"Brian Daley - Doomfarers of Coramonde" - читать интересную книгу автора (Daley Brian)

"I say," he replied at last, "that your people had better not use their barbed arrows. Use the
narrowest points first; they'll punch through armor more readily. How will so few resist troops of
the Crown?"


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"I'm at a loss to tell you. But you seem familiar with
Of Deaths, Of Departure
41
this sort of thing. Come, hold conference with us, and we'll decide."
Springbuck dismounted and lead Fireheel toward the wagon as the locals gave way before him. Van
Duyn* jumped down from his place and two others detached themselves from the scurrying peasants to
join him.
The first with the scholar was a man far shorter and bulkier than he, and the Prince knew him as
Andre de-Courteney. The famous wizard was squat and plump, with a promise of underlying muscle,
and dressed, as was Van Duyn, in commoner's clothing, but had his sleeves rolled up and tunic open
to reveal thick-matted hair in dark rings on arms and chest. Although he was clean-shaven, his
chin and flopping jowls retained deep blue shadows. His head, however, was mostly bald. In his
eyes the Prince could see only a friendly look to second the smile he wore.
The other one was even more easily identified, if only from reputation. She was an intimidating
beauty of no certain age, with astoundingly red hair. Her brows were high-arched over sea-green
eyes, prominent cheekbones and a wide, sultry mouth, contrary to the pouty vogue current at Court.
Her skin held the whiteness of milk and, unlike those around her, she dressed self-indulgently.
Gracefully wrapped in a long robe of glossy green-black silk that left much pale throat and bosom
exposed, she wore a girdle of red leather sewn with pearls caught tightly around her waist, and
her fingers blazed with rings. She met the Prince's gaze squarely, looking him up and down,
smiling a cryptic smile, and tie knew that this could be no one but Andre's sister, the celebrated
sorceress Gabrielle deCourteney, though she'd never been to his father's Court.
Van Duyn ahemmed, and Springbuck realized that he'd been staring.
"You have no doubt heard of my esteemed colleague, Andre deCourteney and, of course^ his sister,
Gabrielle," Van Duyn introduced them. But his hand reached out to squeeze the woman's gently and
received answering pressure, eloquent that she was far more to the scholar than .merely his
associate's sister. He finished, "And I am Van Duyn. You areтАФ?"
42
THE DOOMFARERS OF CORA MONDE
"How far away are the troops?" Springbuck asked, ignoring the invitation to introduce himself. For
now, he preferred the anonymity of his mask.
Andre deCourteney shrugged. "We have the word ofтАФinformantsтАФthat they will be here momentarily."
"I would not much care to defend this relic against regular soldiery," said the Prince.
"Nor do we," Andre confessed, "but we hope that it will not come to that. The truth of the matter
is that we must come at bay for a little time; we have weightier problems than a few soldiers."
His speech was cultured and well modulated, in contrast to his unpolished appearance.
тАв "Few!" snorted the Prince, "What if they тАвsend more than a few? What if they use their heads and
send infantry, cavalry, knights and archers and siege artificers to pull this stone artifact down
around your ears? And if you're really ill-fortuned and they have magicians of their own with
them, Yardiff Bey's underlings? They'd make very short work of you indeed, is what would happen."
"That would seem to be the promised scenario," Andre conceded mildly.
A shout broke their conversation. They went to the open gate and saw a long column of mounted men