"Karl Edward Wagner - Cold Light" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wagner Karl Edward)

only casual attention to the villa they approached, Dron Missa
argued with Mollyl over an imaginary dice game, and Jan loudly
complained that both men had cheated him of his share of the
pot.
They drew closer to the villa. Still there appeared no
threatening movement from inside. Yet it seemed impossible that
Kane was not watching their approach. Did he suspect?
At about two-hundred yards there sounded a sudden deadly
hiss! Bell screamed and fell back on his saddle, reddened fingers
clutching at the crossbow bolt that had abruptly sprouted from his
left shoulder! His horse reared in alarm at the scent of fear and
pain.
So Kane had been waiting! Gaethaa whirled in his saddle to
shout an older, and a second bolt screamed through the space he
had just turned from! Alarmed at the accuracy and speed of
Kane's marksmanship, Gaethaa again realized there was no cover
for them until they could reach the villa.
"Get back!" he bellowed, as his men started to spread apart to
ride in low. "Get back out of range! Hurry!"
A third bolt glanced across the back of Alidore's mail as the
men wheeled on his command. Alidore cursed and bent low over
his horse's neck. Luckily the shaft had struck him as he was
turning and merely glanced on past him. Even at this range a
direct hit from a powerful crossbow would slice through chain
mail such as he wore. A fourth bolt narrowly missed Dron Missa
before they galloped beyond range.
Bell held his saddle until they returned to the shelter of a grove
of palms. There be slumped to the earth and sat against a palm
trunk while Sed tho'Dosso examined the wound.
"Can't be fatal if he call still cuss like that," Missa offered
thoughtfully. "A few inches off the heart, but not bad for the
range. Why call us back here, milord?"
Gaethaa scowled at the villa in reappraisal. "Don't want to risk
any further casualties. Too little cover around the place, damn it!
Fast as he was firing, Kane must be working the cocking lever by
hand. He'd be sure to get off a few more shots before we reached
him, and at the range he hit Bell he must be as good a marksman
as they claim! Damn near finished a few others of us
anyway—he waited till we were well in his range before
attacking! Not worth the risk to rush him now. We'll have
darkness shortly. So we'll hit him again when the light's too poor
for archery, but still too bright for Kane to slip away—if we
watch carefully!"
"That's cutting it close," Alidore commented.
"Don't tell me what I already know!" Gaethaa retorted,
"Anmuspi! Think you can get a fire arrow in where it can smoke
him out? If we drive him from the villa, then Kane will be the one
caught in the open!"
The archer smiled deliberately, his lined face asymmetrical
with the sword sear that flashed white in rare moments of anger.