[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
waiting list seven leagues long of king's guardsmen ready to pay top price for dragon-scale armor, to say
nothing of the ban on selling it to ouch!"
The disemployed mage yanked his hand out of the river and stared at it. The skin, once the pasty hue
favored by pedagogues everywhere, now looked as dark as if its owner had soaked it in walnut juice. It
had also developed a number of ugly boils of a size not seen this side of a troll's rump. His other hand,
however, retained its original aspect. His glance darted from one to the other with a growing expression
of bafflement and dismay.
Master Porfirio was no slowcoach. On the great chalkboard of his brain an alarmingly simple equation
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
was rapidly being posted and solved. He looked from his hands to the dead water-dragon to the water,
then upriver, to where the thatched roofs of Overford Academy and its attendant town bided in
unsuspecting peace.
"Oh dear," he said. "I suppose I should go back and inform the authorities. I'm sure they'll do the right
thing."
Ethelberthina Eyebright was on her way to school when she happened across the battered body of her
former alchemy teacher in the alley behind the Crusty Boar. "Goodness," she told the corpse. "When
Dean Thrumble terminates someone, he doesn't fool around."
She was about to continue on her way when the corpse groaned and rolled over, sending a pair of
honeymooning rats scurrying off. "Master Porfirio?" Ethelberthina knelt and gently touched his shoulder.
"It's me; I wish it weren't." The banged-up wizard pulled himself to a sitting position against the alley
wall. "Is that you, Ethelberthina? Hard to see after one has been punched in both eyes more than
necessary."
"Yes, sir," the girl replied dutifully. "What happened? I thought you'd left town."
"I almost left existence." Slowly and painfully he got to his feet, groaned, stretched his battered bones,
then asked, "Child, do you love your father?"
Ethelberthina was taken aback by this unexpected question. "I I suppose I do. I don'tlike him very
much at the moment, though. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, just the passing hope that I might prevail upon you to slip a little powdered toadstool into the old
pus-bag's supper some fine day, as a favor to me."
"Myfather did this to you?" Being bright, she quickly amended her question to: "I mean, he was the one
who ordered it done?"
The wizard's face looked like a ravaged berrypatch, purple and blue and crimson with a medley of
bruises, cuts, and abrasions, yet he still managed to force his pummeled features into a sarcastic
expression. "Just his little way of letting me know that so long as the town of Overford continues to
collect taxes from and sell supplies to Overford Academy to say nothing of how many locals the place
employs his official policy towards all school-related complaints will be one of proactive
disinvolvement."
Ethelberthina gave him a hard look, "D'you meansHandsOff ?" she asked.
"Hands Offthe school and all who sail in her,Hands On anyone with a grievance against them."
"It seems like an awfully extreme reaction, even for Dad, having you toughed up just for complaining
about your dismissal."
"That was not the substance of my complaint," Master Porfirio said primly. (A bittoo primly; pursing his
lips made him wince with pain and resume a less haughty expression.) "Ah well, never mind. Your father
would not heed me. His punishment will be upon his own head."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"You're not going to hurl a vast and awesome spell of destruction against Dad, are you?" Her question
was more by way of detached scientific inquiry than filial protestation. Although she did love her
father perhaps sincerely, perhaps out of inertia she was still deeply hurt by his decision to remove her
from Overford Academy.
"Who, me? Mercy, no; I'm just a member of the junior faculty wasa member of the junior faculty. We
can do you some really impressive illusions, but initiating vast and awesome spells of destruction requires
tenure." He shook his head. "Your father's punishment shall be no more than the natural result of his
do-nothing attitude. A pity that so many innocent souls will likewise suffer. Were you not a mere slip of a
girl-child, I would encourage you to leave town while yet you may. However, since you are still too
young and female to take any effective steps towards self-preservation, I can only advise you to be a
comfort to your poor mother and say your prayers diligently until inevitable eradication finds you. Good
day."
With that, Master Porfirio attempted to depart the alley. He almost made it. What stopped him was an
unexpected yank at the back of his robe which half throttled him, pulled him off balance, and made him
sit down hard on the garbage-slicked cobbles. No sooner did he hit the pavement than Ethelberthina
stood before him wearing an innocent smile that was anything but.
"I beg your pardon, dear Master Porfirio, but would you mind one last question from an unworthy
girl-child?" she asked sweetly.
The wizard glared at her. "You yanked my robe! Howdare you lay hands upon me?"
"Me, sir? When I'm only fit for making prayers and pastry?" Her childish simper hardened into a
disturbingly adult sneer as she added, "Andpredictions. And I predict that you'll get no peace until you tell [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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waiting list seven leagues long of king's guardsmen ready to pay top price for dragon-scale armor, to say
nothing of the ban on selling it to ouch!"
The disemployed mage yanked his hand out of the river and stared at it. The skin, once the pasty hue
favored by pedagogues everywhere, now looked as dark as if its owner had soaked it in walnut juice. It
had also developed a number of ugly boils of a size not seen this side of a troll's rump. His other hand,
however, retained its original aspect. His glance darted from one to the other with a growing expression
of bafflement and dismay.
Master Porfirio was no slowcoach. On the great chalkboard of his brain an alarmingly simple equation
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
was rapidly being posted and solved. He looked from his hands to the dead water-dragon to the water,
then upriver, to where the thatched roofs of Overford Academy and its attendant town bided in
unsuspecting peace.
"Oh dear," he said. "I suppose I should go back and inform the authorities. I'm sure they'll do the right
thing."
Ethelberthina Eyebright was on her way to school when she happened across the battered body of her
former alchemy teacher in the alley behind the Crusty Boar. "Goodness," she told the corpse. "When
Dean Thrumble terminates someone, he doesn't fool around."
She was about to continue on her way when the corpse groaned and rolled over, sending a pair of
honeymooning rats scurrying off. "Master Porfirio?" Ethelberthina knelt and gently touched his shoulder.
"It's me; I wish it weren't." The banged-up wizard pulled himself to a sitting position against the alley
wall. "Is that you, Ethelberthina? Hard to see after one has been punched in both eyes more than
necessary."
"Yes, sir," the girl replied dutifully. "What happened? I thought you'd left town."
"I almost left existence." Slowly and painfully he got to his feet, groaned, stretched his battered bones,
then asked, "Child, do you love your father?"
Ethelberthina was taken aback by this unexpected question. "I I suppose I do. I don'tlike him very
much at the moment, though. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, just the passing hope that I might prevail upon you to slip a little powdered toadstool into the old
pus-bag's supper some fine day, as a favor to me."
"Myfather did this to you?" Being bright, she quickly amended her question to: "I mean, he was the one
who ordered it done?"
The wizard's face looked like a ravaged berrypatch, purple and blue and crimson with a medley of
bruises, cuts, and abrasions, yet he still managed to force his pummeled features into a sarcastic
expression. "Just his little way of letting me know that so long as the town of Overford continues to
collect taxes from and sell supplies to Overford Academy to say nothing of how many locals the place
employs his official policy towards all school-related complaints will be one of proactive
disinvolvement."
Ethelberthina gave him a hard look, "D'you meansHandsOff ?" she asked.
"Hands Offthe school and all who sail in her,Hands On anyone with a grievance against them."
"It seems like an awfully extreme reaction, even for Dad, having you toughed up just for complaining
about your dismissal."
"That was not the substance of my complaint," Master Porfirio said primly. (A bittoo primly; pursing his
lips made him wince with pain and resume a less haughty expression.) "Ah well, never mind. Your father
would not heed me. His punishment will be upon his own head."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"You're not going to hurl a vast and awesome spell of destruction against Dad, are you?" Her question
was more by way of detached scientific inquiry than filial protestation. Although she did love her
father perhaps sincerely, perhaps out of inertia she was still deeply hurt by his decision to remove her
from Overford Academy.
"Who, me? Mercy, no; I'm just a member of the junior faculty wasa member of the junior faculty. We
can do you some really impressive illusions, but initiating vast and awesome spells of destruction requires
tenure." He shook his head. "Your father's punishment shall be no more than the natural result of his
do-nothing attitude. A pity that so many innocent souls will likewise suffer. Were you not a mere slip of a
girl-child, I would encourage you to leave town while yet you may. However, since you are still too
young and female to take any effective steps towards self-preservation, I can only advise you to be a
comfort to your poor mother and say your prayers diligently until inevitable eradication finds you. Good
day."
With that, Master Porfirio attempted to depart the alley. He almost made it. What stopped him was an
unexpected yank at the back of his robe which half throttled him, pulled him off balance, and made him
sit down hard on the garbage-slicked cobbles. No sooner did he hit the pavement than Ethelberthina
stood before him wearing an innocent smile that was anything but.
"I beg your pardon, dear Master Porfirio, but would you mind one last question from an unworthy
girl-child?" she asked sweetly.
The wizard glared at her. "You yanked my robe! Howdare you lay hands upon me?"
"Me, sir? When I'm only fit for making prayers and pastry?" Her childish simper hardened into a
disturbingly adult sneer as she added, "Andpredictions. And I predict that you'll get no peace until you tell [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]