"Sharon Green - Jalav 4 - The Will Of The Gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Green Sharon)

JALAV 4: The Will of the Gods
By Sharon Green
CH 1. The disagreement of male and the anger of Mida
I awoke in the thick, enveloping darkness of the room, at first convinced there had been movement near
me, after a moment allowing that the movement must have been Mehrayn's, tossing about upon the furs
beside me. The male's sleep was uneasy, perhaps by cause of the words of disagreement he and I had
spoken in the dwelling of Aysayn, he who was called Sigurr's Shadow. It had been necessary to speak
those words over and again, with Aysayn and Chaldrin as well as Mehrayn, and still the males refused to
abandon their stand. I had, at last, refused to discuss the matter further, which had silenced the males yet
had not moved them from their stubborn stance. Fool that I was, I had first spoken of the matter myself,
therefore could blame no one else for the difficulty. Though reluctantly, I had known many males of late; I
knew it was likely they would attempt to interfere with the doings of a warrior.

The darkness was cool and comfortable, bereft of the heat which would reappear with Mida's light. I lay
upon the fur I shared with Mehrayn, feeling only comfort from its silky softness against my body, relieved
that no intruding presence threatened. My sword and dagger were not far away, but the continuing
presence of much drink lay even nearer, in my head and body. Had it been necessary to defend against
intruders I would have done so, yet not with all of my usual skill. We had all of us drunk much of the
drink called falar, that which was nearer unbrewed daru than the renth of city males, though none of the
Sigurri males had had as much as I. As I was to depart with the new light, and alone, the males had
insisted upon the sharing of falar, each cup, as they said, a prayer to Sigurr to watch over me upon my
travels. I had not told them that their god cared naught for this warrior save for her use, for the doing
would have been idle. I had, instead, accepted each cup given me, baffled by the surprise of the males
when I continued to accept them. Falar had more presence than renth, yet less than brewed daru, that
which warriors drank. I had agreed to take as much of the falar as I was able; did they believe I would
give my word and then be forsworn?

I sighed as I turned toward Mehrayn where he lay, seeing the deeper darkness of his back, able to see
no more than the broadness of it, none of the corded muscle which rippled with his movement. So
strange were males, these Sigurri even stranger. First it had been the males of Bellinard, a city to the
north, then the males of Ranistard, even farther north. Ceralt and his Belsayah, Hannis and his Neelarhi,
the male god Sigurr and his fighters, and now his Sigurri. Bellinard had fallen to my sister clans of
Midanna, whom I led as war leader; Ranistard held those of my own clan of Hosta and would fall in its
turn when the Midanna were free to ride against it. Ceralt, by now surely healed, had returned to his
Belsayah, and perhaps led the Neelarhi as well, in the absence of Hannis. Sigurr dwelt among his fighters
in undoubted pleasure, for I had raised his Sigurri to stand with the Midanna against the coming strangers,
just as he had demanded. I had but one further thing to see to before I might return to my warriors who
held Bellinard, a thing demanded of me by Mida herself. It was this thing which upset these Sigurri so
greatly, yet in Mida's name I was unable to fathom the reason for such upset.

I, who am Jalav, was first war leader to the Hosta clan before my sisters were taken by the males of
Ranistard. This capture was allowed by the goddess Mida so that I might lead the other nine clans of
sister Midanna against Bellinard with none to say I favored one clan above the others. It was necessary
that I do naught to free the Hosta, and though my soul writhed in agony at that lack of doing, I was not
able to refuse the will of Mida. Strangers came to our world who were enemies to Mida and Sigurr, and
the goddess and god demanded that their warriors face these strangers and best them. Nearly all of the
Hosta carried the quickened seed of males within them, and would therefore be unable to stand in battle
with us. I planned to lead my warriors against the strangers and then see to the males of Ranistard, but
first the nine enemy clans of Midanna must join us.