"Mercedes Lackey - Brightly Burning" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

and three stories tall, this was six; and it occupied a lot that was easily five or six times the size of any of
that of the magnificent homes around it. Lan had never been this far on any of his reluctant walks.
тАЬThatтАЩll be the school,тАЭ Archer said with satisfaction as he surveyed the exterior, his expression
as pleased as if he owned it himself. тАЬYouтАЩll be coming here every morning about this time; lessons start
early, but weтАЩre going to meet the Master first.тАЭ
Lan still couldnтАЩt comprehend what sort of тАЬlessonsтАЭ could be taught here, and thought for certain
that his father must be mistaken. But the nearer they came to the building, the less certain he became.
His father showed no evidence of hesitation. He led Lan along the high wall-easily a story tall
itself-until they came to the wooden gate. It must not have been locked, for Archer pushed it partly open,
and motioned Lan to precede him.
Lan moved hesitantly past his father, and into a mathematically precise courtyard. Most of it was
paved. Along the base of the building were pruned evergreen bushes, cone-shaped ones alternating with
bushes of three spheres, one atop another. Defining a pathway toward the door were long flower boxes
containing neat stands of greenery. Ivy planted in similar boxes climbed the inside of the fence.
тАЬCome along, then. MasterтАЩs waiting,тАЭ Archer said, pulling the gate closed behind him. He led
Lan to the front door of the building, a surprisingly small door for such an edifice. It appeared no larger
than the door of their own home.
Archer pulled open that door without knocking, revealing a long corridor with more wooden
doors on either side of it, a corridor far plainer, with ordinary wooden floors and plastered walls, than
Lan had expected. There was a hum of voices, a murmur that drifted along the corridor like the murmur
inside a major temple during a festival.
Archer immediately turned to the first door on the right and rapped on it. A muffled voice invited
them in.
Lan found himself in a small, plain room, furnished only with a brace of chairs and a large desk
that faced the door. An older man sat at the desk, a man with close-dropped gray hair and a stern face,
all sharp angles, a face made by a mathematician rather than an artist. This gentleman looked up at their
entrance, and gave Archer a thin smile.
тАЬAh, Master Chitward,тАЭ the man said, his voice no warmer than his coolly pleasant expression. тАЬI
have been expecting you.тАЭ
тАЬThis is the boy,тАЭ Archer said, putting his hand squarely in the middle of LanтАЩs back and pushing
him forward, so that he was between Archer and the desk.
тАЬLavan, isnтАЩt it?тАЭ the man said, making a note on a piece of paper in front of him. тАЬLavan
Chitward. Very good; as soon as I know where to place him, weтАЩll have him settled in no time.тАЭ
тАЬAye. IтАЩll be going, then, Master Keileth, IтАЩve work to do.тАЭ Lan turned to look at his father,
inarticulate protests freezing on his lips; Archer did not look at him at all. He was perfectly satisfied that
he had done his duty, and Master Keileth dismissed him with a nod of thanks.
тАЬVery good, and thank you, Master Chitward. I hope that we will be able to please you with
LavanтАЩs accomplishments.тАЭ Obviously that was what counted with Master Keileth-pleasing Archer
Chitward, not his son.
Archer opened the door and left without a backward glance at Lan; Master Keileth motioned
impatiently to Lan to take a seat. тАЬSit down, young man,тАЭ the Master ordered when Lan did not
immediately obey. тАЬIтАЩm not minded to put a crick in my neck looking up at you.тАЭ
Lan obeyed him, gingerly perching on one of the hard wooden seats, and positioning himself
nervously on the very edge of the chair.
Master Keileth gave all his attention to the paper in front of him for a time, then looked up
abruptly. His smile was gone, and his eyes held a calculating expression.
тАЬYour father is paying a great deal of money for this opportunity you are enjoying,тАЭ Master
Keileth said abruptly. тАЬI trust that you intend to make his expenditure worth his sacrifice.тАЭ His
mud-colored eyes narrowed a trifle as he waited for a response.
Lan immediately felt a surge of guilt; why hadnтАЩt his father told him this? He flushed a little, and