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Naked Empire :: Goodkind Terry
Страница: 51 из 495"
Cara, her curiosity aroused, did as he asked. She looked down at the ground, and then frowned at the places where things grew.
"The Mother Confessor is right." Cara's voice had taken on a decidedly businesslike tone. "Do you think it's important? Or somehow a danger?"
"Yes-to the first, anyway," Richard said.
He squatted down beside Kahlan. "Now, look at this."
As Kahlan and Cara knelt down beside him, leaning forward, looking closely at the rock, Richard had to push a curious Betty back out of the way. He then pointed out a patch of yellow-streaked lichen.
"Look here," he said. "See this medallion of lichen? It's lopsided.
This side is round, but this side, near where nothing grows, is flatter."
Kahlan looked up at him. "Lichen grows on rocks in all kinds of shapes."
"Yes, but look at how the rock over where there is lichen and brush growing is spotted all over with little bits of growth. Here, beyond the stunted side of the lichen, there is nearly nothing. The rock almost looks scoured clean.
"If you look closely there are a few tiny things, things that have started to grow only in the last couple of years, but they have yet to really begin to take hold."
"Yes," Kahlan said in a cautious drawl, "it is odd, but I'm not sure what you're getting at."
"Look at where things are growing, and where they aren't."
"Well, yes, on that side there's nothing growing, and over here there is."
"Don't just look down." Richard lifted her chin. "Look out at the boundary between the two-look at the whole pattern."
Kahlan frowned off into the distance. All of a sudden, the color drained from her face.
"Dear spirits…" she whispered.
Richard smiled that she finally saw what he was talking about.
"What are you two mooning over?" Cara complained.
Richard put his hand behind Cara's neck and pulled her head in to look at what he and Kahlan were seeing.
"That's odd," she said, squinting off into the distance. "The place where things are growing seem to stop in a comparatively clean line- like someone had made an invisible fence running east."
"Right," Richard said as he got up, brushing his hands clean.
"Now, come on." He started walking north. Kahlan and Cara scrambled to their feet and followed behind as he marched across the lifeless rock. Betty bleated and trotted after them.
"Where are we going?" Cara asked as she caught up with him "Just come on," Richard told her.
Cara, her curiosity aroused, did as he asked. She looked down at the ground, and then frowned at the places where things grew.
"The Mother Confessor is right." Cara's voice had taken on a decidedly businesslike tone. "Do you think it's important? Or somehow a danger?"
"Yes-to the first, anyway," Richard said.
He squatted down beside Kahlan. "Now, look at this."
As Kahlan and Cara knelt down beside him, leaning forward, looking closely at the rock, Richard had to push a curious Betty back out of the way. He then pointed out a patch of yellow-streaked lichen.
"Look here," he said. "See this medallion of lichen? It's lopsided.
This side is round, but this side, near where nothing grows, is flatter."
Kahlan looked up at him. "Lichen grows on rocks in all kinds of shapes."
"Yes, but look at how the rock over where there is lichen and brush growing is spotted all over with little bits of growth. Here, beyond the stunted side of the lichen, there is nearly nothing. The rock almost looks scoured clean.
"If you look closely there are a few tiny things, things that have started to grow only in the last couple of years, but they have yet to really begin to take hold."
"Yes," Kahlan said in a cautious drawl, "it is odd, but I'm not sure what you're getting at."
"Look at where things are growing, and where they aren't."
"Well, yes, on that side there's nothing growing, and over here there is."
"Don't just look down." Richard lifted her chin. "Look out at the boundary between the two-look at the whole pattern."
Kahlan frowned off into the distance. All of a sudden, the color drained from her face.
"Dear spirits…" she whispered.
Richard smiled that she finally saw what he was talking about.
"What are you two mooning over?" Cara complained.
Richard put his hand behind Cara's neck and pulled her head in to look at what he and Kahlan were seeing.
"That's odd," she said, squinting off into the distance. "The place where things are growing seem to stop in a comparatively clean line- like someone had made an invisible fence running east."
"Right," Richard said as he got up, brushing his hands clean.
"Now, come on." He started walking north. Kahlan and Cara scrambled to their feet and followed behind as he marched across the lifeless rock. Betty bleated and trotted after them.
"Where are we going?" Cara asked as she caught up with him "Just come on," Richard told her.