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

Forcing himself to matters at hand, and putting Faurbuhl out of his thoughts, he looked to his
equipment. He had decided upon and surreptitiously collected the costume of a bravo of Alebowrene,
subdominion of Coramonde. Though he knew there would be several of such men in Earthiast during
the High Durbar preceding the death duel for the throne, the clothing of a servant or merchant
would have been less conspicuous, so that Springbuck approached his adventure with perhaps more
romantic notions than he admitted to himself.
Of Deaths, Of Departure 17
He donned the brief cincture, comfortably supple and, hi his opinion, overwhelmingly preferable to
stiff, heavy robes of state. He then strapped to each forearm the leather demisleeves which
guarded against wounds from wrist to elbow. It was difficult work manipulating the numerous
buckles on each leather with one hand, hampered in fastening the second by the hand-cupping cuff
on the first. Still, these were an infighter's defense he'd used before and he knew their value
well. He pulled on high cavalryman's boots and picked up his sword, his newfound sword.
A curious weapon. He'd come across it poking around hi the older, ignored rooms of the armories at
Earthfast. Basket-hilted, it was much like a cavalry saber except that the blade was only slightly
curved and a bit lighter than that, made of some unfamiliar, pewter-looking metal. On the pommel
was struck a single complex glyphic which the Prince with his sketchy knowledge of such things,
found undecipherable. On either side of the blade, just above the narrow fullers, was written the
name Bar, an odd-seeming name for a sword, evocative of defense rather than offense. It's most
puzzling aspect, however, was that even after obvious long neglect Bar was bright, and its edge
sharper than any he'd ever thumbed. Convinced he'd found a weapon of some special property, he'd
kept his discovery to himself. Its scabbard had been unserviceable with age, and so with some
difficulty he'd procured another to accommodate it, of black, polished fish skin with bindings and
fittings of white brass, and a belt to bear it.
He buckled the belt about his hips and fastened the tie-down around his leg. Then he slipped his
parrying dagger into the sheath stitched inside the top of his left boot. Its hooked pommel rode
just high enough to protrude from the boot top below his sword, ready to be seized at need in his
left hand.
He'd thought of wearing a helmet and his fine chain mail, but discarded the idea of several
accounts. For one thing, both of his suits of mail were known in and around Earthfast. The risk of
recognition would be increased, even if he were well cloaked and hooded. For
18 THE DOOMFARERS OF CORAMONDE
another, he didn't care for its weight, since he wished to travel as lightly as possible. And
lastly, he'd never grown to like the burden of armor as had his half brother Strongblade. Though
trained as most young nobles were in riding, running, jumping trenches, climbing and fighting
encased hi mail or plate, he had always hated its hindrance. He much preferred to be free of its
encumbrance like the Alebowrenian or the Horse-blooded of the High Ranges.
Almost ready to leave his ancestral home, he thought that his renowned forebear Sharplance might
have felt just so, fleeing the distant East in the dim past. He went to fetch the cache of coins
secreted behind a carven ivory panel in the bathing chamber, stopping first to check the bonds of
the still-furious Duskwind. He strode into the next room, anxious to be away, but stopped in
midstride at the sight which greeted him
there.
The large pool contained no water, but rather the body of Faurbuhl the philosopher. His face was
blackened, eyes swollen and darkened tongue bulging from his mouth, hands still clawing hi death
at the garrote yet inbedded hi his neck. Springbuck experienced momentary dizziness and a refusal
to absorb the death of his would-be companion, who stared sightlessly at the decorative water
apertures above his head.
A moment only, and the Prince realized that the Lady Duskwind had been in this room when the
guardsmen entered but had made no outcry and thus must be implicated inтАФperhaps had committedтАФthe