"Melanie Rawn - Exiles 2 - The Mage Born Traitor" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rawn Melanie)

Glenin had found out. Even in her self-imposed exile, she retained her sources of information.
Which meant there were Malerrisi still at large. No one would ever know what they were
unless they openly worked magic.

Sarra had been upset and Collan downright shaken by news of the fire. Falundir only
shrugged, giving Cailet a look of rueful compassion. He of all people knew what it was to
need a place to heal in solitude. To assess the damage, to let go of what had been lost. To work
out what was possible for the future.

But the urgencies of politics made Cailet's needs unimportant. Sarra sympathized, but, truly
told, she was the most insistent of those who had schemes for the Mage Guardians and their
Captal. There were certain things only Mages could advise about, or do, or explain, or
whatever. For Sarra, simple logic dictated that her sister the Captal thus advise, do, explain,
or whatever. Full of plans and proposals was Sarra, especially for the "whatever" partтАФeven
though it had been impressed upon her that neither Cailet nor the Mages would ever work
hand-in-hand with the Council.

Collan, mercifully, let Cailet alone. When she wanted company, he had the grace to just sit
and talkтАФabout music, books, his adventures as an itinerant Minstrel, anything but politics.
Still, every so often Sarra would infect him with a scheme, and Cailet was too polite not to
listen when he told her about it. As a grown woman, she had every right to order him to shut
up; as a grown man, he had no right to take offense. As Mage Captal, she could decide what
was worth hearing and what wasn't, and let people know it in no uncertain terms. But as
herself, scarcely out of childhood, she had yet too much respect for her elders of both sexes to
tell any of them to go away and leave her alone. And Collan Rosvenir was the very last man
on Lenfell to bend his head in submission to any woman's commandтАФeven Sarra's.

"Cailet? Are you hiding in there again?"

A childish denial sprang to her lipsтАФ" I'm not hiding !" She bit it back. She didn't lower the
Wards; Sarra invariably just ignored them. Cailet wasn't sure if it was determination that got
her through, or if family were immune to family-cast spells. But she didn't have the nerve to
make the Wards Sarra-proof. She could have; the knowledge was in her. Saints, so easy , even
though she still didn't understand how it all worked. Did knowledge really count if you'd
never really learned it?

"Come in, Sarra," she said, and sat up.

Even though she was now quite visibly pregnant, Sarra's movements were as graceful as ever.
She walked to a nearby chair and sank into its green velvet depths with a sigh. Cailet knew
immediately that for once she hadn't spent the day in meetings: her clothes were too casual,
wide-legged black silk trousers and a loose matching tunic embroidered with a rainbow of
tiny flowers. Sarra's clothes were always elegant, her hair was always tidy, and she always
looked beautifulтАФeven pregnant. Sarra did everything with grace and style. Sarra was, in
fact, perfect. And for this, for just an instant, Cailet cordially detested her. The next moment,
though, she smiled. Had Sarra really been perfect, Collan would never have married her.

Sarra smiled back. "Have you thought any more about what I said?"

"No," Cailet replied with a deliberately cheerful grin.