"Meredith Ann Pierce - Firebringer 1 - Birth of the Firebringer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pierce Meredith Ann)

Dagg rolled his eyes, ears akimbo, nostrils flared, and tossed his head like one who had just trod upon
a snake. Jan put his head down, helpless with mirth. He laughed until his legs felt weak.
тАЬBoth of you have borne yourselves like brainless foals,тАЭ the young mare snapped. тАЬYou, Jan
son-of-Korr, havenтАЩt you grace enough to speak when youтАЩre spoken to?тАЭ Jan ignored her. Her tone
crackled. тАЬI am talking to you.тАЭ
She marked that, when the princeтАЩs son neither answered nor turned, by nipping him smartly on the
shoulder. Jan jumped and wheeled. Disbelief, and a sudden odd heedlessness uncoiled in him. No one
had ever set teeth to him, not in earnest, but his father. No one had ever dared. He felt the blood surging
in his head. His ears grew hot.
тАЬYou champed me!тАЭ he cried.
Dagg on the ground had swallowed his grin.
тАЬYou set teeth to me.тАЭ
тАЬAye, and IтАЩll do so again the next time you ignore me. What have you to say for yourself?тАЭ
Jan stared at her. Not even a word of regretтАФthe arrogance! The astonishment in him turned to rage.
HeтАЩd let no one, not even the healerтАЩs daughter, treat him like a foal. He plunged at her, his head down,
before he was even aware what he was doingтАФperhaps a slash across the flank would teach this
half-grown better manners. Tek countered with her own horn, fencing him expertly, and threw him off
with a sharp rap on the head.
Jan staggered, startled. He had always been the victor, the easy best in the mock battles among the
uninitiated colts. NowтАФfirst bitten, then baited, then parried in three blows. Jan regained his footing and
stood stunned, humiliated. A cold little voice in the back of his mind teased and taunted him, but he
shoved it away, shoved everything away. His breath was coming hard between clenched teeth. Tek had
not fallen back even a step.
Dimly, he came aware that Dagg beside him was speaking. тАЬJan. Hear me. SheтАЩs half-grown.тАЭ
His friend started to rise. тАЬColts donтАЩt spar with warriors. List, come on, letтАЩsтАж.тАЭ
Jan ignored him, flattening his ears. He was not a colt, not just any colt. He was the son of the prince of
the unicorns, and he would not be beaten off a second time. Tek snorted, shifting her stance. She
squared to meet him. He lowered his head, gathering his legs.
тАЬEnough!тАЭ
The word rolled hard and deep above the rising wind. Jan pulled up, startled, spinning around. Tek
glanced past him, and he glimpsed her falling back now in surprise. The prince of the unicorns stood
before them on the lookout knoll, black against the grayness of the storm. Lightning clashed, throwing a
blue sheen across him. Jan flinched at the suddenness, feeling his rash temper abruptly vanish, like a
snake into a hole. He gazed uneasily into his fatherтАЩs dark and angry eyes.
тАЬLeave off these foalsтАЩ games,тАЭ ordered the prince. тАЬYou, Dagg, son of my shoulder-friend, off home
with youтАФat once.тАЭ
Jan felt his friend beside him scrambling to his feet. Dagg bowed hastily to the prince, then wheeled and
was gone. His hoofbeats on the slope grew faint.
тАЬYou, Tek, healerтАЩs daughter, begone as well.тАЭ
тАЬPrince,тАЭ Tek started, but he shook his head.
тАЬRest sure, young mare, I put no blame on you in this.тАЭ
тАЬKorr, prince,тАЭ she said, тАЬI am on look-outтАж.тАЭ
He tossed his head then. тАЬNever mind. No gryphons will be flying once the rain comes. Now off, or
you will be soaked.тАЭ
Tek bowed her long neck to the prince, then wheeled and bounded away like a lithe deer through the
trees. Korr waited until the gusting wind had swept the sound of her heels away.
тАЬFoal!тАЭ he burst out then, and Jan flinched beneath his fatherтАЩs rebuff. тАЬWitless thing! Have I not
expressly forbidden any colts so high on the slopes, and warned all against interfering with the lookouts?тАЭ
Jan eyed his hooves and mumbled assent.
тАЬCan you not understand gryphons may slip into these woods under cover of cloud in two bats of an