"Lawrence Watt-Evans - Ethshar 9 - The Spriggan Mirror" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watt-Evans Lawrence)

years older than you and a master wizard; I can take care of myself.тАЭ
 тАЬI donтАЩt want anyone thinking I sold you anything that wasnтАЩt exactly as described,тАЭ Gresh
protested. тАЬIf you turn yourself into a toad, then I donтАЩt want a bunch of wizards whispering to each other
that it happened because I sold you a bad batch of babyтАЩs blood.тАЭ
тАЬThe blood was bad?тАЭ a new voice asked, worried, and brother and sister turned to see Twilfa,
their youngest sister and GreshтАЩs assistant, emerging from the rear passageway with the freshly filled coal
bucket. She set it on the hearth, then looked at Dina. тАЬI thought you said a spriggan spilled it on the cat.тАЭ
тАЬNo, the blood was not bad,тАЭ Gresh said, with a hint of a growl.
тАЬIs the cat all right?тАЭ Twilfa asked, as she transferred coal from the bucket to the grate.
тАЬIs anyone... Are you open?тАЭ an unfamiliar voice called from the still partially open front door.
Gresh sighed. тАЬWhy donтАЩt you two discuss it all while I see to my customer?тАЭ he asked, dropping
the key back into his purse and heading for the door. тАЬCome in, come in!тАЭ he called.
тАЬI canтАЩt open the vault!тАЭ Twilfa called after him. тАЬI canтАЩt open the explosive seal.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩll be right back,тАЭ Gresh told her, as he let in the tall, black-haired woman in a red dress. He
did not recognize her, and he was quite sure he would not have forgotten a face like hers.
тАЬThe door was open, and I heard voices,тАЭ the new arrival said uncertainly. She spoke with an
odd accent, one that struck Gresh as somehow old-fashioned.
тАЬI was just preparing to open the shop, my dear,тАЭ Gresh said with a bow. тАЬDo come in.тАЭ He
stepped aside and ushered her into the center of the room.
She obeyed and stood on the lush Sardironese carpet, looking around curiously.
Gresh was aware that Dina and Twilfa were both standing by the iron vault, staring silently at the
stranger, but he ignored them. тАЬNow, what can I do for you?тАЭ he asked.
The stranger tore her gaze away from the endless shelves of boxes and jars and said, тАЬWe want
to hire you.тАЭ
тАЬHire me?тАЭ Gresh smiled indulgently. тАЬIтАЩm afraid IтАЩm not for hire, my lady. I sell wizardsтАЩ
supplies; I donтАЩt run errands.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm not a lady,тАЭ the stranger said. тАЬIтАЩm a witch. We were told that if we wanted something hard
to find, something magical, something wizardly, then you were the man to see.тАЭ
Gresh considered her for a moment.
He had assumed she wasnтАЩt a wizard, from her attitude toward him, toward his shop, and toward
her own belt-knife; she did not wear her knife quite the way wizards wore their magic daggers, though
Gresh could not have explained the difference coherently. Besides, he knew most of the wizards in
Ethshar of the Rocks by sight, if not always by name, and he was sure he had never seen her before.
It hadnтАЩt occurred to him that she might be some other sort of magician. From her appearance
and slightly stilted pronunciation, he had assumed she was just another wealthy ninny, perhaps a princess
from the Small Kingdoms, looking for something exotic to impress someone, or trying to hire adventurers
for some foolish scheme.
But witches were rarely ninniesтАФand for that matter, rarely wealthy. They were also not
ordinarily his customers, but perhaps this person had her reasons for coming here. He decided she could
indeed be a witch, and telling the exact truth.
тАЬWho is тАШweтАЩ?тАЭ he asked.
тАЬMy husband and I. Really, heтАЩs the one who wants to hire you, but heтАЩs busy with the baby, so I
came instead.тАЭ
The husband was busy with the baby, so the wife was running his errands? The beautiful young
wife who claimed to be a witch and whose slim figure showed no evidence of having recently borne a
child? Gresh glanced at his sisters. He wanted to hear this explained, but he had his business to attend to.
тАЬI do not run errands,тАЭ he said.
тАЬFine,тАЭ the woman said calmly. тАЬThen let me put it this way. My husband is a wizard, and he
wants to buy a specific magical item from you.тАЭ
Gresh could hardly deny that that was exactly his line of business. тАЬCould you wait here for a