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

"Someone on the Wizcon program committee asked Hithernils if he knew anyone
in the guild who might be willing to offer a workshop on invisibility. Well,
you know Hithernils."
Kedrigern nodded eagerly, and gave a low, involuntarily chuckle of
anticipation. Tristaver was primly silent until his host urged him on.
"Hithernils doesn't know any more about invisibility than I do about
chiromancy, but he loves an audience. So he gave them his own name, and then
he went madly to work to learn something about invisibility spells. It seems
he got one wrong."
Kedrigern stared at his visitor for a moment, then gave a whoop and doubled
over, helpless with laughter. Princess and Tristaver looked on, exchanging
awkward little smiles, as he struggled to regain his composure. The process
took some time. At last, with one final giggle and a backhanded swipe at his
tear-filled eyes, Kedrigern managed to ask, "And the guild wants me to work a
counterspell and keep it all quiet, is that it?"
Tristaver leaned back and gazed off thougthfully into the forest. "Well,
actually, Keddie ... no. It's the sense of the membership that Hithernils
might benefit, in the long run, from this experience, and so we don't believe
that it should end too soon."
"What do you want from me, then?"
"We wondered it you'd be willing to replace Hithernils at Wizcon. The
program committee would love to have a panel on counterspells, and you're the
obvious choice to lead it."


Kedrigern frowned thoughtfully and scratched his neck. "I hadn't planned on
going to this one, Tris. Couldn't I just make Hithernils visible again, with a
warning?"
"That might help Hithernils, but it wouldn't do much for the guild. The
Wizcon people expect us to send a representative, and obviously we can't send
Hithernils. He wouldn't dare show his face now."
"Why not? No one could see it."
"Well, of course, that's the whole problem right there. It simple wouldn't
do. The mood at such conferences is very . . . very playful . . . and now that
everyone knows of his unfortunate accident . . . No, Hithernils would never
do. That's painfully obvious," Tristaver said.
"A lot more obvious than Hithernils," Kedrigern said, grinning broadly.
"Quite so. Will you do it, for the guild? For old times' sake?"
"Well. . . Princess and I were planning to head south. ..."
"I don't see how you can refuse, Keddie. Your friends need you,"-said
Princess solemnly.
"Don't you think we should talk it over?" he asked. He felt trapped.
"It would be a nice thing to do, and it would probably be fun besides. You
could clear up a lot of misconceptions about counterspells. Everyone knows
that you're the best there is when it comes to counterspells," she said.
"That's true," he admitted.
Tristaver added, "And, of course, you'd be honored guests of Wizcon. And
you'd stay in the suite Hithernils reserved for himself."
"A whole suite?"
Stiffly, Tristaver said, "Anyone who represents the guild has to make a good