"Doranna Durgin - Wolverine's Daughter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Durgin Doranna)

But all too soon she was panting, tiring, and becoming aware that this was what their game was all
aboutтАФwearing her down until she could no longer lift sword or staff to defend herself. An ill-judged
dodge brought her into the shoulder of one of the horses, and Kelyn tumbled, unable to hold onto the
staff. By the time she was back on her knees, the next horse was rushing her, its rider wearing a grin of
delight on his dirty face.

The horse was huge in her vision, its chest as wide as the horizon itself, its sharp hooves reaching for
herтАФKelyn flung herself to the side, under the reaching sword of the rider, and used the strength of a
two-handed grip to plow her borrowed blade right through the animal's belly, closing her eyes against the
warm spray of blood.

The horse grunted, surprise more than pain, its legs giving way with the shock, and its rider tumbled off
with his momentum. Not even fully on her feet, Kelyn lunged for him as he rolled, landing on him with her
knees and bringing the sword hilt down into his face just as he could see she was rightthere , his eyes
widening with realization far too late to do him any good.

Kelyn staggered to her feet to find the others pulling up a distance away, watching with shock of their
own, their confident expressions turning into something more grim but just as determined. For the first
time she was aware of the ache in her arms, the bruises and cuts she had sustained, and the fact that her
tunic was torn and pulled most of the way down her shoulder. Behind her, the roof had flared into its
brightest flame and was starting to gutter, the wind turning into more hindrance than help. If no one had
seen the smoke by now, they weren't going to.

One of the riders seemed to notice Lytha's body for the first time. He took his horse in a prancing, jerky
trot around the pyre, and looked back at Kelyn with a leer. Kelyn stiffened. Would heтАФ? The beast
would evenconsider desecrating her mother's body?

Think, Kelyn!He just wanted to get her away from the house, get her to leave herself open on all sides
so they could both attack at once.

And was she supposed to cringe there and watch this filth touch her mother? The other rider laughed as
his companion dismounted, watching for Kelyn's reaction to her choice.

That Lytha herself would have certainly wished her body trampled and defiled before her daughter
submitted to filth such as this was both clear as sunlight and totally irrelevant.

Kelyn's hand clenched into a white-knuckled fist around the sword hilt. She would not be helpless
without it. Her staff was by her feet, and her knife still in her belt. She was an accurate throw, and could
hit either man where they stoodтАФexcept that a thrown weapon was a lost weapon. Clenching her teeth,
Kelyn held the sword straight out from her side and dropped it, forcing her fingers to uncurl from the
blood-sticky grip. Giving up. OrтАФat least presenting a fair semblance of a young woman giving up.

They laughed, all confidence again despite their downed comrades. Head down, hands out, Kelyn
moved away from the house a few steps. The dismounted looter looked at her, his laugh turning nasty.
And then he reached for Lytha's wrapped body.

"No!" Kelyn's outraged cry brought nothing but further laughter, and her decision was made. Out came
the knife, whipping through the air to bury itself in the man's lower back, while Kelyn herself twisted and
dove for her staff, knowing she had the time to grab it but not the time to bring it upтАФsudden hoofbeats
did nothing but confirm the horseman's charge and the weary determination of her effort to be inhumanly