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

Surely, I thought, I could. Joshu had been Asaru's squire, and he had stood by the
horses that day when Salmelu had shot me with his poisoned arrow - and he had
served my brother faith-fully at the Culhadosh Commons as well.
'All right,' I said, sheathing my sword and leaning it against the side of the table. 'But
please let me know if you are expecting anyone else.'
Lord Harsha opened the door and invited Joshu inside. The youth I remembered
from the days when Asaru and I had taught him fighting skills had grown into a
powerful man nearly as tall as I. He wore a single battle ribbon in his long hair. With
his square face and strong features, he had a sort of overbearing handsome-ness that
reminded me of my brother, Yarashan. But in his manner Joshu seemed rather
modest, respectful and even sweet. The moment he saw me, he nearly dropped the
bouquet of flowers that he was holding and called out happily: 'Lord Valashu! Thank
the stars you have returned! We all thought you were dead!'
He bowed his head to me, then greeted Master Juwain with the great affection that
many of my people hold for the masters of the Brotherhood. With perfect politeness
he likewise said hello to the rest of our company, but when he came to Maram, I felt
the burn of embarrassment heating up his face, and he could hardly speak to him. He
gave his flowers to Behira, who put them in a blue vase which she set on the table
along with platters of food and pitchers of dark, frothy beer.
There came an awkward moment as Lord Harsha took his place at the head of the
table and Joshu sat down in the chair to his
right. I had the place of honor at the opposite end of the table, with Maram to my
right and Atara at my left. It seemed a strange thing for Alphanderry to join us, for he
didn't so much sit upon his chair as occupy its space. He could of course eat no
food nor imbibe no drink, and soon enough we would have to explain his strange
existence as best we could. But as Behira seated herself across from Joshu, it came
time for other explanations.
'Well here it is,' Lord Harsha said, looking at Maram. Lord Harsha was not a man of
subterfuge or nuance, and he had put off this unpleasant task longer than he had
liked. 'We did think you were dead, and too bad for that. And so I had to promise
my daughter to another.'
As Behira looked across the table at Joshu, and Joshu lowered his eyes toward the
empty plate in front of him, Maram's ruddy face flushed an even brighter red. And
he called out, 'But you said that you'd wait for our return!'
Lord Harsha sighed as he rubbed at his eye, and then said, 'We did wait, for as long
as seemed wise. Longer than a year it was. But you had told us that you were going
to Argattha, and so what was there really to wait for?'
As Maram fought back his rising choler, he fell strangely silent. And so I spoke for
him, saying, 'We had indeed planned to go to Argattha, but in the end we set out on
a different quest. My apolo-gies if we misled you. It seemed the safest course,
however, for then you could not betray our mission should any of our enemies come
here and question you.'
Now Lord Harsha's face filled with a choler of its own. He rested his hand on the hilt
of his sword, which he too had leaned against the edge of the table. He said, 'I have
taken steel, wood and iron through my body in service of your father and
grandfather, and have never betrayed anyone!'
I said to Lord Harsha: 'My apologies, sir. But you know what the Red Dragon and
the Prince of Ishka did to my mother and grandmother. Don't be so sure you would
be able to keep your silence if he did the same to your daughter.'
Lord Harsha removed his hand from his sword and made a fist. He looked at it a