"Anne Bishop - Black Jewels 00 - The Invisible Ring" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bishop Anne)

beef. The Lady had bought a big skillet with the rest of the supplies, and
this morning she taught Thera, Polli, and Cathryn how to make it."
The toasted bread caught in Jared's throat. He swallowed some coffee to
force it down. "The Gray Lady was cooking?"
Tomas grinned. "I thought the innkeeper was going to die of shame, with her
out there cooking in a skillet over an open fire as if what he served in the
inn wasn't good enough. That's why we all got coffee and buttered toast this
morning. The Lady told him she wanted the females to learn how to make this
while she could still have his cook prepare her meal, but it would be best
to give us the coffee and bread, too, so we'd have something decent under
our belts."
"But this is good," Jared said, scooping up another forkful. Tomas's dark
eyes sparkled. "Probably better than the Lady got."
Jared frowned. "Why the supplies? Where are we going?"
Tomas rolled his eyes. "I was just telling you about her buying an old
pedlar's wagon and horses 'cause we're going cross-country to her Territory,
and we can't depend on finding an inn when we need it."
"Why not go to the nearest village that has a Coach station and buy
passage?" Jared said, still frowning. "Why take the chance of tangling with
marauders or a pack of rogues by going cross-country?"
Tomas jerked as if he'd been hit. He wouldn't look at Jared.
Jared choked down the last mouthful. Was that why slaves who went into
Grizelle's Territory never returned? Because they never got to the Territory
in the first place? Marauders and rogue packs were always male, but they
might have guarded home camps where they could keep women. They'd have no
use for male slaves, but what about a broken witch who could cook a decent
meal over an open fire? Or a broken witch who could be given an aphrodisiac
that would make her so mad with need she could be mounted all night and not
care what they did to her until the drug finally wore off? Or a young Blood
female that could become a breeder for the dominant male of the group? What
about an intelligent young half-Blood who tried so hard to please? Did
Grizelle come to the auctions to act as a slave trader for the marauders and
rogue packs who hid in the Tamanara Mountains and wouldn't dare approach
Raej because they'd probably end up on the auction block themselves? Jared's
stomach churned. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and willed himself
to stay calm. What could he do? Challenge a Gray-Jeweled Queen? If she
unleashed the Gray, she'd destroy him completely. Which might be preferable
to finding out what would happen if she used the Invisible Ring. He
understood the Jewels, but this thing he couldn't see, couldn't touch,
couldn't sense in any way . . . The outside door opened, and a female voice
said, "Good, you're awake. At least we won't have to drag you to the wagon
and dump you on top of the supplies."
Jared leaped up, knocking over the chair, his heart hammering in his chest.
It isn't her, he thought as he looked at the startled dark-haired,
green-eyed woman standing in the doorway. It isn't her.
"Maybe we would have been better off if we had had to dump you on top of the
supplies," she muttered after a moment's silence. Then she gave him one
sharp-eyed, head-to-toe look that plainly said there were already too many
troublesome males around for her liking, and he was going to be another one.
"Better prance on out there. She's ready to leave, and we wouldn't want the