"Andre Norton & Lackey, Mercedes - Elvenbane 3 - Elvenborn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

The lady shook her head. "Not really," she confessed, then
realized that Triana was patronizing her, and put on a cool air
as she tried to save the situation. "But I don't pay much
attention to the provincials."
Aelmarkin snorted. "He's certainly provincial, I'll grant you that,
Lady Brynnire. He never leaves the estate unless he absolutely
has to. He could get a seat on the Great Council if he only
worked at it, but he won't even try! Instead, he spends all of his
time collecting books and studying--of all the nonsensical
subjects--military tactics!"
"Military tactics!" Triana erupted in peals of laughter. "Oh,
Aelmarkin, even if he is serious and not seriously unbalanced,
just who does he think he's going to use military tactics on?
Everyone knows the humans and the halfbloods don't have real
armies! They don't fight proper battles! And as for the Young
Lords--"
She stopped, because it was entirely possible that this was a
touchy subject for some of Aelmarkin's other guests. But
Tennith, whose father was highly placed in the Great Council
and thus was the highest-ranked Elvenlord present, finished her
sentence for her.
"The Young Lords are a disorganized pack of rabble," he said
loftily. "Once a solution is found that negates their ability to
nullify magic, they'll dissolve and come crawling back to their
fathers, begging forgiveness. In the meantime, it is impossible
to use tactics against someone who doesn't know what the
word means."
"Oh, that isn't the best of it," gloated Lord Pratherin. "He not
only studies this nonsense, he practices it! Personally, I think
he's never gotten over playing in the nursery with toy soldiers;
he just does it now on a grander scale." When Brynnire still
looked confused, he leaned over the couch in her direction and
explained. "He makes up two opposing armies out of slaves, my
dear, and personally leads one army into battle against the
other, if you can believe it! Not to settle a grievance or for any
other reasonable purpose, not even for the entertainment of
watching them slaughter each other! No, he does this just to
see how strategies work out with living subjects!"
As the others chortled, howled, or simply looked smug,
according to their natures, Lady Brynnire looked startled, then
shocked, then amused. "Aelmarkin! If I didn't know you, I'd be
tempted to think you were making this up!"
"Sadly, my dear, I am not," Aelmarkin replied, and looked to
Tennith, who nodded in confirmation.
"Really!" Brynnire giggled, a little nervously. "Well, eccentric is
not what I would call him!"
"He takes after his father, dear lady," said Tennith smoothly.
"Which might be said to demonstrate that, sadly, madness is
inherited in his family. Surely you recall that poor demented
fellow who vanished several years ago, out hunting some