"David Zindell - Ea Cycle 04 - The Diamond Warriors" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zindell David)

Telshar: a bit of carved and mortared granite almost lost against the glorious work of
stone that the Ieldra had sung into creation at the beginning of time. We caught Lord
Harsha out weeding his wheatfield to the east of his house. When he heard the noise
of our horses trampling through the bracken, he straightened up and shook his hoe at
us as he peered at us with his single eye. He called out to us: 'Who is it who rides
out of the wildwood like outlaws at this time of day? Announce yourselves, or I'll
have to go and get my sword!'
Lord Harsha, I thought, would prove a formidable opponent against outlaws - or
anyone else - with only his iron-bladed hoe to wield as a weapon. Despite a
crippled leg and his numerous years, his thick body retained a bullish power. And
even though he wore only a plain woolen tunic, he bore on his finger a silver ring
showing the four brilliant diamonds of a Valari lord. A black eyepatch covered part
of his face; twelve battle ribbons had been tied to his long, white hair, and in all of
Mesh, there were few warriors of greater renown.
'Outlaws, is it?' I called back to him. 'Have our journeys really left us looking so
mean?'
So saying, I threw back the hood of my cloak and rode forward a few more paces. I
came to the low wall edging Lord Harsha's field. Once, I remembered, I had sat
there with Maram, my brother Asaru and his squire, Joshu Kadar, as we had spoken
with Lord Harsha about fighting the Red Dragon and ending war - and other
impossible things.
'Who is it?' Lord Harsha called out again. His single eye squinted as the sun's
slanting rays burned across my face. 'Announce your-self, I say!'
'I am,' I called back to him, 'the seventh son of Shavashar Elahad, whose father was
King Eikamesh, who named me -'
'Valashu Elahad!' Lord Harsha shouted. 'It can't be! But surely it must be, even
though I don't know how!'
I dismounted and climbed over the wall. Lord Harsha came limping up to me, and he
embraced me, pounding my back with his hard, blunt hands. Then he pulled back to
fix me with his single, bright eye.
'It is you,' he said, 'but you look different, forgive me. Older, of course, but not so
much on the outside as within. And some-thing else. Something has lit a fire in you,
like that star you were named for. At last. When you skulked out of Mesh last year,
you did seem half an outlaw. But now you stand here like a king.'
I bowed my head to him, and he returned this grace, indining his head an inch lower
than mine. And he said to me, 'You have his look, you know.'
'Whose look?' I asked him.
'King Elkamesh's,' he said. 'When he was a young knight. I never saw the
resemblance until today.'
I smiled at him, and told him, 'It is good to be home. Lord Harsha.'
'It is good to have you home.' His gaze took in Maram and my other companions,
who had nudged their horses up to the wall and dismounted as well. And Lord
Harsha pointed at Alphanderry and said, 'I count eight of you, altogether, and eight it
was who set out for Argattha. But here rides a stranger in Kane's place. Don't tell me
such a great warrior has fallen!'
'He has not fallen,' I said, 'as far as I know. But circumstances called him to Galda.
And as for Argattha, we did not journey there after all.'
'No - that is clear. If you had, we would not be gathered here having this discussion.
But where then did you journey?'
I looked at Maram, who said, 'Ah, that is a long story, sir. Might we perhaps