"L. E. Modesitt - Corean Chronicles 4 - Alector's Choice" - читать интересную книгу автора (Modesitt L E)

Sesalia set the casserole in the middle of the table. "Everyone should sit
down. Mother and Bortal are bringing the fowl and the bread."

Olent took the chair at the head of the table. Mykel slipped onto the
chair to his father's right, across from Sesalia. Aelya appeared and set the
serving platter in front of her husband before taking her seat at the other
end of the table. The squarish Bortal hurried after her, setting a basket of
bread on each end of the table, then settling between his wife and Aelya.
The last one to the table was Viencet, who seated himself to Mykel's right.

Olent looked at Aelya, then cleared his throat. "In the name of the One
Who Was, Is, and Will Be, may our food be blessed, and our lives as well,
in the times of prosperity and peace, and those which are neither. Blessed
be the lives of both the deserving and the undeserving that both may strive
to do good in the world and beyond, and may we always recall that we do
not judge our worthiness, but leave that judgment to the One Who Is..."
After a moment of silence, he lifted his head and looked to Aelya. "You
prepared it, dear."

"Thank you, but it's in front of you."

Mykel's father took three slices of the fowl, then nodded to Mykel.
Mykel took two, before lifting the platter and handing it to Viencet, who,
in turn, held it while Aelya served herself. Next came the lace potatoes, the
steamed sprouts, and the bread. Aelya had cooked and served the fowl the
way Mykel liked it best--roasted and basted with sesame oil, then served
with a sauce of powdered groundnuts and mint. The lace potatoes were
crisp on the outside, but hot and moist inside.
 "Excellent," he said, looking to his mother. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear." Aelya glanced at Sesalia. "I miss the children."

"We don't," replied Bortal, glancing sideways at his wife. "I might get to
eat my entire supper."

"Oh... they're always sweet," replied Aelya.

"They are, indeed," suggested Olent, "but with four of them, I can see
how Sesalia and Bortal might enjoy a meal or two without them."

Aelya sniffed.

"I'll bring them by tomorrow," Sesalia promised. "You can feed them
midday dinner and see how sweet they are then."

Mykel grinned. He'd helped Sesalia the day before.

"Ah... how are things going with you?" asked Bortal quickly, looking at
Mykel. "You won't have to go off and fight anytime soon, will you, like with
those raiders in the north?"