"Peter David - Sir Apropos 03 - Tong Lashing" - читать интересную книгу автора (David Peter)

We made our way then across thelandofWuin. When we happened to come upon other travelers,
Mordant would fall silent so as not to garner further questions from startled passersby. We encountered
one or two threats, but it was nothing that a healthy running away from couldn't handle.

The greatest challenge we encountered was trying to steer clear of cities or towns that had known the
ravages of my army during my time as a "peacelord." During those excursions, certain magicks had given
me an unusual strength and vitality that would have not seemed readily apparent in my more natural form.
My red hair and by then thick beard were very easy to spot, but the pronounced limp resulting from my
lame and deformed right leg might have put anyone off the scent if they thought to associate me with the
more robust Apropos the Peacelord. Nevertheless, we had to exercise great caution, and when supplies
were dwindling and water was becoming problematic, we found ourselves depending more and more
heavily upon Mordant and his resourcefulness. He always seemed able to find a village or a nomad
encampment that he could slip into and out of without attracting attention, with a fresh round of minimal
supplies clutched in his claws or mouth.

In this way we managed to survive quite handily our trek across a land that, once, might well have
been the death of us. Even the horse survived, although it did still tend to toss what appeared to be
suspicious glances in Mordant's direction every now and again.

Eventually, however, matters took an unexpected turn.

We made our way much farther north than even my peregrinations as the peacelord had taken me. As
a consequence, we were able to enter with impunity a particularly sizable port city, Port Debras,
renowned for having the largest single dock in the entire land, known as the Grand Jetty.

Since it was a major port, few people there really paid attention to the faces that passed by in
crowds. That suited us just fine. It also seemed wiser to keep Mordant out of sight, since there might be
some who would associate the drabit with the once-formidable peacelord. We needn't have worried,
however. Mordant assured us that he wouldn't be seen if he didn't want to be, and he was absolutely true
to his word. As we made our way through the many tents and similar ramshackle structures of Port
Debras, I would occasionally spot Mordant flitting from one hiding place to another. But the only reason
I saw him was because I knew he was there. Once in a great while I'd see someone do a double take,
look again, and then shake their heads as if assuring themselves that they had merely imagined...
something. Quite the camouflage artist was Mordant.

It was our intention to try and get the hell out of Wuin while the getting was good. The land certainly
had nothing more to offer me, and it was just a matter of time before our luck ran out and someone
recognized me as the pillager and plunderer of helpless cities all up and down Wuin... to say nothing of
my concerted campaign against the Thirty-Nine Steppes. Nor did Sharee have any particular interest in
staying. As a weatherweaver, she tended to have more luck with her spells in a clime that wasn't as
relentlessly arid. And Mordant hadn't stated any preference one way or the other.

We wound up at a busy pub in the heart of Port Debras. We'd learned that it was an excellent place
to find ships and ship captains with whom we could book passage. We were not exactly destitute. I had
reluctantly left behind a small fortune in gems, but I'd had access to a significant number of dead bodies
(which we'd dutifully torched) before setting out on our expedition, and I'd taken the liberty of relieving
quite a few of them of whatever monies they had upon them. Sharee had stood there and scowled as I
did so, but hadn't commented beyond that, which I took to be a reluctant but mute admission that we
might as well take their valuables since they weren't going to be doing much of anything with them.