"The Eyes Of A God" - читать интересную книгу автора (Marco John)

'And your little friend?" he asked. "What's his name?"
'This is Peko," replied Figgis. He put out his hand and let the tiny creature climb on, then watched as it wrapped its long tail around his wrist and fell backwards, dangling like an ornament.
'He's charming," said Akeela, laughing. He came closer,
'If you mean my appearance, my lord, I am not offended. I'm often thought of as odd."
'Odd? Oh, no," said Akeela. Then he thought again. "Well, ves " He looked down at the creature in his hands. "I mean, after all, a monkey?"
'A friend," Figgis corrected. "Everyone needs a friend, my lord." Figgis put out his hand and whistled, summoning Peko to him. The monkey obeyed at once, leaping between Akeela and its master and scurrying up the librarian's arm. "Go ahead, my lords," said Figgis, addressing them all. "You must have questions. Ask me anything. As I said, I'm very good with numbers."
'Eighteen times twenty-seven," said Breck quickly.
'Ridiculous. A hard one, I mean." Figgis turned to Akeela. "My lord?"
Akeela thought for a moment, then challenged, "Six hundred eighty-four times nine hundred twenty-seven."
'Six hundred thousand sixty-eight," replied Figgis.
The others went blank. Akeela asked Breck, "Is that right?"
'Oh, it's right," answered Figgis. "I assure you, my figures are always accurate."
Akeela laughed and said, "So you're good with numbers. But I need a man of ideas, Figgis. Someone who can fill my library with books. Do you know much about books?"
'Books?" blurted Graig. "You should see the crates of them he arrived with, my lord. Not a stitch of clean clothes, just stacks and stacks of parchments and scrolls."
'My collection," Figgis explained. "I don't go anywhere without my books."
'You seem quite certain that I'll hire you, fellow," Akeela observed. "You came all this way with your things. What makes you think I won't turn you away?"
Figgis gestured to their surroundings. "Look at this place. You're obviously pouring treasure into it. You want the best person you can find to run your library, King Akeela. That's me."
Graig snickered. "That's a bit cocky."
'Not at all," said Figgis. "I'm accomplished, that's all."
'Tell me," said Akeela.
'My lord, before working for Prince Jarek I was head scholar enchanted by the animal. Figgis noticed his interest and held the monkey out for him.
'Here, give me your hand," Figgis offered. "He'll climb right on."
Akeela drew back. "I don't know. His teeth look pretty sharp."
'Ah, he won't bite you, King Akeela. Go on."
Akeela did as instructed, putting out his hand for the monkey. Without hesitation Peko leapt forward, grabbing hold of Akeela's hand and wrapping his quick tail about his wrist. The sensation of warm fur made Akeela chuckle. Carefully he stroked the monkey's head.
'He's so soft. And look at those eyes."
The little monkey cocked its head, directing Akeela to scratch its ear.
'He's wonderful," said Akeela. Already he was growing to like the strangers. "Now tell me, Figgis. What do you know of my project here?"
The man snapped up the brim of his hat and glanced around. "Well, it's big. But where's the library going to be?"
'You're standing in it."
'What, all of this?" Figgis looked aghast. "You mean this whole area?"
'That's right," said Akeela. "What do you think?"
'Gods above, it's enormous." Figgis twirled around to study the site. "This'll be the biggest library in the world."
'Many times the biggest, I should think," said Akeela. "It will be filled with books from across the continent, a place where scholars can meet and discuss great ideas. And I need someone to run it, someone with brains and vision." The young king grimaced. "To be honest, I'm not sure you're up to the job."
The man straightened indignantly. "My lord, in Marn I am a renowned scholar and mathematician. I may not look like muchЕ"
'No, forgive me," said Akeela quickly. "That was rude of me. It's just that you're not what I expected. When Prince Jarek wrote to me about you, he left me with a different impression. I was expecting someoneЕ" He shrugged. "Well, different."
Figgis nodded. "As you say."
He was an arrogant man, certainly, and his eccentricities were obvious, yet Akeela was intrigued.
'Walk with me, Figgis," he said, then strode away from the others. After a moment he heard Figgis' footsteps on the gravel, following. Akeela didn't turn around to summon Graig or Breck; he wanted to talk to the stranger alone.
'My lord?" asked Figgis. "Where are we going?"
Akeela didn't answer. Instead he led Figgis toward the giant heap of quarried stone, which his workmen had been bringing to the site in cartloads. The pile was now well over the height of a house, and would only grow larger as the project continued. Akeela paused before it, considering its enormity.
'Look at that," he said. "Figgis, I need someone who can help me turn this pile of rocks into a great library."
'I'm not an architect, my lord."
'Don't be obtuse. You know what I mean." Akeela smiled at him. "You seem like a very learned man. There's a lot of knowledge locked in that head of yours, and I'm sure it would be useful. But this project will require more than just brains."
'What do you mean?"
Akeela thought for a moment. How could he explain a dream?
'This isn't going to be just a library," he said finally. "I call this my Cathedral of Knowledge. It's going to be a beacon, a place that isn't reserved just for scholars and royalty. It's for the people, Figgis. All the people. I want this library to help me change things. For that I need a man of vision."
Figgis gave a wicked grin. "Vision is a dangerous thing, my lord."
'So then I need a brave man, as well. Someone who can take the rough weather of politics and not be scared away. I won't lie to you; there are men in the House of Dukes that will oppose me. But so far they've given me the funding I need, because I've made peace with Reec and they admire me for that. I don't know how long their goodwill will last, though. When it fades, I may have to fight them to keep this project alive. And I'll need someone to stand with me."
The librarian removed his hat and ran his fingertips over the at the College of Science in Norvor. That's when I began collecting books, and I venture to say I have a bigger collection than you yourself. I have a nose for finding special papers, and I invented my own cataloging system."