"Zelazny, Roger - Amber 09 - Knight Of Shadows" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zelazny Roger)

She had on a low over-one-shoulder (the left) white dress, fastened at the
shoulder with a diamond pin, and she wore a tiara, also of diamonds, which
seemed almost to be radiating in the infrared range amidst her bright hair. She
was smiling, and she smelled good, too. Involuntarily I felt myself standing
straighter, and I glanced at my fingernails to be certain they were clean.
Mandor's bow was more courtly than mine, as usual. And I felt obliged to
say something pleasant. So, "You're looking quite... elegant," I observed,
letting my eyes wander to emphasize the point.
"It is seldom that I dine with two princes," she remarked.
"I'm Duke of the Western Marches," I said, "not a prince."
"I was referring to the House of Sawall," she replied.
"You've been doing homework," Mandor noted, "recently."
"I'd hate to commit a breach of protocol," she said.
"I seldom use my Chaos title at this end of things," I explained.
"A pity," she told me. "I find it more than a little... elegant. Aren't you
about thirtieth in the line of succession?"
I laughed.
"Even that great a distance is an exaggeration," I said.
"No, Merle, she's about right," Mandor told me. "Give or take the usual
few."
"How can that be?" I asked. "The last time I looked--"
He poured a goblet of wine and offered it to Jasra. She accepted it with a
smile.
"You haven't looked recently," Mandor said. "There have been more deaths."
"Really? So many?"
"To Chaos," Jasra said, raising her goblet. "Long may she wave."
"To Chaos," Mandor replied, raising his.
"Chaos," I echoed, and we touched the goblets together and drank.
A number of delightful aromas came to me suddenly. Turning, I saw that the
table now bore serving dishes. Jasra had turned at the same moment, and Mandor
stepped forward and gestured, causing the chairs to slide back to accommodate
us.
"Be seated, please, and let me serve you," he said.
We did, and it was more than good. Several minutes passed, and apart from
compliments on the soup nothing was said. I did not want to be the first with a
conversational gambit, though it had occurred to me that the others might feel
the same way.
Finally, Jasra cleared her throat, and we both looked at her. I was
surprised that she suddenly seemed slightly nervous.
"So, how are things in Chaos?" she asked.
"At the moment, chaotic," Mandor replied, "not to be facetious." He thought
a moment, then sighed and added, "Politics."
She nodded slowly, as if considering asking him for the details he did not
seem to care to divulge, then deciding against it. She turned toward me.
"Unfortunately, I'd no opportunity to sight-see while I was in Amber," she
said. "From what you told me, though, life seems a bit chaotic there also."
I nodded.
"It's good that Dalt's gone," I said, "if that's what you mean. But he was
never a real threat, just a nuisance. Speaking of whom--"
"Let's not," she interrupted, smiling sweetly. "What I really had in mind