"David Eddings - The Dreamers 01 - The Elder gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

stone point could probably find a man’s vitals almost as well as an iron
one could.
The canoes drew up in a half-circle between the Seagull and the beach,
but a single one was paddled up to within a few yards of Sorgan’s ship.
There were only two natives in the canoe. The one who was doing the
paddling appeared almost as burly as Ox, and he had a flaming red beard
that reached half-way to his waist.
The other native was much older, and he had snowy hair that he wore
in braids.
The red-bearded native skillfully brought the canoe to a stop, and his
older companion rose to his feet. ‘Welcome to Lattash, Sorgan Hook-
Beak,’ he said in a deep, rolling voice. ‘Long have we awaited your
coming.’
‘I am honored by your greeting,’ Sorgan replied. A certain formality
seemed to be in order here.
‘I am White-Braid of Lattash,’ the man in the canoe introduced
himself, ‘and the younger men of this village even heed my advice -
every so often.’ The old man smiled faintly.
Sorgan had noticed that Longbow had also seemed to have a similarly
dry sense of humor. He straightened. ‘I have been told that the Lady
Zelana would have words with me, Chief White-Braid,’ he said.
‘I have heard so myself,’ White-Braid replied. ‘This is my nephew,
Red-Beard,’ he said, gesturing toward the native who’d paddled the
canoe. ‘He will escort you to the cave where she dwells. I shall remain
here so that your men need have no concern about your continued well-
being. In time, these precautions may no longer be necessary, but we are
strangers still, so let there be no possibility of deception.’
 ‘You are wise, Chief White-Braid,’ Sorgan said, ‘and I shall be guided
by you in this matter.’ If White-Braid wanted formality, Sorgan was
ready to pile formality on him until he was hip-deep in it.
The two of them rather carefully changed places. White-Braid came on
board the Seagull, and Hook-Beak climbed down into the canoe. ‘Treat
our friend well, Ox,’ Sorgan called up to his first mate.
‘Aye, Cap’n,’ Ox replied respectfully, as the canoe moved away from
the Seagull.
‘Why does the lady called Zelana live in a cave instead of in the village
with the rest of the tribe?’ Sorgan asked the red-bearded native who was
paddling smoothly toward the beach.
‘She doesn’t really belong here, Sorgan Hook-Beak,’ Red-Beard
replied, ‘and she isn’t very fond of us.’
‘I thought that she was the queen of this part of Dhrall,’ Sorgan said.
‘Not exactly,’ Red-Beard replied. ‘Our legends say that she’s lived
forever, but that she doesn’t care for people very much. She went away a
long, long time ago. She came back just recently, and now she’s staying
in that cave at the edge of the village. My uncle tells us that she’s very
powerful, and that if she wants something to happen, it will happen.
Uncle White-Braid gets a little strange when he talks about her. I think
he’s afraid of her, which is strange, because he’s not really afraid of
anything. She never comes out of that cave, and the only servant she has
is a little girl. The child comes out of the cave to tell us what Zelana