"Bennett, Marcia J - Ni-Lach 03 - Beyond the Draak's Teeth UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bennett Marcia J)

"You let him feed himself now?" Theon asked, surprised.
"He's messy," Garv said, returning to the table, "but I can always sweep the floor, and he eats better if I leave him alone."
Bhaldavin noticed that Garv spoke differently now that his brother was there, and he questioned his first assessment of the man's faculties. Perhaps Garv was not the complete simpleton he had first appeared to be.
He picked up his plate and held it on his lap. He glanced up, but the two men were busy with their own food. He sampled the spice bread and cooked fish, then proceeded to devour the nabob roots.
"Garv, he's going to make himself sick gulping food like that," Theon observed.
Garv turned to look just as Bhaldavin put several fronds of grass in his mouth.
"What's he eating now?" Theon asked.
"He likes seaweed," Garv said. He watched Bhaldavin a moment, then returned to his own food.
Bhaldavin watched the two men while he finished the slab of bread on his plate. The nabob roots and gravy were oversalted this time, making him thirsty.
Theon caught Bhaldavin watching Garv drain the last swallow of water from his cup. "Thirsty, Little Fish?" He
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poured another dipper of water into his own cup and took it to Bhaldavin.
Garv turned in his seat. "Don't let him have the cup, Theon. He's broken all the others I have. These are my last two."
Theon knelt and placed the cup to Bhaldavin's lips. Bhaldavin leaned away, wary of the man's closeness even though he realized that he had little to fear from Theon as long as Garv was around.
"Come on, Little Fish, drink if you're thirsty, or I'll take it away," Theon warned.
Bhaldavin looked at the cup. The need to wash the saltiness from his mouth drove him to take a chance. His hand closed over Theon's as he pulled the cup to his mouth.
"You want more, Little Fish?" Theon asked after Bhaldavin had emptied the cup.
Bhaldavin locked glances with Theon, and for a moment they both stared. Startled by the strange look that suddenly crossed Theon's face, Bhaldavin dropped his glance to his plate.
"You know, Garv," Theon said, "for a moment there it was almost as if he understood me."
Garv stood up and began clearing the table. "Little Fish understands sometimes."
Theon caught Bhaldavin by the chin and forced his head up. "Garv, come over here."
"Why?"
"Never mind why. Just come look. There is a difference in his eyes."
Garv came and bent over Bhaldavin. "I see no difference."
"I do. Look! He's watching us."
Bhaldavin pushed Theon's hand away, disliking the man's touch.
"And look at that. He doesn't want to be touched. That's new too!" **
MARCIA J. BENNETT
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"He's afraid of you," Garv said.
"No. It's more than that. It's not fear I'm seeing, it's more like hate." Theon turned on his brother. "Have you been mean to him lately?"
Garv frowned. "You know J wouldn't hurt Little Fish."
"Not intentionally, but..." Theon looked at Bhaldavin again. "Then what's happened to him? He has changed. I can see it in his eyes."
Bhaldavin heard the suppressed excitement in Theon's voice and wondered what would happen if he spoke to the man. Would escape be easier or harder if they realized he was not the fool they thought him?
"Garv, how long have you had Little Fish? Fifteen years now, isn't it?" Theon said. "Remember, you brought him back from Port Cestar the same year that I started working with Hansa on his boat."
Garv nodded.
"I remember how surprised everyone was to see you that morning, getting out of the boat carrying one of the Green Ones," Theon continued. "Hansa had his eyes on him from the minute you entered town, but once he realized Little Fish had no mind left, how quickly he lost interest."
Theon continued to talk, but Bhaldavin wasn't listening. He had realized that a number of years had passedЧ but fifteen? He was stunned. How could he have lived so long without knowing, without being aware of his surroundings? It seemed impossible. Yet the truth was there for him to see, his unclothed body testimony to the years he couldn't remember.
He leaned back against the bed, sick with the knowledge that so much time had elapsed. Where were his parents? His sister and brother? Had they survived the war?
A worried frown appeared on Garv's face. "Shut up, Theon," he said. "Something's wrong with Little Fish."
Garv leaned down and laid a hand across Bhaldavin's
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forehead. "Head hurt again, Little Fish? Garv has something to make it feel better."
As the big man went to the kist across the room, Theon pushed his face close to Bhaldavin's, his brown eyes searching the crystal-gray ones before him. "Little Fish? Do you understand what we're saying? Gods! It doesn't seem possible after all this time, but... If you understand me, Little Fish, nod your head. Come on, I know you understand. I can see it in your eyes."
Bhaldavin felt confused, and for a moment he forgot the part he had been playing. He almost nodded; then suddenly Garv was there, pushing the spout of a wineskin toward his mouth.
"Drink this, Little Fish. It'll make your headache go away."
Bhaldavin turned his head, the sickness that churned in his stomach pushing upward.
A large hand closed on the back of his neck. "Drink," Little Fish!" Garv commanded.