"Katherine Kerr - Deverry 10 - The Black Raven" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kerr Katherine)

Kings in their arrogance say, 'We were born to rule any land we can conquer.'
I say to you, 'The universe holds lands beyond our imagining and peoples
beyond our conquering.' Be ye always mindful that your sight is short and the
universe, long.
The Secret Book of Cadwallon the Druid

In Dun Cengarn, up in the far northlands of Deverry, snow lay thick on field
and thatch. The lazy sun stayed above the horizon a little longer each day,
but still it seemed that the servants had barely cleared away the midday meal
before the darkness closed in again. On these frozen days the life of the dun
moved into the great hall. Servants, the nobleborn, the men of the warband,
the dogs - they all clustered at one or the other of the two enormous hearths.
On the coldest days, when the wind howled around the towers of the dun and
banged at the doors and gates, everyone stayed in bed as long as possible and
crawled back into their blankets again as soon as they could.
At night, up in her tower room, Dallandra and Rhodry huddled together under
all the blankets they owned between them. They slept in their clothes for the
warmth, then stayed late a-bed as well.
"You're much nicer than a pair of dogs,' she remarked one morning. 'Warmer,
too.'
'I'm glad I please my lady,' Rhodry said, yawning. 'I was thinking much the
same about you, actually. And no fleas.'
She laughed and kissed him, then rested her head on his cbest with the blanket
drawn up around her ears.
'Is it snowing out?' Rhodry said. 'With the leather over the shutters, I can't
tell.'
'How would I know? Dweomer doesn't let you see through stone walls.'
'That's a cursed pity. I don't care enough to get up and see. I -' He paused,
listening. 'Someone's at the door?'
Dalla poked her head out of the blankets. Sure enough, she could hear someone
shuffling on the landing outside, with the occasional deep sigh, as if whoever
it was feared to knock.
'Who's there?' she called out.
'Jahdo, my lady.'The boy's voice sounded of tears. 'I were wondering if you or
my lord should be needing somewhat.'
'Come in, lad. I think me you're the one who needs a bit of company.'
Bundled up in a cloak, Jahdo opened the door and slipped in, ducking his head
and rubbing his eyes with the back of one hand.
'Sit down at the end of the bed,' Dallandra said. There's enough room to get
most of you under the blankets.'
Jahdo did as he was told, sitting crosswise with the cloak around his back and
the blankets over his legs. Dalla could see the streaks of tears down his
dirty face.
'What's so wrong?' she said.
'I be bereft, my lady, a-missing my Mam and Da and my sister and my brother
and all our weasels.' Jahdo paused for a moist gulp. 'There be a longing on my
heart for home.'
'Well, I understand. I miss my homeland, too, and Evandar,' Dallandra said.
'My heart aches for you, but soon with the spring, we'll be riding west.'
'So I do hope.'