"Lawrence Watt-Evans - Dus 1 - Lure Of The Basilisk" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watt-Evans Lawrence)

terrain, save only when it slowed to accommodate Garth's less rapid pace. The
overman began to appreciate how wise he had been to accept the creature in
lieu of further tribute from the colony of overmen at Kirpa. It was clearly
worth more than the token annual payment of grain it had replaced, even
considering Ordunin's perpetual near-starvation. Prior to embarking on this
quest Garth had rarely ridden it, since he had done little casual traveling
and had fought no wars save by sea, against the depredations and occasional
raids of the pirates of the Sea of Mori; he had had no opportunity to observe
just how indomitable the beast was. There was, indeed, something more than
mortal about its serene confidence in its own power, and he had to admit that
naming it for a war-god seemed fitting.
When the overman sent the warbeast off to hunt its twice-weekly meal on
the third night following the battle, it returned shortly after midnight, well
fed, as it had not been in the forests west of Derbarok. Garth was pleased by
this, as he was rather fond of the monster as well as impressed by it. Elmil,
however, reacted with revulsion the following morning when he woke to find the
only physical evidence of the hunt a pool of drying blood that had dripped
from the animal's jaws during the night. Despite the bandit's admiration of
Koros' power and grace, the beast both frightened and horrified him.
It was on the fourth day, shortly before sunset, with the eastern
hills-which were actually good-sized mountains, in Garth's opinion-looming
before them, and Garth riding and musing on his mount's virtues, that Elmil
let out a sudden cry.
"Look! On the hilltop!"
Garth turned his gaze to follow the man's pointing finger, but saw
nothing. He looked at him questioningly.
"I thought I saw a man."
"Was he of your band?"
"I think he may have been. I'm not sure."
With a wordless noise, Garth sat back in the saddle, scanning the
horizon and ignoring Elmil's worried expression as the bandit twisted around
to look at him. Seeing nothing, he glanced at the ground; seeing that they
were past the pool of mud that had driven him to mount, he swung himself off
Koros' back to resume his weary walking. Elmil continued to watch him
worriedly for several minutes, but said nothing, and finally turned his
attention back to the approaching mountains.
To Garth, the sighting plainly indicated that he was indeed walking into
an ambush in the Annamar Pass; but, having already decided his course of
action, he merely continued on as before. His only concession was to stand
watch half that night while Elmil slept, then sleep whilst Elmil watched.
Garth would have waited up much of the night in any case, as once again he let
Koros hunt, rather than risk being unable to find game in the mountains. By
referring to it as "standing guard," he allayed much of Elmil's growing
uneasiness. He used Koros' return, shortly after midnight, as the signal to
change the watch, and was mildly amused to see, as he dropped off to sleep,
Elmil watching in horror as the warbeast licked blood from its curving front
claws, claws that glittered red and bone-white in the moonlight.
It was still an hour before dawn when Garth awoke again, his light
slumber broken by Elmil's first snore; despite his fears, the bandit had dozed
off. No harm was done, though; rather, it merely meant the day would have an