Читать книгу The Magic Ring of Brodgar онлайн

“Here's to a good, warm day! Such weather is rare around here,” Duncan said.

They clinked glasses. After taking a sip of wine, Megan noticed a raven sitting nearby on the grass, watching them attentively. Glenn followed her friend's gaze and said, “It's staring at us so strangely; it's probably hungry."

With these words, she pinched off a piece of bread from a sandwich and extended it towards the bird. The raven shifted its gaze from Megan to Glenn, looked at her intently, but stayed put. Then, she threw the bread towards it, thinking the feathered creature was simply afraid to come too close to people. But it simply looked at the offered treat then fixed its gaze back on Megan.

“Try feeding it; it's looking at you. Maybe it will take food from your hands,” Glenn suggested.

“Indeed, perhaps yours tastes better,” added Duncan with a playful smile, and he winked at Megan, as if teasing Glenn.

“I don't want to, I'm scared of it,” the girl said, looking at the raven in terror.

“But this is a different raven. Not the one from Castle Mal. It wouldn't have flown so far from home. Try giving it some bread,” Glenn persisted.

“Alright. Only because you're asking. But I really don't like these birds being near me,” Megan said, displeased.

She pinched off a piece of sandwich and cautiously extended it to the bird. She was scared it might peck her hand or attack her. The raven looked at her intently for a long time, then approached slowly and carefully, taking the bread from her hand…never taking its eyes off her face.

“Look at that, you're more to its liking than Glenn,” Craig laughed.

“Megan, maybe you did inherit something from Margaret after all? See how the creatures come to you! Can you, by chance, hear its thoughts? What's on its mind?” Warren joked.

“No, I can't hear them! And I wouldn't want to be able to,” she said, feeling a bit relieved that she wasn't bitten.

The thought that the raven wouldn't harm her greatly calmed her fear of it.

For the next fifteen minutes, each took turns offering food to the unexpected guest, but it accepted treats from no one other than Megan. After some time, it lost interest in the crowd and flew away, leaving them to continue their picnic.