"Joan D. Vinge - The Storm King" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vinge Joan D)

(Who are you, and why have you come?)

He sensed a grudging resignation in the formless words, the feel of a ritual as
eternal as the rain.

тАЬI am a man who should have been a king. IтАЩve come to you, who are King of
Storms, for help in regaining my own kingdom.тАЭ

(You ask me for that? Your needs mean nothing, human. You were born to
misery, born to crawl, born to struggle and be defeated by the powers of Air and
Fire and Water. You are meaningless, you are less than nothing to me!)

Lassan-din felt the truth of his own insignificance, the weight of the. dragonтАЩs
disdain. тАЬThat may be,тАЭ he said sourly. тАЬBut this insignificant human has penned you
up with the EarthтАЩs blessing, and I have no reason to ever let you go unless you
pledge me your aid.тАЭ

The rage of the storm beast welled up in him again, so like his own rage; it
rumbled and thundered in the hollow of the mountain. But again a profound agony
broke its fury, and the raging storm subsided. He caught phantom images of stone
walls lit by shifting light, the smell of water.

(If you have the strength of the Earth with you, why bother me for mine?)

тАЬThe Earth moves too slowly,тАЭ and too uncertainly, but he did not say that.
тАЬI need a fury to match my own.тАЭ

(Arrogant fool,) the voice whispered, (you have no mea-sure of my fury.)

тАЬYour fury can crumble walls and blast towers. You can destroy a fortress
castleтАФand the men who defend it. I know what you can do,тАЭ refusing to be cowed.
тАЬAnd if you swear to do it for me, IтАЩll set you free.тАЭ

(You want a castle ruined. Is that all?) A tone of false reason crept into the
intruding thoughts.

тАЬNo. I also want for myself a share of your strengthтАФ protection from my
enemies.тАЭ He had spent half a hundred cold, sleepless nights planning these words;
searching his memory for pieces of dragonlore, trying to guess the limits of its
power.

(How can I give you that? I do not share my power, unless I strike you dead
with it.)

тАЬMy people say that in the Golden Time the heroes wore mail made from
dragon scales, and were invincible. Can you give me that?тАЭ He asked the question
directly, knowing that the dragon might evade the truth, but that it was bound by
immutable natural law and could not lie.