"Jody Lynn Nye - School Of Light" - читать интересную книгу автора (Nye Jody Lynn)

certainly favored this place. The last time an influence like that came through her home of Wandering, the
whole town square had turned into ramshackle hovels, much to the embarrassment of the town council, who
were having a market fair at the time, with a hundred visitors from out of town. Here, it felt as if nothing
could be ugly, ever. Then, across the square, Juele noticed a man step out through a section of wall as if it
was a door. Behind him she could see a brief glimpse of a corridor and a flight of stairs.
тАЬOh yes, some of it is illusory, to correct the asymmetry of the real building underneath, and preserve the
beauty of the scene,тАЭ Rutaro said, smiling at her surprise.
тАЬWell, why not?тАЭ said Juele, with spirit. тАЬHow much of this is natural and how much has been altered by
the people here?тАЭ
тАЬWell, sometimes the School does it by itself, much in the way a Sleeper maintains the flavor of a
province. The place has an overmind of its own. It has a taste for beauty.тАЭ
тАЬOh,тАЭ Juele said. She knew inanimate objects frequently achieved a kind of awareness, even activity. Any
foundation in operation for such a number of years might well create its own ambiance. And it was an art
school. Why, after all, should form interfere with aesthetic enjoyment?
тАЬSo what is real, and whatтАЩs not?тАЭ she asked, eager to understand her new surroundings.
тАЬDoes it matter?тАЭ Rutaro asked, suddenly bored. He started walking again. Juele grasped her bags and
hurried along the gravel path after him. Had she made an error on her very first day?
тАЬI suppose not,тАЭ she said, apologetically. Rutaro waved his fingers, but kept going. The matter was
unimportant and was already forgotten.
I like it here, she thought, looking about at the bright colors and happy bustle. All around her, work was -
going on, questions were being asked, deep conversations were deepening, art was being brought into
existence, and all in conscious pursuit of the greatest beauty. Fabulous. She wondered when she might be
able to start talking with people, and deepening her own understanding.
For two years, Juele had been working on a style of illusion that she found meaningful. She hoped it
would be thought original. All by herself, she had ruthlessly excised from her small images all traces of
anyone elseтАЩs style that she detected, keeping the techniques that gave the effect she liked. There hadnтАЩt been
much left at the end, leaving her images spare, but what was there was all hers. She called it тАЬaskance
reality.тАЭ It had cynicism, but appreciation in it and was really best viewed out of the corner of oneтАЩs eye.
Perhaps her style could use some more refining before she brought it up in such sophisticated surroundings.
She opened her mouth to ask, but of its own will her jaw dropped agape, leaving her tongue hanging.
They passed under a narrow stone arch that stretched like a bridge between two upper-story doors. In the
vast square beyond it was one of the most beautiful fountains that she had ever seen. The tiered, pink marble
basins were shallow, and the rims encrusted with pearls and jewels rose in shell-like scallops, the water
lapping diamond-bright between them. The foaming jets of spray leaped up twenty, thirty feet, playing on
the air as gracefully as winged dancers. Around it, eight or ten students were modeling or drawing.
Out of a door to JueleтАЩs right, a woman in a long, blue smock and a preoccupied hurry emerged, walking
straight toward the fountain. Juele lifted a hand to her mouth and started to call out a warning to her, but the
woman ran slap through the middle of the spray, and came out without a drop on her smock. Oh! Juele
thought, letting her hand drop. It was an illusion.
тАЬThat fountain is so real!тАЭ she said, wonderingly, when she could find her voice. тАЬBut it isnтАЩt!тАЭ
 Rutaro tilted his head and smiled again, that maddening, knowing smile. Bored insouciance seemed to go
well with his costume.
тАЬOh, youтАЩll learn quickly whatтАЩs real and what isnтАЩt in the school grounds. Part of your education, really.тАЭ
Rutaro suddenly didnтАЩt want to stand there with everyone looking at him. He started to walk. Juele stared
after him, then back at the pink fountain, unable to pull herself away.
тАЬItтАЩs perfect! Every detail is ideal. Who did it? The school or a person?тАЭ
тАЬDoes it matter?тАЭ
тАЬNo, but . . .тАЭ Juele trailed a few paces, still looking over her shoulder, then ran after her guide. тАЬRutaro,
itтАЩs amazing. The melding of reality and illusion are seamless.тАЭ
тАЬIsnтАЩt that what you are here to learn how to do?тАЭ