"Raymond E. Feist - Serpentwar 2 - Rise of a Merchant Prince" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feist Raymond E)

on the dockside, who caught the rope expertly and quickly made
it fast to a large iron cleat. As the old sailor said, when the line
went taut the iron cleats seemed to groan as the wooden docks
were flexed, but the bow wake returned from the stone quay and
the huge ship seemed to settle in with a single rocking motion, as
if it Sighed in relief that it was good to be home.


9


% Raymottd E. Feist
I


RISE OF A MERCHANT PRINCE


Erik turned to Roo. "Wonder what the Harbormaster will say to
the Admiral."
Roo glanced aft as the Admiral made his way to the main deck,
and considered the question. The first time Roo had seen the man
had been at Erik's and Roo's trial for the murder of Erik's half
brother, Stefan. The second time he had seen him had been when
the survivors of the mercenary company to which Roo and Erik
belonged had been rescued from a fishing smack outside the harbor
of the city of Maharta. Having served under the Admiral on
the voyage homeward, Roo's opinion was "He'll probably say
nothing, go home, and get drunk."
Erik laughed. He also knew that Nicholas was a man of calm
authority, who could embarrass a subordinate to the point of tears
with a stare and no words spoken, a trait he shared with Calis, the
Captain of Roo and Erik's company, the Crimson Eagles.
Of the original company, numbering in the hundreds, fewer than
fifty men survived-the six who had fled with Calis and some
stragglers who had found their way to the City of the Serpent
River before the Freeport Ranger had departed for Krondor. Nicholas'
s other ship, Trenchard's Revenge, had remained in the harbor at
the City of the Serpent River for an extra month, in case more
men from Calis's troop found their way there. Any who were not
there when she weighed anchor would be considered to be dead.
The gangplank was run out, and Roo and Erik watched as Nicholas
and Calis were the first to disembark. On the dock waite(l
Patrick, Prince of Krondor, his uncle Prince Erland-nephew and
brother respectively to Nicholas-and other members of the royal
court of Krondor.
Erik said, "Not much of a show, is it?"
Roo could only nod. A lot of men had died to bring back the
information Nicholas carried to his nephew, the Prince. And from,
what Roo knew, it was scant information at best. He turned his