"Lee, John - Unicorn Saga 04 - The Unicorn Peace UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lee John)

but, after all these years of argument, he could hold out
no real hope for it,

He changed out of his blue robe and donned lay at-
tire. With his height he could not pass for anything but
a Magician, but he had found that it was more politic
not to remind people of his status. He went down to

6 + JOHN LEE

the stables where his horse was saddled and waiting and
took the long route to Stronta's western gate. He mar-
veled anew as he rode at the difference the years had
made.

The clean lines of the star fort were obscured by the
wooden houses and shops that had sprung up outside
the walls. The capital was almost surrounded now by a
tangle of narrow streets replete with inns and bawdy
houses. Only the well-founded fear of the Great Maze
kept the area around Northgate clear. It now took far
longer to get into the city than it had in the old days.
With all the new mouths to feed, the roads were clogged
with wagons and carts bringing produce to market. So
much had changed since the war, he reflected as he
kicked his mount into a trot. On this day, of all days,
it would not do to be late for the meeting.

chaipreR 2

C

^^/onneian Malum, Lord Quern, sharpened his quills
slowly and methodically. Taking notes at these sessions
was rough. He had long since become accustomed to
the various accents, but the Commission members
talked fast when they were arguing, which was most of
the time; they interrupted one another constantly. All
the positions were so well known by now that members
seldom got a chance to finish their set pieces. Once the
session got going, there would be no time to sharpen a
nib.

He sat at the scribes' table, his chair set somewhat
apart from the others. He was an official member of the
Umbrian delegation, but his patron, the Elector of Es-
tragoth, wanted his own account of the proceedings,
and it was Malum's job to provide it. He'd been doing
it since he first came to Stronta at the age of eighteen.
The job itself was fascinating for alt it rigors. The Elec-