"Mercedes Lackey - Dragon Jousters 2 - Alta" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)
ALTA
MERCEDES LACKEY
INSIDE FLAP
VETCH was once an Altan serf, tied to the lands that had belonged to his family before the devastating
war with Tia usurped a third of Alta's lands, and turned the few Altans who survived on them into virtual
slaves. But Vetch had been rescued from this unbearable fate by one of the very dragon-riders who had
conquered his country, and trained to be a dragon-boy.
And Vetch had been gratefulтАФnow he was well fed and cared forтАФno longer in danger of dying from
exposure or starvation. But no matter how grateful he was for this lifesaving turn of events, he could
never forget the family he had lost, the home that had been stolen from them, and the once-happy life
that was gone foreverтАФa casualty of war. A war that Tia had won due to their superior number of
Jousters and dragons.
As Vetch adjusted to his new life, he slowly came to realize that Ari, the Jouster who had saved him, and
Kashet, his dragon, were very different than the other Jousters and dragons in the compound. Kashet was
naturally tameтАФhe didn't need the tranquilizing tala plant to make him manageable, and Ari's
not because he was drugged into submission. Ari's technique was very simple: he had raised Kashet
from the egg, rather than abducting him from the wild as was traditional for Jousters. He had cared for
him and hand fed him from the day he hatched, and they were deeply and naturally bonded. Vetch knew
he could do the same thing if he ever got the chance.
When his opportunity came, Vetch did not hesitate: he stole a newly laid egg and hid it in the hot sand of
an empty dragon pen. But as the weeks passed, and the egg matured and finally hatched, Vetch had no
way to prepare himself for his reaction. His dragonet was bright crimson with golden limbs, fragile and
helpless, stunningly beautiful, and completely dependent on Vetch for her survival. Vetch named her
Avatre which meant fire of the dawn, and knew in his soul that she was, and would forever be, the single
most important thing in his life. Vetch was hopelessly, helplessly in love. There was nothing he would
not have done, would not have sacrificed for his dragonet.
Avatre grew and matured under Vetch's loving care. Fierce, strong, and completely loyal to Vetch,
Avatre prospered in the light of Vetch's love. With stealth born of fearтАФthe fear of losing AvatreтАФ
Vetch managed to keep her existence a secret, and when she was large and strong enough, he started to
train her to carry his weight. And when she lifted her wings for her first flight, Vetch was on her back.
It was Vetch's plan to fly Avatre beyond the Tian border to lands still controlled by Alta. He knew that
he carried with him one of the greatest secrets of his worldтАФhow to tame dragons. If he imparted this
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