"L. E. Modesitt - Recluce 08 - Colors of Chaos" - читать интересную книгу автора (Modesitt L E)

but Faltar had told him.
Outside of the time when Jeslek had tried to insist that Cerryl had not succeeded in
accomplishing his magely task-or rather when Jeslek had insisted that he had not set such a task-
and the High Wizard Sterol had brought in Kinowin, Myral, and Derka to judge the situation, Cerryl
had never really had much conversation or contact with the stooped, silver-haired Derka. Then...
Cerryl had seen how much power the kindly voice and stooped posture concealed.
Jeslek, thank the light, had been forced to admit he had set a magely task for Cerryl, whether
he had so intended or not, and Sterol and the others had agreed that Cerryl was fit to be a full
mage.
Cerryl snorted as he thought about it. If sneaking into a strange city and killing the ruler
with chaos fire and escaping unseen didn't make for a magely task, he wasn't certain what did.
Then, because he was an orphan from a suspect background, he'd been held to a more difficult
standard in many ways-except for one thing. Sterol had known that Cerryl had used chaos fire
before the Guild had found Cerryl, and the High Wizard had let that pass. Cerryl's father hadn't
been so fortunate-which was why Cerryl had ended up an orphan almost right after he was born.
"Cerryl, ser," he announced as he rapped on the white oak door. He didn't mind reporting to
Kinowin, the other Guild overmage that he knew of besides Jeslek, but that was because the big
overmage had also surmounted poverty-and far more disciplinary actions than Cerryl-in becoming a
mage.
"Come in," Kinowin's voice rumbled.
Cerryl eased into the room-so different from that of Myral or Jeslek. Myral's quarters were
filled with books and Jeslek's almost bare of all but essentials. Kinowin's walls were filled with
colored hangings of different types and styles, but all of them featuring shades of purple,
accented with other colors. His books were limited to a single four-shelf case on the wall beside
the sole window. Even the table that held his screeing glass was covered with a purple cloth-
trimmed with green.
"I take it that nothing untoward happened today." Kinowin's lips curled into a friendly but
sardonic smile, lifting slightly the purple blotch on his left cheek.
"No, ser. Not a thing. There weren't many wagons, and only the coach from Lydiar. Just two
passengers, a grain merchant from Worrak and one from Ruzor."
"Wasn't there an olive merchant from Kyphros the other day?"
"Ah... two days ago, I think."
"Not much trade coming to Fairhaven at all, is there?" Kinowin nodded to the chair across from
him. "We need to talk."
Cerryl's stomach tightened.
"No ... you haven't done anything wrong, and the great Jeslek has been quiet so far as you are
concerned. He's still out in Gallos raising more mountains. To protect the Great White Highway, he
says ..."
Cerryl wondered. Jeslek claimed that such a use of chaos was to show the force of the Guild to
the prefect of Gallos, but Cerryl doubted such was the sole reason.
"... also," continued Kinowin, "Jeslek's been reporting cattle theft in the northern part of
Kyphros. His scrolls indicate that the locals are complaining that the thieves are being allowed
to steal Analerian cattle and take them to Fenard for slaughter. He's sent a scroll to the new
prefect-your 'friend' Syrma-suggesting that Gallos could use more evenhanded justice."
"Syrma won't like that, not from the little I saw."


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