"Lawrence Watt-Evans - Dragon Weather" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watt-Evans Lawrence)

really what weтАЩll have.тАЭ
Arlian looked straight up at the sky overhead. It
wasnтАЩt dark as night, but it wasnтАЩt very bright,
either; the summer haze was thick and foul with the
gasses from the smoking peak of the mountain. The
fumes had been thicker than usual lately, but
whether that had any connection with the weather
no one seemed to know. Arlian had heard the adults
arguing about it, but the arguments were never
settled.
тАЬWhy is it called dragon weather, Grandsir?тАЭ he
asked.
тАЬBecause itтАЩs the sort of weather that brings the
dragons out of their caves,тАЭ his grandfather replied.
тАЬThey canтАЩt abide cold or light, Ari. In the days
when the dragons ruled over our ancestors the
world was warmer than it is now, and the great
beasts darkened the skies with their smoke so that
they could come out by day, as well as night. When
the weatherтАЩs dark and hot now, old and tired as
they are, they still stir in their sleep, and sometimes
they awaken and come out to feed.тАЭ
Arlian stared nervously at his grandfather. The
old man spoke in a deeper voice than usualтАФhis
storytelling voice. It made his words seem more
important, and more ominous.
тАЬDonтАЩt mind him, Ari,тАЭ ArlianтАЩs mother said,
patting ArlianтАЩs shoulder reassuringly. тАЬThatтАЩs just
stories. No oneтАЩs seen any dragons in hundreds of
years.тАЭ
Her father shook his head.
тАЬNo, Sharbeth, youтАЩre wrong,тАЭ he said. тАЬWhen I
was a boy I saw a village where a dragon had been
not long before. I may be old, but it wasnтАЩt
hundreds of years ago.тАЭ
тАЬTell me about it!тАЭ Arlian said.
His grandfather smiled down at him. тАЬAre you
sure? They say itтАЩs bad luck to talk about the
dragons, just as itтАЩs unlucky to speak too much
about magic.тАЭ
Arlian nodded. тАЬTell me about it, Grandsir!тАЭ
Grandsir looked up at the sky and frowned, then
back down at Arlian, his smile reappearing. тАЬI was a
year or two older than you are, and my uncle Stirian
had taken me on a trading journey down to
Benth-in-Tara, to meet a caravan that was passing
through,тАЭ he said. тАЬWe saw the ruins on the way.
WeтАЩd had a hot summer the year before, weather
something like this, and for a few days the smoke
from the mountain had been much thicker than