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

and not w-worth much, but there's plenty of things I can do. I know how to
look after someone important, so I'm going to s-serve the Lady. Not like
other slaves who do the mean work, but look after her personally, just like
her First Circle does."
Holding himself with the same care a man did after a beating, Tomas walked
toward the back of the wagon.
"Tomas," Jared called. "You'd better wait a bit."
The wounded look in the boy's eyes cut at him.
"But, Jared, it's my turn to sit inside."
Jared tried to smile. "Mine, too. But I got the impression Thera wasn't
going to welcome any male, even a personal servant, until she got the Lady
comfortably settled."
Tomas thought about that and nodded. "I'll wait 'til she's not feeling so
pissy."
Jared didn't stop him when Tomas headed for the saddle horses that were
tethered to the back of the wagon by long lead ropes. Since the Gray Lady
and Thera had been riding the horses and were inside the wagon, the boy
would have some privacy for his tears. He studied the pedlar's wagon for a
moment, then shook his head. The Gray Lady and Thera. What a strange
pairing.
"Should we get moving, Lord Jared?" Blaed asked. "I'll lead the team for
this turn."
Jared continued to look at the wagon. How much healing Craft would a broken
Black Widow know, if she knew any at all? The Gray Lady must have some
knowledge of it since she'd done a fair healing on him, but what if she was
in too much pain to use that skill on herself? "Let's wait a few minutes.
Then I'll see if it's all right."
"No reason why the rest of us can't start walking," Brock said, hauling Eryk
to his feet. "Come on, prick-ass, let's get started."
"Where's Garth?" Jared asked, scanning the surrounding area. Not that he
could see much in this rain.
"Still lumbering up ahead, I imagine," Randolf replied, not trying to hide
his distaste. It wasn't as easy to break a Blood-Jeweled male-not like the
witches, who were vulnerable until their Virgin Night and were still
vulnerable each month during the first three days of their moontime. But a
darker Jewel could rip open the inner barriers and tear a man's mind apart,
or unleash a tidal wave of power to shatter the inner web and cut a man off
from his own strength in much the same way as a witch was broken. Since
every slave knew it could happen to him for no better reason than the witch
who owned him wanted it done, they didn't turn their backs on a man because
of it. But there was a wrongness about Garth, more than the confused,
kicked-puppy look in the pale blue eyes that was so at odds with the tall,
muscled, barrel-chested body. There was a sliminess to his psychic scent, as
if he'd been touched by something tainted. Maybe he had. Maybe that's what
had broken him. Pity for what had been done to him didn't make it any easier
being around him, though.
"All right," Jared said. "What about Corry and Cathryn?"
"They were just ahead of Brock and me," Randolf said. Brock took a firm hold
of Eryk's arm. "We'll check on them."
After Brock and Randolf started up the road with the reluctant Eryk between