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

might come back at any time.
And sometimes, according to Grandsir, they did
come back, briefly.
тАЬThat village in the Sandalwood Hills,тАЭ Arlian
asked. тАЬWhat do you think the people there did to
anger the dragon? Why would it destroy them all?тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt think they had to do anything,тАЭ Grandsir
said. тАЬThe dragon simply felt like destroying
something, and they were close at hand.тАЭ
тАЬBut thatтАЩs so unfair! You mean they didnтАЩt do
anything to deserve it?тАЭ
тАЬNot a thing,тАЭ Grandsir replied.
Arlian absorbed that unhappily. He didnтАЩt like it
at all. He knew life wasnтАЩt always fair, but he felt,
deep in his heart, that it should be. He always tried
to be fair to his brother, Korian, and to their
playmates in the village-even the giggly girls. In the
stories his mother told justice always triumphed in
the end. Why was the rest of life so messy and
unjust?
His father said it was because the gods were
dead, and only Fate remained, and Fate had its own
plans for everyone.
The village sorcererтАФthe only person in the
village of Obsidian whose name Arlian didnтАЩt know,
because he said names had powerтАФhad said that
justice was as much an illusion as any of the little
tricks he did to entertain the children.
Arlian wondered sometimes if it might be the
other way aroundтАФmaybe everything did work out
fairly in the end, somehow, and the apparent
injustices were the illusions. He wiped sweat-damp
hair away from his eyes and looked down at the
approaching wagons.
Maybe the dragon did have a good reason for
destroying that village. Maybe the dragons were
part of FateтАЩs plans.
 тАЬDo you really think itтАЩs dragon weather?тАЭ he
asked.
His grandfather put an arm around ArlianтАЩs
shoulder and gave him a reassuring hug.
тАЬI hope not,тАЭ he said. тАЬCome on, letтАЩs go give your
mother a hand.тАЭ
Together, they turned away from the ledge and
ambled toward the house.



2
The Coming of the Dragons