"Patricia C. Wrede - Lyra 02 - The Raven Ring" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wrede Patricia C)

her here if it weren't acceptable, it just didn't seem right to ask a Shee, one of the race of wizards who
had raised up the Mountains of Morravik in order to hold back the Melyranne Sea, to give her directions
to a cheap inn.

Climeral saw her glance back the way she had come, and misunderstood. "Don't mind Prill. We're
very informal among ourselves, and she hasn't been here long enough to realize that some people find it
disconcerting."

"It's not that," Eleret said quickly, and then wondered what she would say if he asked her what the
problem was. She didn't think she could bring herself to explain that she did not know how to treat a
being who had stepped straight out of the oldest and most beloved tales she knew.

Fortunately, Climeral didn't ask. He waited until she had settled herself into the chair, then said,
"Gralith told us you were on your way, but the method he used does not allow long messages. You've
come to collect your mother's effects?"

"I'm to pick up Ma's things, yes," Eleret answered, relieved by the Shee's businesslike tone. "Where
do I go to get them?"

Climeral shuffled through several sheets of paper, then pulled one out and looked at it. "The office
of the Imperial Guard. Ask for Commander Weziral. If anyone tries to make difficulties, tell them I sent
you." He looked up with a smile. "And don't let anyone talk you into signing up."

"I won't." Tentatively, Eleret returned the smile. "How do I get to the office of the Imperial Guard?"

"I'll give you directions, but it's too late for you to go today. By the time you got there, everyone
would be gone."

Eleret stared, her awe of the Shee swept away by astonishment. "Gone? What do you mean? How
can you run an army if no one can get hold of the commanders?"

"There aren't many emergencies of that sort in Ciaron," Climeral said gently. "If something should
happen, there are ways of sending messages to the people who need them. Important as it is to you,
though, I don't think giving you your mother's things would be considered a good reason to summon the
Commander during his off-duty time."

"Then I'll go tomorrow," Eleret said. The Shee magician might be right, but the arrangement still
seemed peculiar. An army couldn't do much if it only fought for a few hours every day, and the people
who ran it had to work as long and hard as the soldiers or everything was likely to come to pieces. Of
course, Climeral was a wizard, not a warrior, so perhaps he didn't understand. "Can you suggest a place
where I can stay tonight?"

"Try the Broken Harp. It's a little farther from the palace and the sights of Ciaron than most people
like, so it's not expensive, but it's clean and reasonably comfortable. I'll have someone escort you there, if
you'd like."

"No, thank you."

"Ciaron can be a bit overwhelming if you're not used to cities," Climeral warned. "And I wouldn't
like to think that anything . . . unpleasant might happen to you. You may not be wearing Cilhar styles, but