"Jeffrey Lord - Blade 01 - The Bronze Axe" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lord Jeffery)

He stared into the depths of the wood, trying to locate the chanting. As he strained his eyes he
gradually made out the flickering red stain of a fire, seen intermittently, now and then obscured by the
great boles of the oaks and yews that lurked like mute giants in the tenebrific shadows. Blade felt an odd,
uneasy and yet exciting, stirring in his blood and could not explain his atavistic response to the fire and the
chanting. He only knew that he wanted to see, and understand, what was going on.
But when he made this plain to Taleen she recoiled from him in horror. She snatched away her hand
and stared at him as though he had gone lunatic.
"No—no! It is forbidden to spy on the Drus. Most especially forbidden to intrude on the Mysteries.
If we are caught we will be killed. They will sacrifice us to the God of the Trees. That is what they are
doing now—preparing a sacrifice. If they catch us they will cut off our heads and our hands and our feet,
and they will gut us like rabbits and cook us over a slow fire. Then they will eat us! No, Blade. We must
circle far around them, and very carefully, too, because they always post sentries."
He watched her, his handsome face impassive. There was no doubt that she believed what she said,
and that her fear was genuine. In the moonlight, ever growing stronger, her eyes were full of terror.
It only served to whet his curiosity. He reached and pulled her against his big chest once again. He
stroked her hair and felt her trembling and knew the cold was not to blame this time.
"You have seen this with your own eyes?" His voice was gentle and he kept it low. She might be
telling truth about the sentries. "You have seen these Drus make human sacrifices and eat them?"
Taleen shook her head and muttered against his chest. "No. I have not seen it. I would not dare. I am
not a fool and do not wish to die. But I have heard the stories—as has everyone in Alb—and the stories
are true. The Drus are very powerful and they are a law unto themselves.Everyoneknows and
understands that, Blade. And you, a stranger who may be forgiven for your ignorance, must understand it
also."
She pulled away from him and looked into his face. "Unless you are really a fool, after all, and have a
great wish to die. And until now I have not thought you a fool."
"I am not," said Blade, "and I do not wish for death more than any other man, but I would like to see
these Drus with my own eyes. I will see them. Now. Tonight. At once."
It occurred to him that if the Drus were so powerful they must also be potential enemies. Blade had
survived for so long by adhering to the creed "know thy enemy!" He did not know how long his enforced
stay in Alb would last, or how long his memory of another life would sustain and give him an advantage.
It would be wise to hedge against the future—whatever it might bring—and to make his position as
secure as possible.
When he spoke again his tone was firm. "I am going to look into this matter, Princess Taleen. There
is not much danger, for I am at home in the woods and brush, but you do not have to come with me.
Remain here if you like. I will come back for you."
She sighed in resignation. He had expected another flare of anger.
"Youarea fool, after all. You would never find me again. No—I will go with you. If you are
determined to be a fool then I must be one too. Only remember my warning when they are cutting off
your head."
Blade grinned at her and patted her lightly on the behind. So anxious and unsure was she that thelese
majestewent unnoticed.
"Follow closely," said Blade, "and do not be afraid. And try not to step on any dry sticks. Try to step
exactly where I do. It will not take long. I want a glimpse of these Drus, nothing more. After that we will
find your path and get on to the village of your cousin. It is a fact that I wish we had brought that dead
dog along with us—right now I think I could eat him raw."
Taleen made a scornful sound in her throat. "We will be the ones to be eaten, Blade. You will see."
All his life he had been a hunter, first of animals and then of men, and now he moved easily through
the forest. It was not as dense as it appeared from the brookside, and the moonlight grew steadily. They
made their way around the great trees festooned with vines and creepers. The ground beneath them,
thickly padded with leaf mold, muffled their footsteps. Overhanging tendrils brushed their faces like tiny