"Morressy, John - NestEgg" - читать интересную книгу автора (Morressy John)

to put your necklace around Cecil's neck. He'll be all right now."

"He will?"

"For a while, anyway."

"That's not a magic necklace, you know."

"It's gold. That's all that matters."

She rose stiffly and wrung her hands. "Good. I wouldn't want to do that for much
longer. Cecil has very rough feathers."

He took her hands gently in his. "You won't have to do it again."

"I take it you've figured out what's wrong with him."

"I'm pretty sure. Whether or not we can fix it depends on how much Tyasan thinks
of his griffin."

They gathered in an antechamber just off the throne room. Tyasan and Thrymm,
having heard the wizard's explanation and Princess' anecdotal support, exchanged
a long silent glance. Tyasan turned to his guests.

"A nest of gold?" he said.

Kedrigern nodded. "That's what it will take."

"A nest for Cecil would require a huge amount of gold. I wouldn't have anything
left to pay your fee."

With a generous wave of his hand, Kedrigern said, "We're willing to accept gems
and silver. Your Cecil is suffering from acute gold deprivation. If you want him
to be his old self, you'll have to provide him with a nest of gold."

Tyasan looked pained. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"As soon as Princess' gold necklace touched him, Cecil relaxed and his appetite
returned. That's when I realized."

"Couldn't it have been the scratching of his neck? Maybe if all my subjects took
turns scratching. . . ."

"It wasn't my scratching that did it," Princess said, "although I'm sure it
helped. Long after I had stopped, Cecil finished his basin of broth and called
for a haunch of horse meat."

"He spoke of flying out to the borders tomorrow, and seeing what the neighbors
are up to," Kedrigern added. "I think you can stop worrying about an invasion."