"Mercedes Lackey - Last Herald Mage 2 - Magic's Promise" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

Karsites didn't try that, too. At least near-possession doesn't leave stains . . .
not on uniforms, anyway. What am I going to do for uniforms? Oh, well-worry
about that after my bath.
The bathing room was at the other end of the long, wood-paneled, stone-
floored hallway; at mid-morning there was no one in the hall, much less
competing for the tubs and hot water. Vanyel made the long trudge in a half-
daze, thinking only how good the hot water would feel. The last bath he'd had-
except for the quick one at the inn last night-had been in a cold stream. A very
cold stream. And with sand, not soap.
Once there, he shed his clothing and left it in a heap on the floor, filled the
largest of the three wooden tubs from the copper boiler, and slid into the hot
water with a sigh-
-and woke up with his arms draped over the edges and going numb, his
head sagging down on his chest, and the water lukewarm and growing colder.
A hand gently touched his shoulder.
He knew without looking that it had to be a fellow Herald-if it hadn't been,
if it had even been someone as innocuous as a strange page, Vanyel's tightly-
strung nerves and battle-sharpened reflexes would have done the
unforgivable. He'd have sent the intruder through the wall before he himself
had even crawled out of the depths of sleep. Probably by nonmagical means,
but-magical or nonmagical, he suddenly realized that he could easily hurt
someone if he wasn't careful.
He shivered a little. I'm hair triggered. And that's not good.
тАЬUnless you plan on turning into a fish-man,тАЭ Herald Tantras said, craning
his head around the partition screening the tub from the rest of the bathing
room and into Vanyel's view with cautious care, тАЬyou'd better get out of that
tub. I'm surprised you didn't drown yourself.тАЭ
тАЬSo am I.тАЭ Vanyel blinked, tried to clear his head of cobwebs, and peered
over his shoulder. тАЬWhere did you pop out of?''
тАЬHeard you got back a couple of candlemarks ago, and I figured you'd
head here first.тАЭ Tantras chuckled. тАЬI know you and your baths. But I must
admit I didn't expect to find you turning yourself into a raisin.тАЭ
The dark-haired, dusky Herald came around the side of the wooden
partition with an armload of towels. Vanyel watched him with a half-smile of
not-too-purely artistic appreciation; Tantras was as graceful and as handsome
as a king stag in his prime. Not shay'a'chern, but a good friend, and that was
all too rare.
And getting rarer, Vanyel thought soberly. Though, Havens, I haven't
exactly had my fill of romantic companionship either, lately . . . well, celibacy
isn't going to kill me. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Gods, I should
apply for the priesthood.
There was concern in the older Herald's deep, soft eyes. тАЬYou don't look
good, Van. I figured you'd be tired-but from the way you passed out here-it
must have been worse out there than I thought.тАЭ
тАЬIt was bad,тАЭ Vanyel said shortly, reluctant to discuss the past year. Even
for the most powerful Herald-Mage in the Circle, holding down the positions of
five other Herald-Mages while they recovered from magical attack, drainage,
and shock was not a mission he wanted to think about for a long while, much
less repeat. He soaped his hair, then ducked his head under the water to
rinse it.