"Lawrence Watt-Evans - Dus 3 - Sword Of Bheleu" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watt-Evans Lawrence)

hadn't noticed. He would undoubtedly be mortally offended to know that a human
was laughing at him. Garth himself was slightly irritated at the girl's lack
of respect and was equally annoyed at the stupidity of Thord and his comrades
who had volunteered for so asinine and dangerous a scheme.
"Go on, then; you just explained how the Council came to grant their
permission for this venture."
"Oh, yes. Well, Kyrith had no trouble in finding sixty volunteers, and
was allowed a dozen warbeasts as well. We marched down and arrived yesterday
morning, but the Baron refused to see us; one of his guards told us he was
sick in bed. Galt thought that we should just set up camp somewhere to the
north, in the hills, and wait, but Kyrith didn't want to do that; she was
afraid that the Baron might slip out unnoticed, I think. There was a vote, and
Kyrith won, and we laid siege to the town yesterday afternoon."
That was a relief, Garth thought; it was too soon for any messages to
have reached the cities of Eramma. It was possible that Skelleth's people had
not yet even noticed that they were besieged; things could still be handled
peacefully.
"All right;" he said, "you've done your duty, but I'm relieving you now.
You go back and tell my wife to call off this ridiculous siege. I'm safe and
well and I'll come and find her as soon as I've finished a little business of
my own in town. Where is she camped?"
"The main encampment is on the Wasteland Road to the north, but I can't
leave my post yet."
"Nonsense. You go tell her I'm here." Garth was in no mood to argue; if
he left Thord standing guard here on the main highway, the fool might attack a
caravan or an innocent traveler, should one happen along.
"I have my orders, my lord."
"Forget your orders. I outrank whoever gave them and I'm countermanding
them. This siege will end immediately; as a member of the City Council, the
Prince of Ordunin, and a lord of the overmen of the Northern Waste, I am
assuming command. Now, go tell that to Kyrith and tell her to wait for me and
do nothing hostile toward the humans until I arrive. Is that clear?" Without
his intending it, his right hand crept down toward the hilt of the great
two-handed broadsword; the gem in the pommel gleamed blood-red.
Thord hesitated a moment longer, trying to decide whether Garth did in
fact have the authority to overrule a commander appointed by a quorum of the
City Council. Garth was here and annoyed; the Council was not. That decided
him. "As you wish," he said, as he turned his warbeast's head northward.
Garth watched him go; he was growing angrier as he thought about the
stupidity of the overmen who could plan and execute such an inept maneuver-his
own chief wife among them? A siege was a delicate and sometimes dangerous
operation, not a casual lark. It would serve the lot of them right if someone
did happen along and take them in the rear. It would be only just and fitting
if the entire sixty were slaughtered. For half a silver bit he'd go up there
himself and teach them all something about war-teach them at swordpoint!
"Garth?" Frima's voice was not entirely steady.
The human had interrupted his chain of thought-the insolent creature! He
almost snarled as he asked, "What do you want?"
"The jewel's glowing again." She pointed.
It was, indeed, and glowing relatively brightly. He looked at it and