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

window, the lamps burning in the workshops built onto the sides of the cottage.
Something else was missing, too.
Opening the gate, she realized what it was. Once any visitor would be hailed by
canine shrieks and then bowled over, if they were not careful, by the
wolfhound-sized dog who lived hereЧLittle Bear was enthusiastic in his
greetings. He belonged to all four of the young people. That spring, when Tris's
teacher Niko wanted to take her south, Tris had been so heartbroken at leaving
that they had talked her into taking the dog. The three of them would be south
of the Pebbled Sea by now, and were not due to return until next summer.
The front door was closed against the night's growing chill. Sandry, feeling
unsure, knocked.
She heard footsteps, then the door opened. The |woman who stood there was four
inches taller than Sandry, with bronze-colored skin and wide brown eyes set over
sharp cheekbones. Lark was dressed in a long h abit of the dark green shade worn
by those who dedi-:ated themselves to the gods of the earth. She smiled warmly
and hugged Sandry. "What a wonderful sur- prise!" she exclaimed. "I wasn't
expecting to see you till next week! How is his grace? Come in, and we'll have
tea."
Sandry hugged Lark fiercely, then walked into her home.
Once she had brewed some tea, Lark made Sandry and eat. As she did, Sandry asked
after the other residents of Winding Circle. "I have to stay with Uncle a while
more," she said, though Lark hadn't asked when she would be coming home. "Till
I'm sure he'll be all right. He was so tired this morning, and he doesn't know
how to be careful."
Lark smiled at her. "It's comforting to know you're with him," she said,
offering Sandry an apple. "He really does listen to youЧhe has ever since we
took that trip north with him, the year when you first came to us. He told us
then he thought you had a head on your shoulders. And everyone knows he works
much too hard."
Looking at her made Sandry feel as if she'd been walking through a gale and had
stepped through a door into a warm house. "I miss you so much," she said. "I
wish you were there with me."
Lark shook her head. "I have so much to do here. Be sides, Duke's Citadel is too
big and drafty for an ex-tumbler turned stitch witch," she teased. "And Dedicate
Vetiver says one of the novices who came this summer shows some odd flashes that
could be magic. I don't think Daja will mind if this boy turns out to need her
old room. Vetiver says he's terribly shy and can hardly speak, even to other
novices."
Sandry nodded. Just-discovered mages who had trouble fitting in at Winding
Circle were often turned over to Lark and Rosethorn. The two women had taught a
number of mages over the years, though none so unusual as Sandry, Briar, Daja,
and Tris. "Can you manage without Rosethorn here?" asked Sandry.
Lark chuckled. "It might even be easier, at least for the first few months.
Never tell Rosie I said that."
Sandry grinned. Dedicate Rosethorn was a terror.
The Hub clock chimed the hour. It was getting late, and there was the ride back
to Dukes Citadel to be thought of. "Lark, this boy I foundЕ" She told her
teacher about Pasco. "His magic's as plain as the nose on my face," she said
when she had finished. "I'm just not sure of what to do. Should I leave him to
his own devices? We were always told that if a mage doesn't get proper training,