"Hearn,.Lian.-.Otori.02.-.Grass.For.His.Pillow.v1.1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hearn Lian)

After they left Yamagata the road began to climb steeply. In places
it was stepped with huge, flat stones. There were already signs of
autumn, though the sky was clear blue and the air warm. Beech,
sumac, and maple were beginning to turn gold and vermilion.
Strings of wild geese flew high above them. The forest deepened,
still and airless. The horse walked delicately, its head low as it
picked its way up the steps. The men were alert and uneasy. Since
the overthrow of Iida and the Tohan, the countryside was filled with
masterless men of all ranks who resorted to banditry rather than
swear new allegiances.

The horse was strong and fit. Despite the heat and the climb, its
coat was hardly darkened with sweat when they stopped again at a
small rest house at the top of the pass. It was a little past midday.
The horses were led away to be fed and watered, the men retired
to the shade trees around the well, and an old woman spread
mattresses on the floor of a matted room so Kaede might rest for
an hour or two.

Kaede lay down, thankful to be able to stretch out. The light in the
room was dim and green. Huge cedars shut out most of the glare.
In the distance she could hear the cool trickle of the spring, and
voices; the men talking quietly, occasionally a ripple of laughter,
Shizuka chatting to someone in the kitchen. At first Shizuka’s voice
was bright and gossipy, and Kaede was glad that she seemed to
be recovering her spirits, but then it went low, and the person to
whom she was speaking responded in the same vein. Kaede could
no longer make out anything they said.

After a while the conversation ceased. Shizuka came quietly into
the room and lay down next to Kaede.

“Who were you talking to?”

Shizuka turned her head so she could speak directly into Kaede’s
ear. “A cousin of mine works here.”

“You have cousins everywhere.”

“That’s how it is with the Tribe.”

Kaede was silent for a moment. Then she said, “Don’t other
people suspect who you are and want to…”

“Want to what?”

“Well, get rid of you.”

Shizuka laughed. “No one dares. We have infinitely more ways of