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

temple-
тАЬIf you were lucky, IтАЩd have sent you to be a priest,тАЭ his father continued, echoing LanтАЩs
unfinished thought. тАЬThereтАЩs some that would say itтАЩs the proper place for you.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩd at least be serving your family if we did,тАЭ Nelda said acerbically. тАЬWhich is more than
you can claim now, lolling about in bed most of the day and glooming around the house doing nothing the
rest of the time!тАЭ
тАЬSuperfluousтАЭ sons and daughters were often sent to one temple or another; the sons of the
highborn were the ones that became the priests that were ultimately placed in the best situations. The rest
took what they were assigned, normally poor temples in tiny, isolated villages in hardscrabble country or
in the worst slums of the cities. Their families were greatly praised, of course, and it was generally thought
that they incurred great blessings from the god or goddess of their choice for sending one of their blood
to serve.
Lan gulped back alarm and forced himself to keep his eyes up. If he read his motherтАЩs words
aright, he wasnтАЩt being sent to a temple either.
тАЬYouтАЩre luckier than you deserve,тАЭ she said after a pause, sounding very bitter and resentful of
her sonтАЩs good fortune. тАЬAnd your father is kinder.тАЭ
тАЬNow, Nelda, the boy isnтАЩt bad,тАЭ Archer admonished. тАЬHeтАЩs just a bit adrift.тАЭ
тАЬYou arenтАЩt home enough to see,тАЭ his mother replied, тАЬor you werenтАЩt, back in Alderscroft.
Running off with those neтАЩer-do-well friends of his, never coming back until all hours, and the gods only
know what he was up to with them-тАЭ
тАЬNothing that anyone ever complained about,тАЭ Archer retorted, a sharpness in his tone showing
that he was getting weary of his wifeтАЩs complaints. тАЬNo one ever said anything to me about Lan getting
into mischief.тАЭ
тАЬWell, they wouldnтАЩt, would they?тАЭ Nelda muttered, but there wasnтАЩt much else she could say
beyond that. No one had ever complained to her about LavanтАЩs behavior either, as Lan well knew,
because no matter what he and his friends got into, they always made sure it wasnтАЩt where anyone would
see them.
Archer turned back to his son, and rewarded his wary hope with a faint smile. тАЬTimes change,
more so here in Haven, maybe. WeтАЩve got another place for you, and you can think the Collegia for it.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm going to the Collegium? But IтАЩm not-тАЭ
He wasnтАЩt a Bard or a Healer, and he certainly wasnтАЩt a Herald! But his father laughed and
shook his head.
тАЬNa, na, not to the Collegia-thatтАЩs for the highborn, not for the likes of you! Or at least, not
unless you show some kind of genius, my boy, and since youтАЩve not shown anything so far, I rather doubt
youтАЩre going to start now! But itтАЩs the Collegia and the way the highborn send their younger sons and
sometimes daughters there for extra learning that made the Haven Guilds think something of the kind was
a good place for our younglings.тАЭ He cocked his head to the side and took in LanтАЩs baffled expression.
тАЬYouтАЩre going to school, lad.тАЭ
тАЬSchool?тАЭ Now he was more confused, not less. He knew how to read, write, and cipher, so
what more could he possibly learn? тАЬIтАЩve already been to school.тАЭ
тАЬNot like this, you havenтАЩt.тАЭ Archer settled back on his heels and tucked his thumbs into his belt,
looking as proud as if he had thought of the idea of this тАЬschoolтАЭ himself. тАЬThis is the school all of the
Trade Guilds in Haven put together. YouтАЩll be going beyond what the priest at Alderscroft could teach
you-history, fancy figuring, oh, I donтАЩt know what all else. And the schoolmasters will be testing you,
seeing what it is youтАЩre good at. When theyтАЩve got you figured, theyтАЩll be finding a Master for you to
тАШprentice to; something youтАЩll fancy more than clothwork, I reckon.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩll start tomorrow,тАЭ Nelda stated, narrowing her eyes, тАЬAnd you should be thanking your
kind father for such a blessed opportunity.тАЭ
тАЬI am-I mean, thank you sir,тАЭ Lan replied, still in a daze, and not quite certain if this was
something to be glad about, or otherwise. More schooling? He hadnтАЩt been particularly brilliant at