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

threats of crucifixion and promises of glory and everlasting life for anyone who
followed him. The Lord of Lies had pledged a thousand-weight of gold to any man
who brought him my head. So it was that my companions and I had entered Mesh in
secret. Twenty-two kel keeps, great fortresses of iron and stone, encircled the whole
of the kingdom and guarded the passes through the mountains. But I knew
unexplored ways around three of them - and through the country of the Sawash
River and past Arakel, Telshar and the other great peaks of the Central Range. And,
of course, through the fields and forests of the Valley of the Swans. So it was that
we had come nearly all the way to Lord Harsha's little stone chalet without stopping
at an inn or a farmhouse.
'The heart of your realm,' Maram said to me, 'surely lies with the hearts of those who
know you. There can't be many in this district who will fail to acclaim you when the
time comes.'
'No, perhaps not many.'
'And there can't be any who have gone over to the Red Dragon, despite what that
barbarian chieftain said. Surely it will be safe to show ourselves here. After all, we
don't have to give out our names.'
I only smiled at this. Even in the best of times. Mesh saw few strangers from other
lands. Maram and my other friends would stand out here like rubies and sapphires in
a tapestry woven of diamonds. The Valari are a tall people, with long, straight black
hair, angular faces like the planes of cut stone, dark ivory skin and bright black eyes.
None of us looked anything like that - none of us, of course, except myself.
'As soon as we show ourselves,' I told Maram, 'the word will spread that Valashu
Elahad and his companions have returned to Mesh. We should hear what Lord
Harsha advises before that moment comes.'
We rode on for a while, into a small clearing, and then Bstrella, who was good at
finding things, espied a bush near its edge bearing ripe, red raspberries. She nudged
her horse over to it, then dismounted. Her joyful smile seemed an invitation for all of
us to join her in a midafternoon refreshment. And so the rest of us dismounted as
well, and began plucking the soft, little fruits.
'These,' Maram said, as he filled his mouth with a handful of raspberries, 'would
make a good meal for any bear.'
'And you,' I said, poking his big belly with a smile, 'would make a better one.'
Master Juwain, a short man with a large head as bald as a walnut, stepped over to
me. His face, I thought, with his large gray eyes, had always seemed as luminous as
the moonlit sea. He looked at me deeply, then said, 'We are close to the place that
the bear attacked you, aren't we?'
'Yes, close,' I said, staring off through the elms. Then I turned back to smile at him.
'But you aren't afraid of bears, too, are you, sir?'
'I'm afraid of you, Valashu Elahad. That is, afraid for you.' He pointed a gnarly finger
at me as he fixed me with a deep, knowing look. 'Most of us flee from that which
torments us, but you must always seek out the thing you most dread and go poking
it with a stick.'
I only laughed at this as I reached back to grip the hilt of my sword, slung over my
shoulder. I said, 'But, sir, I have no stick -only this blade. And I'm sure I won't have
to use it today against any bear.'
Daj, munching on some raspberries, returned my smile in confi-dence that I had
spoken the truth, and so did Estrella. They pressed in close to me, not to take
comfort from the protection of my sword - not just - but because such nearness
gladdened all our hearts. Then I noticed Atara standing next to the raspberry bush as