"Gordon R. Dickson - Dragon Knight 05 - The Dragon, the Earll" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dickson Gordon R)

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Dickson, Gordon R - Dragon Knight 05 - The Dragon, the Earl ,and the Troll (v1.0) (html).html


what had been the fourteenth century, in contrast to the twentieth-century
version of Earth from which they had come.

So they had simply put off having children. Now, it was too late—which was
probably just as well, given the fact that the attackers would kill everything
living in the castle, once they had got inside.

"In fact," said Jim, "I should have found a way back for us before this."

"You did once, in the beginning," said Angie. "I talked you out of it."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did."

They were both right, in a sense. For a brief time, after Jim had come here to
rescue Angie from the Dark Powers that strove to upset the balance of Chance
and History in this medieval version of Earth, Jim had possessed enough magical
credit to send them both back to the twentieth century.

Angie had said then that she wanted to do what he wanted to do; and the truth
was, he had wanted to stay. They both had—they still would have, if it had not
been for the matter of the baby.

But then, neither of them had looked ahead to the fact that they would go on
living, go on aging; and that a day like this day might dawn, in which it was
practically certain that they both would die—hopefully before they could be
captured; because if so they could only look forward to being crucified, impaled
or tortured by those who would overrun and pillage their castle; as the attackers

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Dickson, Gordon R - Dragon Knight 05 - The Dragon, the Earl ,and the Troll (v1.0) (html).html


could hardly be stopped from doing before the sun set again.

In what the Middle Ages considered a "legal war," Jim and Angie and any
children of theirs would have been held to ransom. But not in a raid like this,
which was itself "illegal."

Jim looked again at the wisps of smoke. It was impossible to say whether they
had started to thicken or darken at all; but the day was definitely brightening, and
it could not be long now before those out there would be up and stirring. Some
of Malencontri's men-at-arms had recognized some of those who were trying to
get into the castle. They were retainers of Sir Peter Carley, a knight formerly in