[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
the Iron People were getting without any newsource of metal for their forges.
Two mistakes, then. I suppose, if I had thought about it at all, I just
assumed that now that theIron People were settling, they'd find their own
iron. So,canyou find it?"
"More or less," Kalamadea rumbled, lifting his head from
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hisforeclaws. "Remember, after all, that we usemagic to find things, and since
the Rotten Metal interferes with magic, its very presence is going to
interfere with locating it. We'll actu-ally have to do some roundabout
reckoning on where the inter-ference is strongest to find veins of ore."
"I knew it couldn't be all that easy," Shana muttered to her-self,
but at least Father Dragon seemed to think that there was away to work around
the problem, and that was more than shehad expected.
"We also won't be able to bring it to the surface the way we can the
silver and gold," Alara sighed regretfully. "So once we find it,you'll still
have to dig for it, and it'll be ore rather than the nice, pure nuggets of
other things we can bring up."
"Oh, Ancestors " Lorryn said in mock dismay. "Think of it one more
reason for able-bodied folks to have to leave theCitadel, which means fewer
servants to attend to the whims of the Old Whiners! Theymight actually have to
learn to clean up after themselves once in a while!"
Shana had noticed that Lorryn had, if anything, less patience with
Caellach Gwain than she did, although you would neverhave known it by the way
he acted with the old wizard and hiscronies. She smiled. "I wouldn't mind
taking my turn on the end of a shovel," she volunteered. "Especially if it
meant thatyou would take over dealing with them instead of me."
He groaned and shook his head. "Oh, Shana all right. I sup-pose that
among the three of us, Parth Agon, Denelor and I can handle them. I've noticed
a distinct improvement in Parth's atti- tude ever since he's seen just what an
idiot Caellach is being."
"And Denelor always was a dear," Shana said, speaking fondlyof her
former teacher and the "master" to her "apprentice."
Kalamadea snorted. "I would not have used that description," he said.
"But he certainly is far more willing to adapt, accom-modate, and change than
any of the other older wizards. Well, Iwould say that we have something of a
plan, then. Alara andone or two of the others should be the ones to go looking
forRotten Metal; when they find some that is not too far beneath the surface,
you and a few hardy souls, Shana, can see about digging some up. Meanwhile
Lorryn will advise Parth Agon, with the help of Denelor and me."
Shana almost laughed aloud at that last. If Caellach was afraid of
anything, it was of the dragons, and Kalamadea wasthe most imposing of his
kind. Caellach had tried and nearly succeeded in undoing all of the reforms of
the younger wiz-ards once, when Shana had been away from the Citadel. As
ithappened, she had been the captive, at the time, of the Iron Peo-ple, as had
Kalamadea and Keman. So there had been no one in place to keep Caellach Gwain
in check.
"You or I, Shana, will always have a presence here, and Lor-ryn, too,
I think," Father Dragon rumbled, confirming herthought. "At least, until the
day when Caellach Gwain swells up with indignation and explodes."
They all laughed so hard at the images conjured up bythatstatement
that a sleepy older wizard padded grumbling into the lair to lodge a protest
at having her sleep disturbed, and wentaway muttering under her breath.
19
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Kyrtian sat uneasily on his horse in the chill darkness justbefore dawn. He
had brought in his troops just after mid-night, positioning them as if this
was going to be a realfight and not the sham thing that he and Moth had
arranged. Af-ter all, the only people that knew it was a sham were his own
people on both sides of the coming battle, all of Moth's people, and
he and Gel. It was a given that some of his commanders (ifnot all of them)
were reporting to one or more of the Great Lords. Kyrtian wanted them to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
the Iron People were getting without any newsource of metal for their forges.
Two mistakes, then. I suppose, if I had thought about it at all, I just
assumed that now that theIron People were settling, they'd find their own
iron. So,canyou find it?"
"More or less," Kalamadea rumbled, lifting his head from
Page 149
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
hisforeclaws. "Remember, after all, that we usemagic to find things, and since
the Rotten Metal interferes with magic, its very presence is going to
interfere with locating it. We'll actu-ally have to do some roundabout
reckoning on where the inter-ference is strongest to find veins of ore."
"I knew it couldn't be all that easy," Shana muttered to her-self,
but at least Father Dragon seemed to think that there was away to work around
the problem, and that was more than shehad expected.
"We also won't be able to bring it to the surface the way we can the
silver and gold," Alara sighed regretfully. "So once we find it,you'll still
have to dig for it, and it'll be ore rather than the nice, pure nuggets of
other things we can bring up."
"Oh, Ancestors " Lorryn said in mock dismay. "Think of it one more
reason for able-bodied folks to have to leave theCitadel, which means fewer
servants to attend to the whims of the Old Whiners! Theymight actually have to
learn to clean up after themselves once in a while!"
Shana had noticed that Lorryn had, if anything, less patience with
Caellach Gwain than she did, although you would neverhave known it by the way
he acted with the old wizard and hiscronies. She smiled. "I wouldn't mind
taking my turn on the end of a shovel," she volunteered. "Especially if it
meant thatyou would take over dealing with them instead of me."
He groaned and shook his head. "Oh, Shana all right. I sup-pose that
among the three of us, Parth Agon, Denelor and I can handle them. I've noticed
a distinct improvement in Parth's atti- tude ever since he's seen just what an
idiot Caellach is being."
"And Denelor always was a dear," Shana said, speaking fondlyof her
former teacher and the "master" to her "apprentice."
Kalamadea snorted. "I would not have used that description," he said.
"But he certainly is far more willing to adapt, accom-modate, and change than
any of the other older wizards. Well, Iwould say that we have something of a
plan, then. Alara andone or two of the others should be the ones to go looking
forRotten Metal; when they find some that is not too far beneath the surface,
you and a few hardy souls, Shana, can see about digging some up. Meanwhile
Lorryn will advise Parth Agon, with the help of Denelor and me."
Shana almost laughed aloud at that last. If Caellach was afraid of
anything, it was of the dragons, and Kalamadea wasthe most imposing of his
kind. Caellach had tried and nearly succeeded in undoing all of the reforms of
the younger wiz-ards once, when Shana had been away from the Citadel. As
ithappened, she had been the captive, at the time, of the Iron Peo-ple, as had
Kalamadea and Keman. So there had been no one in place to keep Caellach Gwain
in check.
"You or I, Shana, will always have a presence here, and Lor-ryn, too,
I think," Father Dragon rumbled, confirming herthought. "At least, until the
day when Caellach Gwain swells up with indignation and explodes."
They all laughed so hard at the images conjured up bythatstatement
that a sleepy older wizard padded grumbling into the lair to lodge a protest
at having her sleep disturbed, and wentaway muttering under her breath.
19
Page 150
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Kyrtian sat uneasily on his horse in the chill darkness justbefore dawn. He
had brought in his troops just after mid-night, positioning them as if this
was going to be a realfight and not the sham thing that he and Moth had
arranged. Af-ter all, the only people that knew it was a sham were his own
people on both sides of the coming battle, all of Moth's people, and
he and Gel. It was a given that some of his commanders (ifnot all of them)
were reporting to one or more of the Great Lords. Kyrtian wanted them to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]