"Duncan, Dave - A Man Of His Word 03 - Perilous Seas" - читать интересную книгу автора (Duncan Dave)

Mongrels aren't allowed near-"
"Bastard! But I should've thought of that, at least. God of Liars! You did set
me up, you sneaky bunch of bastards! And I really don't like her much. She's all
`Yes, Rap,' `No, Rap,' without an original thought in her head. "
Wulli was a mouth-wateringly sweet kid, about sixteen, with the sort of face and
body that the sailors called a shipping hazard-breathtaking, in fact. No male
jotunn would worry at all about her mental processes, pro or con.
"Maybe Grindrog doesn't like her either. But that's irrelevant. "
"Petrel? He's bosun on Petrel?"
"Right. Don't let your meal get cold--"
"About twenty-four, twenty-five? Twice my size, with a cast in one eye and his
nose pushed over to the right? That one?"
"That's him. "
"And Petrel just berthed. I suppose there's no chance that he might not find
out?"
"None whatsoever," Ogi said complacently. "Kani's making sure he gets the news
right away, as soon as she beaches, while all his crewmates are still around to
sympathize."
Rap picked up his platter absentmindedly and began to eat, staring into the fire
again. "I've saved up about half an imperial, Ogi. It's on the rafter over the
hammock. You and Kani are my best friends, and I d like you to share that. My
boots are worth-"
"Oh, shut up! Do you think I'd do that to you?"
Rap glanced seaward. "Someone's coming now. He'll be here in a minute. Yes, it's
Kani, running. Coming to tell you that the trap's set? So out with it-what's the
ploy?" He seemed to be taking this better than he had done a moment before.
"You can have one boot, and Kani the other."
"Shut up! Listen-Grindrog hasn't fought in over a year now! He challenged
Rathkrun himself. Rathkrun put him to sleep for a week."
Rap gulped, as if swallowing fish bones.
"But," Ogi said triumphantly, "he hasn't picked a fight since! Now I happened to
notice him baiting a hook, last time he was in port. He held it right up here,
on his left. Real close. And he's right-handed! "
Rap chewed in thoughtful silence.
"Rathkrun kicked his head about quite a bit! Rap, I don't think he can see worth
a cod's ankles! I've been watching him. He trips over things. He slobbers when
he talks. And if you get him mad enough tonight, he'll be fighting in the dark."
"That's cheating!"
Absurd! If the kid thought like that then he wasn't old enough to be allowed out
alone, certainly not in a jotunn communityand yet Ogi had half expected that
objection.
"That's partly why we snared you. You've got to go down there and drive him so
wild that he'll try to fight a seer in the dark. If he loses his jotunn temper,
then you've got him."
"Or the other way," Rap said calmly, chewing, gazing levelly at Ogi-who was
beginning to find that steady stare unnerving.
"You've got your shoulders now, Rap. You can deliver."
"It isn't going to work. Not for long. Everyone knows I have farsight, so if I
win I'll get a daylight challenge real soon, and you're trying to rank a mule
above hundreds of purebred jotnar ... But I suppose the main thing is to live