"Shirley Meier & S. M. Stirling - Fifth Millenium 01 - Shadow's Daughter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Meier Shirley)

from her. I'm bored, being good, she thought.

She kicked her heels against the floor and her sandals pushed
up till they were balanced on her big toes by their straps.
"MeganтАж" Mama said quietly. "This is very important." Megan
sat up straight and tried not to fidget. There was a glass case
with the skeleton of a bird in it by the door and Megan wanted
to get up and look at it, but she sat still. I'll see it, when I'm here,
learning. The rich folk, the Prafetatla, their children had their
own teachers, but Megan was lucky that she had access to some
schooling.

The door clicked and a woman with grey and red hair looked
in and said, "Come along to my office, if you please. I'm Hanya,
K'mizar of Children."

"Certainly. We are Ness, called Weaver, and Megan," Ness
answered, holding out her hand to Megan as she got up. "Come
along, Megan." The K'mizar was a little taller than Megan's
mother and very thin. She looked to Megan as if she were made
of milkweed fluff, and sniffled as she walked. She wore a brown
robe like everyone else, but her belt was red and white and
pinned by a metal pin in the shape of a heron holding a candle in
its curved beak. She was wearing fleece in her sandals, tucked
around the leather, to keep her feet warm.

Once in her office it only took a bit of talk, after they'd shared
the salt, to admit Megan to the first class.

A week or two later, Megan sat at the brazier with Brunsc,
warming her hands, listening to the rain splash on the shutters.
It was cold this morning and her Mama had already gone to the
Guildhall. After she went in the student's gate, Papa would walk
through the park, then along Svart Road up to Reyeka, to work.
In the summer it wouldn't be too dark for her to walk to school
by herself in the morning. When summer comes and I'm bigger,
I'll be able to go to the park by myself, too.

And then she could help Mama by shopping at the market on
Svenina, as long as she didn't talk to strangers. Papa said that
slavers preferred younger children, and she'd be old enough to be
fairly safe by summer. The Watch patrolled regularly out of the
First Quarter and came as far south as two streets up so the
neighborhood was safer than either of the Quarters farther down
toward the Lake. It had been quieter since most naZak had been
chased out of the city by the Woyvode's decree; at least that's
what the corner-criers had said.
 Ness had a special project at the Guild. She'd left the house so
early, to start a lace cloth for Zingas Xvan's wedding.