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

The girl cried, "You're the wizard Daddy sent for! Aren't you? Tell us you are!"

"Of course you are! You'll make our Cecil well again so he can go out and tear
our enemies to bits!" said the boy, taking Kedrigern's hand and tugging him
toward the shed.

Clearly these were Eldry and Ashel. Kedrigern was impressed by the children's
perceptiveness. He made it a point to dress plainly and avoid displaying
indications of his profession. It avoided complications. "I'll do everything I
can. How could you tell I was a wizard?"

"Daddy sent for a wizard. You had to come," Ashel said.

"And besides, nobody but a wizard would dare to come near Cecil. The others are
all afraid of him. Especially the physicians."

"You don't seem afraid of him," Kedrigern said.

"Cecil is our friend and protector. He's really a very nice griffin. He always
sounds cross, but he's not the least bit nasty, not really."

They stopped at the entry and the children released his hands. "You'd better go
in alone," Eldry said. "We'll be right outside."

"Don't be afraid," said Ashel. "He won't hurt you."

Cecil lay sprawled on a thick bed of straw. His breathing was a loud wheeze. His
mouth, once red as a roaring furnace, was a pale pink. His eyes, big as basins,
were glazed and bloodshot. The plumage of his head and wings, brilliant no
longer, appeared dusty and faded and very patchy. Flies clustered about sores on
his tawny hide. His ribs were clearly visible. Huge black, red, blue, and white
feathers were scattered everywhere. He appeared to be in worse condition than
Tyasan had claimed.

His disposition, however, was still griffin-like. As soon as he became aware of
the wizard's presence, he raised his head, opened his fierce hooked beak, and in
a grating voice said, "What do you mean, bursting in here like that? Go away! If
I catch you prowling around my lair again, I'll dismember you !"

Kedrigern was unintimidated. "King Tyasan has asked me here to see what can be
done about your condition."

"Get lost, butcher. I'm in perfect health."

"I will not leave until I've examined you."

Struggling unsteadily to his feet, Cecil said, "That's what you think. Try to
take one drop of my blood, and you'll lose your own. All of it."

"I'm not a physician, I'm a wizard."