"Mercedes Lackey - Mage Storms 1 - Storm Warning" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

Falconsbane had been destroyed for all time. Firesong himself admitted he had
never before seen anything like the mechanism Falconsbane had used for his own
survival. How could Firesong be so certain that Falconsbane had not evaded him at
the last moment? AnтАЩdesha lived each moment with the fear that he would look into
the mirror and see Mornelithe Falconsbane staring out of his eyes, smiling, poised to
strike. And this time, when he struck at AnтАЩdesha, there would be no escape.
Firesong was teaching AnтАЩdesha the Tayledras ways of magic, and every lesson
made that fear more potent. It had been magic that brought Falconsbane back to life
- could more magic not do the same?
But by the same token, AnтАЩdesha was as afraid of not learning how to control his
powers as he was of learning their mysterious ways. Firesong was a Healing Adept;
surely he should be the best person of all to help AnтАЩdesha bind up his spiritual
wounds and come to terms with all that had happened to him. Surely, if there were
physical harm to his mind, Firesong could excise the problem. Surely AnтАЩdesha would
flower under FiresongтАЩs nurturing light.
Surely. If only I were not so afraid. . . .
Afraid to learn, afraid not to learn. There was an added complication as well, as if
AnтАЩdesha needed any more in his life. The first time he had voiced his temptation to
let the magic lie fallow and untapped within him, Firesong had told him, coolly and
dispassionately, that there was no choice. He must learn to master his magics.
Falconsbane never possessed a descendant who was anything less than Adept
potential. That potential did not go away; it probably could not even be forced into
going dormant.
In other words, AnтАЩdesha was still possessed of all the scorching power-potential
of Mornelithe Falconsbane, an Adept that even Firesong would not willingly face
without the help of other mages. The power remained quiescent within the ShinтАЩaтАЩin,
but if AnтАЩdesha were ever faced with a crisis, he might react instinctively, with only
such training as he vaguely recalled from rummaging through FalconsbaneтАЩs
memories.
On the whole, that was not a good idea. Especially if the objective was to keep
anything in the area alive.
To wield the greater magics successfully, the mage must be confident in himself
and sure of his own abilities, else the magic could turn on him and eat him alive.
Falconsbane had no lack of self-confidence; unfortunately, that was precisely the
quality that AnтАЩdesha lacked.
I cannot even bear to meet all the strangers here, and it is their land we dwell in!
Stupid of course - they would not eat him, nor would they hold FalconsbaneтАЩs actions
against him. But the very idea of leaving this sheltered place and walking the
relatively short distance to the Palace, crowded with curious strangers, made him
want to crawl under the waterfall and not come out again.
So he remained here, protected, but cowering within that protection.
He found it difficult to believe that no one here would hold against him the evil
Falconsbane had done. He had such difficulty facing those stored memories that he
could not imagine how people could look at him and not be reminded of the things
тАЬheтАЭ had done.
And I donтАЩt even know the half of them . . . the most I know are the things he did to
Nyara. The truth was, he didnтАЩt want to know what Falconsbane had done - never
mind that Firesong kept insisting that he must face every scrap of memory eventually.
Firesong told him, over and over again, that he needed to deal with every act,
however vile, and mine it for its worth.