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

slope, swinging its haunches to keep its balance. Kaede leaned
forward and tried to speak quietly. “Tell me.”

Then the horse startled and plunged suddenly. Kaede’s forward
movement turned into a sudden downward dive.

I’m going to jail, she thought in amazement, and the ground rushed
up toward her as she and Shizuka fell together.

The horse was jumping sideways as it tried not to step on them.
Kaede was aware of more confusion, a greater danger.

“Shizuka!” she cried.

“Keep down,” the girl replied, and pushed her to the ground, but
Kaede struggled to look.

There were men on the path ahead, two of them; wild bandits by
the look of them, with drawn swords. She felt for her knife, longed
for a sword or a pole at least, remembered her promise, all in a
split second before she heard the thrum of a bowstring. An arrow
flew past the horse’s ears, making it jump and buck again.

There was a brief cry and one man fell at her feet, blood streaming
from where the arrow had pierced his neck.

The second man faltered for a moment. The horse plunged
sideways, knocking him off balance. He swung his sword in a
desperate sideways slice at Shizuka, then Long Arm was on him,
coming up under the blow with almost supernatural speed, his
sword’s tip seeming to find its own way into the man’s throat.

The men in front turned and ran back, those behind came milling
forward. Shizuka had caught the horse by the bridle and was
calming it.

Long Arm helped Kaede to her feet. “Don’t be alarmed, Lady
Otori,” he said in his rough accent, the smell of pepper oil strong
on his breath. “They were just brigands.”

Just brigands? Kaede thought. They had died so suddenly and
with so much blood. Brigands, maybe, but in whose pay?

The men took their weapons and drew lots for them, then threw the
bodies into the undergrowth. It was impossible to tell if any one of
them had anticipated the attack or was disappointed in its failure.

They seemed to show more deference to Long Arm, and she
realized they were impressed by the swiftness of his reaction and
his fighting skills, but otherwise they acted as if it was a normal