"Raymond E. Feist - Riftwar Legends - Jimmy the Hand" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feist Raymond E)

Jimmy
The Hand

By
Raymond E Feist
&
Steve Stirling



Book 3 Of
The Legends Of The Riftwar Series


V3.0 Scanned & proofed by Allflippedup 23/03/04
 ONE



Escape


Men cursed as they grappled.

Jimmy the Hand slipped eel-like between knots of fighting men on
the darkened quayside. Steel glittered in torch- and lantern-light, shining
in ruddy-red arcs as horsemen slashed at the elusive Mockers who
strove to hold them back. Only seconds more were needed for Prince
Arutha and Princess Anita to make their escape, and the fight had
reached the frenzied violence of desperation. Screams of rage and pain
split the night, accompanied by the iron hammering of shod hooves
throwing up sparks as they smashed down on stone, to the counterpoint
of the clangour of steel on steel.

Bravos and street-toughs struggled against trained soldiers, but the
soldiers’ horses slipped and slithered on the slick boards and stones of
the docks and the flickering light was even more uncertain than the
footing. Knives stabbed upward and horses shied as hands gripped
booted feet and heaved Bas-Tyran men-at-arms out of the saddle. The
harsh iron-and-salt smell of blood was strong even against the garbage
stink of the harbour, and a horse screamed piteously as it collapsed,
hamstrung. The rider’s leg was caught in the stirrup, crushed beneath his
mount, and he screamed as the horse thrashed, then fell silent as ragged
figures swarmed over him.

Jimmy fell flat under the slash of a sword, rolled unscathed between
the flailing hooves of a war-horse scrabbling to find better footing,
tripped one of the men-at-arms who was fighting dismounted against
three Mockers, then dashed down the length of the dock, his feet light
on the boards.