"Dave Duncan - Tales of King's Blades 5 - The Jaguar Knights" - читать интересную книгу автора (Duncan Dave)

Prince paused to catch his breath, Wolf switched his foil to his other hand, and still Athelgar could not
touch him. To be fair, he would have been judged exceptional by any standards but the Blades’, but
Wolf made him look like a fretful rabbit attacking an oak tree. Ju-niors laughed outright. Guardsmen
turned purple trying not to.

Hogwood tossed a bone in the fire and licked her fingers.“You were only doing what Grand Master told
you.”

Wolf shrugged. “Nobody knew then how well our future King could carry a grudge.”

“It’s a nice story,” Hogwood said, licking her fingers.“I can’t believe it’s the whole truth.”

“I also lipped him a few times, but that started it. Now your turn. What makes you qualified for a mission
this important?”

Hogwood shrugged. “A doctorate in conjury. I am the highest-ranking spiritualist in the Dark Chamber.”

Wolf opened his mouth and no words came out. Atherage?

A stableboy came to smile worshipfully at Hogwood and tell her the moon was up and he had saddled
the horses.

20



THE J A GU AR KNIGHTS

P

4

Knowing the bare chalk hills that lay ahead,Wolf decided to take a pair of spare mounts, a precaution
that would not slow them much. There was no real road there, even in summer, but the wind had cleared
away most of the snow and he could steer by the stars. However romantic the combination of moonlight
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and pretty girls was supposed to be, he could see nothing endearing about that frigid night—breath
smoking, horse-shoes ringing on frozen ground, relentless cold eating in through his furs. Hogwood had
no trouble with her evil-eye horse, so one of them was better than he had expected.

When they slowed the pace to rest the horses, she rode alongside, asking impertinent questions.

“There must be more to the King’s dislike of you than you have told me.”

“I told you I sauced him, and he’s a very petty person.”Not an ac-tual lie, just an incomplete truth.“Why
are you so afraid?”