"Gordon R. Dickson - Dragon Knight 03 - The Dragon on the Border" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dickson Gordon R)

тАЬYouтАЩre absolutely right!тАЭ Jim said, as heartily as he could, тАЬmarvelous weather. As you say, how could
it be better?тАЭ

They were riding across a section of flat, treeless, heather moor, thick with cotton grass; and expected
soon to be dropping down to sea level as they approached their destination, the Castle de Mer, home of
their former friend Sir Giles de Mer, who had been slain in France the year before while heroically
defending EnglandтАЩs Crown Prince Edward from a number of armed and armored assailants; and
who-being of silkie blood-turned into a live seal when his dead body was dropped in the English Channel
waters.

Their trip was a usual duty undertaken by knights or other friends under such conditions, to advise the
relatives of their former friend of the facts of his death; since news of such, in the fourteenth century, did
not always get carried back to those relatives, otherwise. Any more than it had in the fourteenth century
on JimтАЩs world-not that this reason had justified making the trip to JimтАЩs wife, Angie, any more than if he
had chosen to do so from a whim.
 Jim could really not blame her. She had not been happy being left alone most of last summer; with not
only the castle and its inhabitants, which were normally her responsibility, but all of JimтАЩs lands with their
tenants, men-at-arms and others who lived on them to take care of as well.

As a result, she had been firmly against JimтАЩs going; and it had taken him a solid two weeks to talk her
around.

Jim had promised finally that their ride to GilesтАЩs family castle would take no more than ten days, they
would spend no more than a week with the family, and then another ten-day ride back-so that the trip
could take in all no more than a month. She had not even been ready to agree to this; but, happily, their
close friend and JimтАЩs tutor in magic-S. Carolinus-had happened to show up about that time; and his
arguments in JimтАЩs favor had won the day for him. Angie had finally agreed to let him go; but not with
very good grace.

Their destination was on the seashore just below the town of Berwick, which anchored the eastern end
of the Scottish/English border-the end of the old Roman wall. The de Mer Castle was supposedly only a
few miles south of the town; and built right on the edge of the sea.

The description they had of it was that it was actually a peel tower with a certain amount of extra
buildings attached to it, but not a great number. It was also about as far north as it was possible to get in
this district of Northumberland, which had once been the old Scottish land of Northumbria, without
entering Scotland itself.

тАЬBetter, it may hardly be,тАЭ commented Dafydd ap Hywel, тАЬbut not well will it shortly be, as the sun goes
down and the land cools for the night. If youтАЩll look, now, the sun is almost on the horizon; and already
skeins of mist are beginning to form ahead of us. Let us hope then that we reach de Mer Castle before
the daylight is full gone; else we will find ourselves camping out overnight once more.тАЭ

It was unusual for a mere bowman to speak up so freely in the presence of a couple of knights. But
Dafydd, with Jim and Brian, had been Companions in a couple of tussles with the creatures of the Dark
Powers, who were always at work in this medieval world to upset the balance between Chance and
History.

Because of JimтАЩs being originally from a technological civilization six hundred years in advance, and