"Douglas Niles - Forgotten Realms - Moonshae 02 - Black Wizard" - читать интересную книгу автора (Niles Douglas)

Robyn's job was near the periphery of the enchanted area that was the Great
Druid's grove. Near her were the tall hedges that bordered much of the grove,
and she was surrounded by massive oaks. Closer to the heart of the grove
sprawled a wondrous garden and its placid pond, and within these areas stood
Genna's simple cottage.
Behind the cottage stood the grove's dominant physical feature, and also its
spiritual heart: the Moonwell. The deep pool was surrounded by a ring of tall
stone columns covered in bright green moss. The tops of several pairs of
pillars were capped with stone crosspieces, raised by the earthpower of great
druids in ages past.
It was to learn the secrets of this earthpower that Robyn studied her craft so
diligently. She had proven, both to herself and to her teacher, that she had
the innate talent to perform druid magic. This was the legacy of the mother
she had never known. Inherited power was one thing; it was another matter to
learn the skills and discipline necessary to control that power.
Robyn pulled on a thick root, bending it away from the trunk until it snapped
free. She tossed it onto the pile and grasped another tendril with a hand that
had grown strong and calloused during her training. That vine, too, came
reluctantly away from the oak tree, but it required most of her strength to
pull against the tension of the plant.
"Well, I'll help too, if that's what it'll take to get done with this.
HereтАФI'll pull on this one and you grab thatтАФ"
"No!" cried Robyn, but before she could stop him, the little dragon had seized
a loose end of vine and pulled it with a strength that belied his small size.
The vines she had so carefully untangled burst free and instantly twisted back
around the tree trunk.
The springing mass of vines caught the faerie dragon in their coils, pinning
him against the tree. A short, wriggling
BLACK WIZARDS
stretch of red tail and a tiny, clawed foot stuck from the tangle of vines.
"That serves you right!" she chided him as she began to pull the vines from
the tree once again. "You should pay attention to what you're doing!"
Newt finally forced his head from the tangle and shook it quickly. "That's the
last time I try to help you," he huffed as he crawled free. Flexing his
gossamer wings, he buzzed into the air and hovered before her.
"Why don't you just use your magic on these vines and be done with the job?"
he asked, eying the tree belligerently.
"The tending of the grove is a matter for a druid's hands and heart," replied
Robyn, reciting one of her lessons. "The grove is the source of her magic, and
thus cannot be maintained with it, or the magic would lose its potency."
"I should think it would be very boring to do all these studies and silly
jobs, day after day, forever and ever. Don't you miss Tristan? And don't you
ever want to go home?"
Robyn caught her breath sharply, for the questions were painful ones. She had
come to the Vale nearly a year before and had had no contact with her previous
home. Genna insisted that such diligence was the only way Robyn could properly
develop her skills. She thought carefully before answering, more for her own
benefit than Newt's.
"I miss him very muchтАФmore, each day, it seems. And I want to be with him.
Perhaps, someday, I will be. But for now, I must learn what I can of the order