Castle of Deception Mercedes Lackey

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." Ada'sjerk of the head took in the departed merchant and hisparty."Eh, won't bad-mouth die fellow; paid me down tothe last coin, with extra added." Her bright black eyesstudied Kevin."What's with you, lad?"-Nothing.""Oh, don't give me 'nothing.' What is it?"Kevin sighed."Ada, you remember when I first camehere."The woman smiled warmly."Don't I, though.Youwere such a little boy, almost too small for the lute onyour back, clinging to your music teacher's hand andall wide-eyed with wonder.""Mistress Malen was very kind.""Well, of course she was! Imagine after all the yearsof having to teach merchants' kids without a drop oftalent to them coming across someone like you with thetrue gift for music! No, no, don't start blushing likethat You know it's true."Ada plopped a shirt into her washtub and startedscrubbing."Look you, lad, before she left.MistressMalen told me all about you: how you were plucking at the strings of your family's old lute the minuteyou were old enough to hold it, making up yourown litde tunes till they didn't have a choice but tohire her."Kevin had to smile.Mistress Malen had been awonderful first teacher, endlessly patient with her eagerpupil.She had also been honest enough to admit histalent was more than she could shape.A litde shiver ofwonder raced through the bardling as he remembered4 Mercedes Lackey 6f'Josephs Shermanhow she'd shaken her head and told him, "You have themakings ofa Bard, boy, a true Bard."Ada's chuckle dragged him back to the present.**Sothere you were, poor chick, standing in the courtyardof the Blue Swan, fall of wonder, yes, but maybe just atouch scared, too.And no surprise, being apprenticedto Master Aidan like that, a Bard—an^ a hero as well!"Kevin glanced up at his Master's room."Youremember how it was, don't you? When my Masterhelped King Amber keep his throne, I mean.**"Bless you, child, how old do you think I am? Thatwas a good thirty years ago! I was a chick myself backthen, much younger than you." She paused thoughtfully."But I do remember all the celebrating.My, yes!Everyone couldn't stop chattering about how it hadbeen a Bard, your Bard, who'd used his magical songso> stop that witch ofa would-be usurper."file:///G|/rah/Mercedes%20Lackey/Lackey,%20Mer.astle%20of%20Deception%20-%20Bard's%20Tale.txt (3 of 200) [2/2/2004 1:24:46 AM]file:///G|/rah/Mercedes%20Lackey/Lackey,%20Mercedes%20+%20Josepha%20Sherman%20-%20Castle%20of%20Deception%20-%20Bard's%20Tale.txt"Princess Cariotta.""Oh.she might have been a princess, the nasty tittlecreature, but she was a sorceress, all right, darkhearted as they come! She turned our good king intostone — stone, can you imagine that! And if it hadn'tbeen for Master Aidan, stone.King Amber would haveremained.Bah! Good riddance to her, I say — and allpraise to Master Aidan for stopping her."Kevin sighed."That must have been a wonderfultime.**"Wonderful! Those were the most dangerous daysnobody ever wanted! And 1 don't blame your Masterfor coming here after it was all over.If anyone everearned some peace and quiet, it was he!"That wasn't what Kevin wanted to hear.At first everyday with his Master had seemed wild with excitementAfter all, with a hero Bard to teach him, why shouldn'the, too, do great deeds someday! But it hadn't takenlong to learn that his Master had, somewhere over theyears, forgotten all about heroism.CASTLE OF DECEPTION"Ada, you've lived here in Bracklin all your life,haven't you?""You know it.Never left this town.Never saw anyneed toF"But don't you ever want to meet new people?""I do! Enough travellers come into the inn for that.**"That's not what I mean.Don't you ever get bored?Want to see new places, do new things?"Ada looked at him as though he'd gone mad."Whyshould I want something as foolish as that? I have anice house, good, steady work.Love you, lad, I thinkthe spring's gotten into you." She shooed him awaywith soapy hands."Now, get along with you, Kevin.Ihave work to do."The bardling wandered on down Bracklin's one streetto the end.It didn't take long.He stood looking out overthe fields beyond die edge of town, each neatly plowedstrip of land exactly like the next, and shuddered.Making his way back towards the Blue Swan, Kevinpolitely returned the greetings of baker and seamstressand butcher.All of them, he realized, were quitepeacefully going about their various tasks just as they didevery day.And not a one of them seemed to mind! Suddenly frustrated to the point of screaming, Kevin hurriedback into the inn and his room.At least he could learn anew song!There wasn't a sound out of his Master's room.Ofcourse not The old Bard probably had his nose buriedfile:///G|/rah/Mercedes%20Lackey/Lackey,%20Mer.astle%20of%20Deception%20-%20Bard's%20Tale [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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