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

Springbuck staggered back with a yell of alarm at this, ears ringing from the blast. The outlander
was calmly lowering his weapon, watching herald and standard-bearer withdraw in disarray.
A small capsule of metal had been flung from some hidden opening in the rifle and now lay smoking
at his feet. Springbuck picked it up, juggling it to keep from burning his fingers, and found that
it exuded that peculiar odor. He thought about the tongue of flame and about the curious wound-
holes in the dead cavalrymen in Erub.
"Who were the two who remained at a distance with the other troops, those in bright clothing?" Van
Duyn was asking.
The sorceress answered, perfect brow wrinkled for an instant in thought. "Creatures of Yardiff
Bey. He in the golden full-helmet is Ibn-al-Yed, Bey's right arm. The other, I believe, is Neezolo
Peeno, known as a premier druid. It would seem that, while he cannot do us the honor of attending
our demise in person, Bey sends his closest vassals to do so." Amazingly, she chuckled. Seeing
Andre's face afflicted тАв with doubt and concern, she stopped her low laugh and asked, "Why so
glum, brother dear?"
"What about the soldiers?" Springbuck interrupted. She turned her mocking gaze to him. "What about
them? Here you are, dressed and plumed for war and wearing a sword. Have you no suggestions?"
She slipped her arm possessively through Van Duyn's and waited.
Springbuck's ire rose. Spotting the youngster who'd fetched Van Duyn's rifle, he said, "Find
yourself four more men and begin making forked poles to push scaling ladders away from the walls.
Make them at least fifteen feet long."
The boy looked from the Prince to Van Duyn and the deCourteneys. At length Andre cleared his
throat
Oj Deaths, Of Departure
45
and said, "Do as he tells you, Byree. His idea makes sense."
Byree dashed off as the wizard turned to Springbuck. *'What else can we do?"
Springbuck showed no sign of hesitance, knowing how important confidence was in a leader. Other,
more vital abilities would come only with painful experience.
"Start some of the others assembling makeshift mantlets and have them brought up here. And set out
buckets of water and earth or sand in case they loft fire arrows at us. We'll need anything we can
get as polearms: scythes, flails, pitchforks, anything."
"Have you no orders for me?" Gabrielle asked with heavy sarcasm.
"Yes," returned the Prince, "you could gather some help and pull the birds' nests from the
chimneys."
The patchwork command took shape quickly. A room was prepared for any wounded they might suffer.


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Springbuck walked among the men of Erub and divided them into subgroups, selecting those he deemed
most alert and aggressive-looking for leaders.
By this time it was deep dusk and the cooking fires were burning in the two hearths of the main
hall. Noticing that some of the Erubites appeared to resent his new authority, Springbuck
commanded each subleader to pick two men for sentinel duty, and announced that he and Andre
deCourteney would take first watch. This struck the peasants as fairтАФthe Prince wondered what his
father would have said about placating farmersтАФ and the wizard raised no objection.
The two began to pace their circuits of the walls in opposite directions, and though the Prince
would have liked to ask Andre a number of questions, he decided to keep his own counsel for the
time being. Van Duyn was sure that the soldiers would come no closer to the castle, fearing his