"John Morressy - The Questing Of Kedrigern" - читать интересную книгу автора (Morressy John)

business."
Kedrigern shook his head bemusedly and scratched his chin. "Has it really
been that long?"
"Yes," said Princess emphatically.
"I lose track of time when I'm busy."
"You haven't been that busy, Keddie."
"I haven't, have I? Well, I lose track of time when I'm not busy, too. But
truthfully, my dear, I've been thinking of taking a little trip to some new
place where we might meet interesting people, see new things, enjoy a complete
change of scene. Something like that would do us both a lot of good."
"Keddie, what a nice surprise! When are we leaving?" said Princess, at once
lively and animated.
"Oh, I thought ... the summer is a good time to travel. The roads areтАФ''
"The summer? Next summer?"
"That's right, my dear. We'll have plenty of time to plan our trip, and make
someтАФ"


"Keddie, it's autumn. It's early autumn. Summer has just ended. You're
asking me to wait a year."
"Not quite a year. Hardly more than a half a year, actually. And this way,
everything will be leisurely and unhurried."
Princess fixed him with her blue eyes. Her sweet voice was decidedly chilly
as she said, "Keddie, for an unknown number of years I sat on a lily pad in a
bog. I went nowhere, saw no one, and did nothing. My life was leisurely and
unhurried, and I hated every minute of it. You restored me to my human form,
married me in honorable fashion, and brought me to this small but charming
cottage remote from the stress, struggle, and turmoil of the world. I now look
and speak like my former self, I have a gorgeous wardrobe, and have taught
Spot how to prepare and serve exquisite dinners. And still I go nowhere, see
no one, and do nothing. I might as well have remained a toad."
The room was silent as Kedrigern drew a succession of deep slow breaths and
nodded his head. "You'd rather not wait until summer," he said at last.
"I would not."
"I understand, my dear. I really do. But spring is a bad time to travel, and
winter is worse."
"We can go now. Autumn is a lovely time to travel, and you're not busy. It's
the perfect chance to get away, Keddie."
"But I can't just go. It's true I don't have pressing business, but I do
have a few small matters. . . . And something could turn up at any moment."
Princess took his hand. "Do you really want to stay here all winter?" He
looked at her uncertainly, and she went on, "Wouldn't it be nice to get away
from the cold, and the snow, and the barbarians? We could go south, where
there are no blizzards, and the days are long and sunny and warm, and people
sing, and smile, and drink wine."
"I've never been south," Kedrigern admitted thoughtfully.
"You could gather fresh herbs. There are herbs in the south that don't grow
here. They could open up a whole new field for you."
"I've always liked working with herbs. It's a good clean kind of magic. Nice
for cooking, too. But what would you do, my dear?"