast piece with each successive pass. But Eric was ready for himтАФnot that it was all
that difficult for a Bard to figure out what another Bard was going to do next. By the time they segued
into тАЬDevil Went Down to Georgia,тАЭ theyтАЩd hit light-speed. The crowd around them was thicker than
before, and people were grinning and tapping their toes to the Charlie Daniels standard.

HeтАЩd had the joy of working with another Bard only Underhill, with his mentor Dharniel. That was always
funтАФif you could really use that word for anything to do with Master DharnielтАФbut it was nothing,
nothing like working with another human Bard! There was a level of spontaneity and creative spark here
that just wasnтАЩt present when he made music with the elves, and it made all the difference. Eric closed his
eyes and gave himself over to the purest pleasure heтАЩd ever felt outside of sexтАФand it certainly lasted a
whole lot longer than even the most athletic sexual adventure heтАЩd ever had!

It wasnтАЩt until he opened his eyes as he played the last flourish of тАЬMama TriedтАЭ that he realized they
were surrounded six-deep by a gaping, grinning, toe-tapping human audience of people who should have
been getting back to their jobs (or on to their lunches). The very moment they finished, money actually
began to snow, rain, and hail into the banjo case, a veritable Hurricane Andrew of coins and small bills.
Money that missed the case was scooped up and dumped into it by helpful hands, which was a small
miracle in and of itself, as applause followed on the monetary accolade.

тАЬGot enough to hold you for the next day or so?тАЭ Eric muttered sotto voce with a nod at the case.

Hosea grinned and nodded, his hair flopping into his eyes again. тАЬThatтАЩll get me vittles and a bunk at the
Y for a couple days, while I study on what IтАЩve got to do next,тАЭ he replied. тАЬLetтАЩs give these nice folk
something to play тАЩem out on.тАЭ His fingers began to move on the strings again.

Of all the tunes that Eric would have suspected Hosea would chose, this would not have been one. He
listened as the banjo-BardтАЩs clever fingers picked out the deceptively lazy little тАЬpink-a pink-a pink-a
pink-a pink (pause) pink-a pink-a pink-a pink-a pink (pause).тАЭ

Eric recognized it immediately, and knew the tune so well that his flute was at his lips and the soft notes
spilling out at exactly the right moment after that second pause. тАЬThe Rainbow ConnectionтАЭ from the very
first Muppet movieтАФhow had Hosea known how much he liked that tune? And where had an
Appalachian mountain boy learned it?

I guess that only proves that we live in a globally connected world, when an Appalachian
mountain boy and a Juilliard student can recognize the same tune and play it like a couple of old
buddies.

Simple tunes are deceptive things; superficially easy to play, they are the very devil to play well. But in
the hands of not one, but two Bards, the very simplicity allows the heart and soul to shine.

When they finished, this time the reward was smiles as well as applause. Eric bowed with a flourish,
Hosea with a kind of foot-shuffling modesty. Eric was pretty sure that though Hosea was a practiced
musician, he hadnтАЩt been playing for money for very longтАФat least not as a street musician.

тАЬLadies and gents, you need to get back to your jobs, IтАЩm sureтАФтАЭ Eric announced with practiced
Faire-patter. Groans, and a chorus of тАЬaaawwww!тАЭтАФsurely the greatest music to a musicianтАЩs