"Moon, Elizabeth - Deed Of Paksenarrion - 01 - Sheepfarmers Daughter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moon Elizabeth)

"Where is that flask now, Stephi?" asked Kolya.
"With my things, I suppose; I took it back to the barn and put it in my saddlebags."
"Go on, then."
"After that, after I put the flask up, it was nearly time for supper. I saw you ride in, sir, and go on through the Duke's Gate, and then I collected the men and we went to eat."
"What did you eat?"
"The usual, sir. Bread, cheese, stew. The men ate the same. I remember feeling a little - annoyed - at the noise. It seemed louder, all that banging and clattering. I wondered if I shouldn't have had that last swallow of ale, but nobody else seemed to notice anything about me, and I was steady on my feet. But then, sir -it's as if I was-was thinking about something else. You know how you can do something routine, but you aren't thinking about it, and a little later you can't remember if you've done it? I know I left the mess hall, but it's hazy after that. I think I walked out into the court, but I'm not sure even of that. Then-nothing, until I woke in the infirmary." Stephi looked around at the puzzled faces.
"How long would you say it lasted?" asked Kolya of the captain.
"The violent phase - only a quarterglass or a little longer; the loss of memory seems to be about six hours."
"It's consistent with a potion or spell," said the mayor.
"A potion, I'd say. We don't have a mage in range for this," said the captain.
"I think we need to check the Duke's ale. If someone has tampered with it —" The mayor's long face scowled at them.
"I'll get the steward." Sejek disappeared into the arched doorway of the Duke's Hall. It was some little time before he came out; he had a large flask of tawny liquid, and the steward carried a ewer and tankard on a tray. Venneristimon looked concerned, and was talking as he came.
"I'm quite sure, Captain Sejek," he was saying, "that nothing is wrong with the Duke's ale. It's true that this cask has been tapped some time, but I fail to see how anything could have adulterated it. Perhaps I simply should not have given the poor fellow quite so much. I mean, he seemed responsible."
"We'll have to check it, Venner, and make sure. The Duke has enemies enough who might wish to poison his stores." The captain put the flask he was carrying down in front of the witnesses. "I drew this off, myself," he said. "It smelled all right. I had Venner bring out the same ewer and tankard he served Stephi with. Do you recognize 'em, Stephi?"
Stephi reached for the utensils and Venner released them. He turned the tankard around in his hands. "Yes, sir, it's the same. There's a dent here on the rim, see? And the ewer matched the pattern, same as this one does."
"I was telling the captain," Venner put in, "that of course these things were washed up at once. If there was anything, it would be gone."
The witnesses all examined the ewer and tankard. "It looks innocent enough," said the mayor. "But it could have held anything."
"Let's test the ale," said Kolya.
"Go ahead," said the captain, nodding toward the flask. Kolya picked it up and sniffed.
"Smells like good ale. But I wonder if we could smell a potion, or would the ale cover it?"
Stammel shrugged. "I don't know — I've heard that some potions have a strong smell, but who's to say?"
"Try a single drop," suggested the mayor. "See what happens."
"If I go wild," said Kolya, "don't break my arm; I've got apple harvest coming soon." She sipped the ale. "Tastes good. This is what he serves at the high feasts, isn't it, Venner?"
"Yes, it is."
"Tastes just as it did last year, if I'm any judge. No aftertaste."
"I think the corporal just drank too much," Venner said again. "It is strong ale, and I should not have brought a full ewer."
"It can't be that, Venner; he didn't drink it all," said the captain. "He drank only one tankard - and one tankard of anything wouldn't make Stephi drunk. He poured the rest into his water flask."
"Stephi," said Stammel. "Do you have any sort of potion at all - anything you might have added to that ale later, and forgotten?"
Stephi thought a moment. "Well - " he looked embarrassed. "I do have a - sort of a - a love potion. I got it from an old granny down the other side of Verella. But-there's not much to it, sir, really, and besides, I didn't take it."
Kolya looked at him. "A love potion?"
"It's - it's something my girl and I enjoy - we share it — "
The captain shook his head. "The things I never knew about you, Stephi."
"But it's harmless, sir, really. It's just like a bit of wine, only more so. Just makes the night more fun, is all."
"Still, we'd better check it. It might not be as harmless as you think. Did you get it from the same person this time as before?"
"Well, no, sir, I didn't. But it's a simple sort of thing — lots of the grannies sell it. I usually get it from one of the forest—folk tribes in Aarenis, but we were on the road here, and this little old lady asked did I want anything. I'm sure it's all right, sir, and even if it's not, I never took it."
"Where is it?"
"With the rest of my things, in the saddlebags."
"We'll take a look." The captain turned. "Now where has Venner gotten off to? Stephi, who knows where your things are?"
"Any of the men that came with me would know, or I could show you."
"Stammel, why don't you find them for us?"
"Yes, sir. Would you want one of the witnesses to come along?"
Sejek shook his head. "Not unless they want to."
Stammel left the Duke's Court and angled across the main courtyard to the stable. Stephi's squad was hanging around the stable entrance, looking wary. He nodded to them.
"We need Stephi's saddlebags," he said. They looked sideways at each other.
"Sergeant — what're they going to do? Stephi's a good corporal — "
"I can't say. We don't know enough yet, and anyway it's the Duke's decision. Now — where are his things?"
A lanky private led the way into the smaller tack room. "That's Stephi's," he said. "The first on that row." Stammel lifted the saddlebags from their peg and turned toward the door.
"Come along," he said, "and tell me who's handled these things."
"Nobody, sir; Stephi came in before supper from the Duke's Court, and put his flask in with the rest, and nobody's been at his things since that I know of."
As Stammel came across the Duke's Court toward the others, he saw Venner coming down the steps from the Hall. He wondered briefly where Venner had been, but dropped the thought as he handed the saddlebags to the captain.