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

тАЬSo I heard. When I saw you playing dead in the tub, I sent a page up to
your room with food and wine and sent another one off for some of my spare
uniforms, since we're about the same size.''
тАЬName the price, it's yours,тАЭ Vanyel said gratefully, levering himself out of
the tub with a groan and accepting the towel Tantras held out to him. тАЬI have
nothing worth wearing right now in the way of uniforms.тАЭ
тАЬLord and Lady-тАЭ the other Herald swore, looking at him with shock. тАЬWhat
have you been doing to yourself?тАЭ
Vanyel paused in his vigorous toweling, looked down, and was a little
surprised himself at the evidence of damage. He'd always been lean-but now
he was whipcord and bone and nothing else. Then there were the scars- knife
and sword scars, a scoring of parallel claw marks on his chest where that
demon had tried to remove his heart. Burn marks, too-he was striped from
neck to knee with three thin, white lines where mage-lightning had gotten
through his shields. And there were a few other scars that were souvenirs of
his bout with a master of mage-fire.
тАЬMy job. Living on the edge. Trying to convince the Karsites that I was five
Herald-Mages. Playing target.тАЭ He shrugged dismissively. тАЬThat's all. Nothing
any of you wouldn't have done if you could have.тАЭ
тАЬGods, Van,тАЭ Tantras replied, with a hint of guilt. тАЬYou make me feel like a
shirker. I hope to hell it was worth what you went through.тАЭ
Vanyel compressed his lips into a tight line. тАЬI got the bastard that got
Mardic and Donni. And you can spread that as official.тАЭ
Tantras closed his eyes for a moment, and bowed his head. тАЬIt was worth
it,тАЭ he said faintly.
Vanyel nodded. тАЬWorth every scar. I may have accomplished something
else; that particular necromancer had a flock of pet demons and I turned them
back on Karse when I killed him.тАЭ He smiled, or rather, stretched his mouth a
little. тАЬI hope it taught the Karsites a lesson. I hope they end up proscribing
magic altogether on their side of the Border. If you can believe anything out of
Karse, there's rumor that they're doing just that.тАЭ
Tantras looked up again. тАЬHard on the Gifted-тАЭ he ventured.
Vanyel didn't answer. He was finding it very hard to feel sorry for anyone
on the Karsite side of the Border at the moment. It was uncharitable, un-
Heraldic, but until certain wounds healed-and not the physical ones-he was
inclined to be uncharitable.
тАЬThere's more silver in your hair, too,тАЭ Tantras observed, head to one side.
Vanyel made a face, just as glad of the change in subject. тАЬNode-magic.
Every time I tap into it, more of my roots go white. Moondance k'Treva was
pure silver by the time he was my age; I guess I'm more resistant.тАЭ He smiled,
it was faint, but a real smile this time. тАЬOne nice thing; all those white hairs
give me respect I might not otherwise get!тАЭ
He finished drying himself and wrapped the towel around his waist.
Tantras grimaced again-probably noting the knife wound on his back-and
handed him another towel for his hair.
тАЬYou already paid that forfeit, by the wayтАЭ he said, plainly trying to lighten
the conversation.
Vanyel stopped toweling off his hair and raised an eyebrow.
тАЬYou stood duty for me last Sovvan.тАЭ
Vanyel clamped down on the sudden ache of loss and shrugged again.