"Dave Duncan - The Seventh Sword - 2 - The Coming Of Wisdom" - читать интересную книгу автора (Duncan Dave)

Goddess."
Quili turned away to hide the horrible suspicion that flared up in her, which
must not show in her face. These men had come from Harm, from the mother of all
temples. They had fought a battle. Had someone tried to prevent their leaving—
the temple guard that Nnanji had formerly belonged to? Was that sword the
reason? Had this Shonsu stolen that royal sword from the treasury of the
Goddess' temple?
But if he had, then why had She let the boat leave the dock when he boarded? And
why had She moved it here, where there were sorcerers? Swordsmen of the Seventh
were very rare and very terrible. Nnanji had said that Shonsu had killed six men
in the fight—perhaps the Goddess had few swordsmen capable of bringing such a
colossus to justice. But sorcerers certainly could.
Had they been brought here to die?
She felt sick with indecision. Was she supposed to aid these men, or not? What
of preventing bloodshed? Whose blood? A
18 THE COMING OF WISDOM mere apprentice should not be faced with such
conundrums. "Apprentice Quili, this is Jja, my love." The woman smiled shyly,
and Quili received another shock. Jja was a slave; her face bore a single stripe
from hairline to upper Up, and she wore a slave's black. His love? The woman was
tall and only that hateful badge of slavery and the close-cropped maltreatment
of her dark hair stopped her from being spectacularly beautiful. No, she was
beautiful in spite of those. Her figure was magnificently proportioned to her
height, yet she moved with a sensual grace: strong and competent and serene.
Even a Seventh could not change a slave's rank, but it seemed ironic for a man
of such power to love a mere chattel. He was introducing her as if she were a
person, though, and watching for Quili's reaction. She smiled carefully and
said, "You are welcome, also, Jja."
A faint blush spread over the high cheekbones, the dark eyes were lowered.
"Thank you, apprentice." A good voice. Jja turned to take the baby, who was now
sitting on Nnanji's shoulders, wedged hi place by his sword hilt. Little Vixini
resisted, screaming angrily and clutching the swordsman's ponytail.
Then Lord Shonsu's strong arm pulled another woman up from the boat.'This," he
said, "is Cowie." There was an odd note in the way he spoke, as if he had said
something funny.
Cowie was another slave, and another sort of slave. If Lord Shonsu was the
epitome of masculinity, then Cowie was the ultimate sex partner. Quili had never
seen a figure so exaggeratedly female, and it was barely concealed at all by the
flimsy wisp of garment. Her breasts strained against it, her arms and legs were
soft and voluptuously rounded, her face was a lovely and sweet nothing. At the
sound of her name, the provocative lips parted in an automatic smile, but her
eyes continued to stare blankly at the
shore.
Quili remembered her misgivings about her own too-tight gown. In this company
she was not going to be noticed.
Nnanji had said something about buying a slave. She glanced at him, and he
turned away.
Then another black-clad figure was lifted up by hands below, accepted, and
gently set down by Lord Shonsu. He was very tiny and very old, his head totally
hairless, his neck a crumple of wrinkles. The gown he wore appeared to be both
too large for