"Lawrence Watt - Evans - The Guardswoman" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watt-Evans Lawrence)

This woman who wasn't wearing anything but a chiffon skirt and a feather in her hair
answered, and took one look at me, and said, "I'm sorry, but you must have the wrong place
And she tried to shut the door.

Well, I wasn't going to give up that easily; I was afraid that I'd never be able to get up th
nerve to try again if I once backed down. So I put my foot in the door and pushed back.

I tried to tell her I just wanted to talk to someone, but she wasn't listening; instead she w
calling, "Tabar! Tabar, quick!"

I pushed in through the door and I tried to catch her by the arm, since she wasn't wearing
tunic I could grab, but I couldn't get a solid hold, and then this voice deep as distant thunder
said, "Is there a problem?"

And I looked up-really up, Mother! And there was this face looking down at me with the
most spectacular mustache and big dark eyes.
 "She wouldn't let me in," I said, and I let the woman go. She ran off and left me face-to-f
with this huge man-we'd have been nose to nose if he hadn't been so tall.

"We don't accept women as customers here," he said. "You could try Beautiful Phera's
Place, two doors down."

"I'm not a customer," I told him.



"If you have a complaint you can tell me," he said. "Though I don't promise we'll do
anything about it."

"It's not a complaint, exactly," I said, "but I'd like to talk to you."

He nodded, and led the way to a little room off to one side.

And while we were walking there I got a good look at two things.

One was the front room. It was amazing. Silk and velvet everywhere, and beads, and
colored glass, all in reds and pinks and yellows.

And the other was the man I was talking to. Mother, he was taller than Father! And much
broader. I'd never seen anyone close to that size before! He had lovely long black hair, and
these long fingers, and that wonderful mustache. He was wearing a black velvet tunic work
with gold, and a black kilt, and he moved like a giant cat, Mother, it was just gorgeous.

Anyway, we went into this little room, which was very small, and pretty ordinary, with
little table and a couple of chairs, and we sat down, and he looked at me, didn't say anythin

I couldn't help asking, "Why aren't you in the Guard?"

He smiled at me. "You must be new around here," he said. "Think about it. A guardsman