"Douglas Niles - Druidhome 2 - The Coral Kingdom" - читать интересную книгу автора (Niles Douglas)

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"Walk with me for a moment, my daughter." The warmth of Robyn's tone touched Alicia, and she
quickly rose and joined the queen at the fringe of the firelight cast by the hearty blaze.
The time approached midnight, Alicia knew without needing to look at the brilliant stars.
Several dozen FfolkтАФAlicia's companions, and other lords, knights, and even druidsтАФhad gathered
around the fire some hours before to discuss the import of the day's events. The queen had naturally
canceled the upcoming Council of Lords. They could not proceed with a memorial for a king who might still
be alive. They all realized that the prospects of a rescue seemed slim to nonexistent, but they also knew that
the attempt must be made.
Alicia and her companions would embark for Synnoria on the morrow, seeking a secret that would allow
them to take a ship under the sea. Robyn had returned to the castle after the disastrous banquet, and this
was her first reappearance on the commons.
"Are you all right?" inquired the princess, laying a hand on her mother's arm. Robyn replied by placing
her own hand over her daughter's and pressing gently.
For a time, they did not speak, and Alicia realized with surprise that her mother led her toward Corwell's
small druids' grove and its sacred Moonwell. Soon they passed under the flat-topped stone arch, the
entrance to the grove, and approached the small, milk-white pool of water. Even beneath the starlight and a
half-full waxing moon, the illumination of the water cast a pale wash of light throughout the sacred clearing
in the heart of the grove.
"I had a talk with your sister before I departed from Callidyrr," Robyn opened the conversation.
"Deirdre has changedтАФa great deal," Alicia remarked thoughtfully.
"You've seen it, too." For a moment, Robyn was silent. "This spring she mastered a great deal of sorcery
in a very short period of time. Keane swears that he doesn't know how she did this, though he, too, has
observed her power. Do you know anything more?"
Alicia shook her head regretfully. "We were apart for most of that month, and when we met again, at
the Fairheight Moonwell, she had the powers of an accomplished sorceress. But she'll tell me nothing about
what happened to her in that space of time."
"A mysteryтАФand a disturbing one," Robyn noted. "There is danger here, for Deirdre and for all of us,
that I don't believe she fully understands."
Alicia remained silent. She had sensed the same threat as her mother, and it comforted her somewhat to
know that she was not alone in her apprehensions. Nevertheless, she didn't know what she could do to open
a door of communication with her aloof sibling.
Robyn strolled along the shore of the shallow pond, as if looking for something on the ground. "Here,"
said the High Queen finally. "I placed this here this morning to let the blessings of the goddess surround it."
The High Queen knelt at the edge of the pool and lifted up a long shaft that had lain in the shadows.
Rising and turning, she offered it to Alicia.
"Your staff?" questioned the younger woman. "But surely you'll need it now!"
Robyn raised a hand. "Not my staff. Yours."
"ButтАФ"
"This is a changestaff. I made it for you in honor of your accomplishments. It may aid you in your
service to the goddess."
Alicia touched the wood, which was smooth and vaguely warm beneath her fingertips. A sense of
wonder overwhelmed her. The surface was carved intricately in the design of a leafy tendril that coiled
about the staff over its entire length.
"It's beautiful," she breathed. "I'll cherish it more than anything I know."
"When you need an ally, plant the base of the staff in the ground. Use the command word 'Phyrosyne'."
"What will it do?" Alicia wondered.
"You'll see. It's not what the staff does, but what the goddess does through the agent of the wood." The