"Kerr,.Katharine.-.Westlands.04.-.A.Time.Of.Justice" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dragon Stories)

'My most humble thanks, my lord,' Jill snapped. 'I trust his lordship will think twice in the future before he commits injustice in the gwerbret's name.'
Cenwyc merely scowled at her. Sevinna hurried forward and caught her arm.
'Let me walk with you to the stables. I'll tell you how the brooch was found, if Lord Cenwyc will be so kind as to let us have a word alone.'
'As my lady wishes, of course.' Cenwyc bowed. ‘I’ll return to her ladyship.’
The two girls began walking toward the stable, but slowly, whispering as quietly as they could.
'I saw Taurra put the brooch in your saddlebags,' Sevinna said. 'Or well, I didn't truly see her, but we'd looked through your gear, and the brooch wasn't there. Then I saw her near the room where your things were lying. When I looked in the bags, there it was. So I put it where Baba could find it.'
'I see. Taurra doesn't suspect you, does she?'
'I have the most awful feeling she knows I did it. She's awfully clever, Jill, and I'm not much good at hiding things.'
'Oh by the gods! I'll be forever grateful to you for this, but you've just made yourself an awfully dangerous enemy. I hope Cenwyc isn't going to run me out of town.'
‘That's what he wants to do. I don't know if Davylla will let him or not.'
'If I go, you've got to be careful, truly truly careful.'
'Well, what can she even do to me, here in the dun?'
'Poison you, that's what. Please, believe me! Taurra isn't what she's calling herself. She's dangerous, and she's already poisoned one person that I know of, her lover, it was.'
Sevinna caught her breath with a gasp and felt cold panic round her heart.
‘I’d denounce her, but no one's going to believe me,' Jill went on. 'That's where Rhodry went, to get noble-born witnesses. Is there any way you can all go home? I don't want to leave you lasses here.'
'Well, there isn't. I mean, I'd have to tell Davylla what you said, and you're right. She's never going to believe it.'
At the stables, they found Sunrise saddled and ready, with Jill's bedroll tied on behind. The page handed over the reins, then trotted off to the great hall and his dinner. By then twilight hung cold over the dun. Flickering light began to spill out of the windows of the great hall as inside, torches were lit.
'Did you want to go inside?' Sewi said. 'Davva's waiting for you, you see. She really does want to apologize.'
'I don't think I want Taurra to get a look at me.’ Jill was staring over Sevinna's shoulder to the main gates of the broch.
'How much do you weigh?'
'What? Not much over a hundred weight. Why?'
'I've got an idea. Come on, walk with me into the town, will you?'
'Oooh, do you think I dare?’
'I don't think you dare not to. Please? I've got an idea. Look, the guards have gone off somewhere. It's now or never.'
Sevinna hesitated, but she was remembering the hatred in Taurra's eyes. Even more she remembered her herbs - lots of herbs and the mastered lore to go with them.
'There's no time,' Jill said. 'Someone's bound to come out here as soon as soon. Will you come with me or not?'
One last hesitation, and the memory of Taurra's small smile of triumph.
'I will. Let's hurry.'
They rushed out the gates with Sunrise clopping after them into nearly-empty streets. Most of the townfolk had shut themselves up in the safety of their homes for the night. Jill jogged along fast, making Sevinna pant to keep up, until they were out of sight of the dun gates.
‘They'll be shutting up the town soon,' Jill said. 'Quick! Get up behind my saddle. I'll help you. We're light enough so the horse can carry us both.'
Sevinna didn't even stop to consider where they might be going. With Jill's help she scrambled up behind the saddle, sitting astride with her dresses awkwardly bunched round her hips. Jill swung herself up in front and urged the horse to a smart trot. They wound their way dangerously fast through the streets until they saw the town gates, open but guarded, ahead of them.
'Put your arms around my waist,' Jill said. 'And hang on.'
Sevinna clasped her tight just as Jill kicked the horse hard. Yelling, the guards leapt back as Sunrise hurtled through the narrow gateway. They were out, galloping full tilt down the dangerously rutted road. Sevinna heard the guards screaming at them to halt, but she was too frightened to look back.
'Hang on!' Jill yelled.
She turned Sunrise off the road into a stubbled field. Sevinna clung to her as the horse leapt some low obstacle, stumbled, then gained his balance and raced forward. When Sevinna risked a glance round, she saw that they were turning to the east, where the moon was just rising. When they reached the scanty forest cover, Jill let the sweating horse slow to a walk and pick his way down a dark trail.
'I never would have tried this with an ordinary horse,' Jill said. 'But he's truly amazing, his stamina, I mean. Well, now we've got a bit of a lead. It'll take Cenwyc a while to get the riders together to come after us, too.'
'Well, I hope so.' Sevinna heard her voice shaking. 'I suppose this is awfully exciting.'
Jill laughed.
'Trust me, Sevvi. I swear it, you'll be better off sleeping in a ditch tonight than eating at the same table with Lady Mallona.'
'With who?'
'That's Taurra's real name. She's a murderess from up in Gwaentaer, and Rhodry and I have been hunting her down for the bounty on her head. Lord Cenwyc was right enough about one thing. I'm not truly fit company for the likes of you.'
It was impossible, and Rhodry knew it, for the tieryn and his warband to ride as fast as a speeded courier for the entire journey. Every sensible rest and delay stabbed him like a javelin point. Every day's travelling stretched to a seeming month, though in fact, only four nights passed before they came to the road that would lead them straight to Belgwerger, some twelve miles on. Near the crossroads stood the dun of a lord that Dwaen knew well.
'We should stop here for the night,' the tieryn said to Rhodry. 'It's late afternoon, and the horses are tired.'
'True enough, Your Grace. As Your Grace wishes.’
'Even though you're thinking of strangling me as I ride?' Dwaen turned in the saddle to grin at him. 'I never thought I'd see a coldblooded man like you so troubled.'
Rhodry could only shrug for an answer.
They rode on. On its low hill across a meadow, the lord's dun loomed closer and closer. At the lane leading to its gates, Dwaen paused his line of march and turned in the saddle to call back to the men following him.
'We're going to stop for a rest and a meal in a few miles, lads. Then we're riding straight through to Belgwerger. If I pound on the gates in the King's name, the night watch might let us in. If not, we'll be there when they open in the morning.'
Rhodry laughed in a long peal. If they hadn't been on horseback, he would have thrown his arms around Dwaen and hugged him.
Eventually they found fresh water, a stream running through a fallow meadow beside the road. After they unsaddled the horses and let them roll, they watered them and set them at nose-bags of oats. The men had to make do with whatever stale leftovers from the noon meal they had left in their saddle bags. Rhodry and Dwaen ate standing up, strolling a little way away from the others.