"Recluce - 07 - The Chaos Balance" - читать интересную книгу автора (Modesitt L E)

application of force necessary before someone else did the same. And the
few times when the angels hadn't been able to apply such force had been
near-disastrous. Had he avoided leadership because he didn't like the
preemptive use of force? Or because he knew it was necessary on the
violent world where the angels had landed? Or both?
аа Ayrlyn slipped into her seat across from Nylan. Her eyebrows lifted
momentarily, but she said nothing, instead pouring some tea and drinking
half a mugful almost immediately. By the second bite of the noodles,
despite the leavening effect of the flat bread, Nylan's forehead was
sweating more than if he were standing before his forge. The cool tea
helped, if not enough. "The food here-it is always good." That comment
came from Daryn.
аа Nylan looked at the young armsman, wanting to shake his head. Did all
the locals like things spiced? Was it a survival ploy to cover the taste
of meat or flour that wasn't quite right?
аа "We try to make everything good," offered Ryba.
аа "And you do, honored Marshal. Westwind is truly amazing."
аа The youth had been trained well in Gallos, at least in manners, Nylan
reflected, and he was adaptable, more so than Gerlich had been. The
former weapons officer had never accepted that Ryba was his better in
everything from commanding to armed and unarmed combat. Of course,
Gerlich had died in his attempt to storm Westwind. He'd also gotten a lot
of guards killed unnecessarily, as well as one of the white wizards of
Lornth. That hadn't bothered Nylan. Those white wizards were innately
nasty, although why they were was yet another unanswered mystery.
аа "We try, Daryn. We try." Ryba's tone was light, but carried the edge
that never left her voice anymore.
аа Nylan blotted his forehead.
аа "Do you think you should start training someone else in smithing?"
asked Ryba.
аа "Cessya was working, but..." Nylan shrugged and glanced toward Huldran.
аа "Gerlich's wizard got her," Huldran finished. "Ydrall's shown some
interest in the past. She liked your fancy pikes."
аа "If she is interested, I think it might be a good idea," Ryba
suggested, lifting her mug to her lips. "Otherwise, find someone else."
аа "What's the urgency?" asked the smith.
аа "You said you wanted to work on building your mill," Ryba pointed out.
"If you do, you can't smith, not all the time, and we're going to need a
lot of smithwork. So I'd like you and Huldran to start training whoever
it is in the next few eight-days, before the snows clear and you're back
building the sawmill."
аа Nylan concealed a frown. All of what Ryba said was correct, but the
words felt somehow wrong, and that bothered him. His eyes crossed those
of Ayrlyn, and he got the faintest of nods in confirmation.
аа "There's been more snow this winter, and that means more mud," the
engineer said. "That means it will be longer until we can reach the
brickworks and the millpond down there-"
аа "Good," answered the black-haired Marshal. "You'll have more time to
do blades and train another smith."
аа Her answer felt even more wrong to Nylan, but the quickest of frowns