"R. Garcia y Robertson - Firebird" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robertson R Garcia Y)

kiss come from someone so special. Not just a knight, but a lord. And hers to feed and care for.

Making her worry all the more for him. тАЬWhy do they want to harm you?тАЭ

тАЬRank prejudice,тАЭ he replied, spreading caviar with his thumb. тАЬPure silly superstition.тАЭ

She broke open the melon, sipped the juice, and passed it to him. тАЬBut why would Prince IvanтАЩs uncle
attack Byeli Zamak?тАЭ

He heaved a sigh. тАЬMademoiselle does not live in a nation. Markovy is a collection of family quarrels
with vague boundaries, whose preferred form of government is civil war. Being a foreign heretic, I do not
give a lead sou who winsтАФbut I swore an oath to your king, to uphold his honor and his heir. Not that
noble oaths mean a lot when you are having your head beat in.тАЭ

Getting over her goosebumps, she took her spindle from the basket, and started to spin spiderтАЩs thread
from a web she had found on the way. Working the tiny threads relaxed her.

тАЬMarkovites are the most superstitious folk in creation,тАЭ he complained between bites. тАЬBelieving in all
manner of faeries, imps, djinn, witches and whatnot. Byeli Zamak supposedly held a magic treasureтАФthe
FirebirdтАЩs Egg. A marvelous tale. And Prince Sergey is an utterly gullible Grand Duke, who thinks this
mythical egg will make him master of Markovy. But I held Byeli Zamak for Prince Ivan, and King Demitri
before him. As Castellan I would know if Byeli Zamak held such an egg. And it does not.тАЭ

Katya herself absolutely believed in the FirebirdтАЩs Egg. King Demitri had stolen the Egg from its nest
deep in the Iron Wood, and kept it locked in a cool deep basement vault beneath Byeli ZamakтАФwhere
it would not hatch and would always be his. It had been King DemitriтАЩs greatest treasure, and his greatest
curse. Making his life tragic and miserable. The curse cost him both his wives, and all his children, except
for Ivan, his heir. Why IvanтАЩs uncle would want the ill-fated egg was totally beyond herтАФbut that did not
mean it did not exist.

Her knight told more stories, of far-off Gascony where he was born, and how he lost everything and
ended up in exile. тАЬI possess an astounding ability to choose the losing side. Counting this latest debacle
at Byeli Zamak, I have been in half a dozen pitched fightsтАФand have always come out a loser. A
remarkable record, not easily achieved. When I sided with the English they lost to the King of France.
When I switched my allegiance to the King, he lost to the English. Scots in the French service call me
тАШTynemanтАЩ in tribute to my many defeats. An honor really. Any lout with a bit of ability can run off a string
of victories. But to lose every timeтАФthat requires not just talent, but uncanny luck as well.тАЬ

тАЬI cannot believe your luck could be so bad.тАЭ She did not want to believe anything bad about him.

тАЬBad luck?тАЭ He laughed. тАЬNot in the least, my luck is excellent. Could not be better.тАЭ

тАЬReally? But is it not better to win than lose?тАЭ

тАЬBetter perhapsтАФbut not always easier. Anyone can survive a victory, just stay to the back and shout
loudly. But surviving six defeats is a rare feat. Requiring more than a swift horse. TwiceтАФat Lipan and
St. Jacob-on-BrisтАФI was the only one not killed or taken. That is phenomenal luck.тАЭ

тАЬI mean, I do not believe you must always lose.тАЭ