"Pierce, Tamora - The Circle Opens 01 - Magic Steps" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pierce Tamora)

muscles in Zahra's legs, out lined by her breeches, shift. He blocked her with
his baton and grabbed her wrist with his free hand. Twisting it, he dragged her
down and across his body. Once she was facedown on the ground, he shoved the arm
he had captured up behind her back. Half-kneeling, he pressed one knee into his
mother's spine.
"I could've fought the takedown, boy," she said, her voice muffled by the bricks
of the courtyard.
Pasco released her. "I know, Mama." When she struggled to rise, he offered her a
hand. She took it and in a heartbeat he went flying.
Tucking himself into a ball, he unfolded and struck feet first, skidding to a
halt before he smacked into the columned gallery that ran around the edge of the
court yard. Rising on tiptoe, he gave her his fools bow, the one that was much
too deep. Straightening, he rose to the very top of his toes, stumbled forward
as if he were out of control, then flipped in the air and came back to his feet,
arms spread.
Zahra glared at him. "Was that meant to charm your way out of a drubbing?" she
wanted to know.
Pasco bowed his head. "I live to be drubbed," he said meekly.
She could only be cross with him for so long. "Get your baton. All of you, line
up. We'll do the patterned strike-and-block combinations until time for midday."
Pasco shook his black hair out of his eyes and took the baton Reha held out to
him. "Say, Mama, did you ever hear of magic dancing? Well, mages that dance, and
the dancing is a spell."
"Ridiculous," Zahra said flatly. "Take your place in line, now"
Pasco did as ordered. As his mother called off the movements of the
combinations, he concentrated on that, at least until the midday bell rang.
As the young people washed up before eating, Pasco's cousin Haidaycie elbowed
him. "When are you going to grow up?" she demanded. "Dancing magic, Pasco, of
all things! What's next? Dancing a fortune into our pockets?"
"Come on, Haiday. He'll say anything to get the fam ily to let him play
tippy-feet with half-naked dancing girls," jeered one of his older male cousins,
Vani. "It beats working for his supper."
"The sooner you face facts, the happier you'll be," Reha informed Pasco with all
the wisdom of her sixteen years. "You're an Acalon and a Qais. Harrying is your
life."
"There's plenty of Acalons and Qaises who aren't har riers!" argued Pasco.
They all looked at him as if to say, Don't waste our time.
"If you ever want a say in the family, you'll go for har rier," Haiday informed
him as she dried her hands.
"She's right," said Reha. "Besides, you're Macarin's and Zahra's only son. You
have to harry." She followed Haiday inside.
"Tippy-feet," jeered Vani. He flicked his drying-cloth at Pasco hard, lashing
the younger boy's cheek.
Pasco yelped. Holding the weal left by the cloth, he glared at Vani as the older
boy ambled into the house. Someday, Pasco told himself, he would make Vani pay
for all his towel-flicking.
* * *
The duke emerged from his parlor, looking better, and joined Sandry and Baron
Erdogun for lunch. After that, they all applied themselves to the affairs of
Duke's Citadel and the realm. In the weeks after the duke's heart attack, when