"David Eddings - Malloreon 3 Demon Lord of Karanda" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

PART ONE - RAK HAGGA

CHAPTER ONE

The first snow of the season settled white and quiet
through the breathless air onto the decks of their ship. It
was a wet snow with large, heavy flakes that piled up on the
lines and rigging, turning the tarred ropes into thick, white
cables. The sea was black, and the swells rose and fell
without sound. From the stem came the slow, measured beat of a
muffled drum that set the stroke for the Mallorean oarsmen.
The sifting flakes settled on the shoulders of the sailors and
in the folds of their scarlet cloaks as they pulled steadily
through the snowy morning. Their breath steamed in the chill
dampness as they bent and straightened in unison to the beat
of the drum.
Garion and Silk stood at the rail with their cloaks pulled
tightly around them, staring somberly out through the filmy
snowfall.
"Miserable morning," the rat-faced little Drasnian noted,
distastefully brushing snow from his shoulders.
Garion grunted sourly.
"You're in a cheerful humor today."
"I don't really have all that much to smile about, Silk."
Garion went back to glowering out at the gloomy
black-and-white morning.
Belgarath the Sorcerer came out of the aft cabin, squinted
up into the thickly settling snow, and raised the hood of his
stout old cloak. Then he came forward along the slippery deck
to join them at the rail.
Silk glanced at the red-cloaked Mallorean soldier who had
unobtrusively come up on deck behind the old man and who now
stood leaning with some show of idleness on the rail several
yards aft. "I see that General Atesca is still concerned about
your well-being," he said, pointing at the man who had dogged
Belgarath's steps since they had sailed out of the harbor at
Rak Verkat.
Belgarath threw a quick disgusted glance in the soldier's
direction. "Stupidity," he said shortly. "Where does he think
I'm going?"
A sudden thought came to Garion. He leaned forward and
spoke very quietly. "You know," he said, "we could go
someplace, at that. We've got a ship here, and a ship goes
wherever you point it -Mallorea just as easily as the coast of
Hagga."
"It's an interesting notion, Belgarath," Silk agreed.
"There are four of us, Grandfather," Garion pointed out.
"You, me, Aunt Pol, and Durnik. I'm sure we wouldn't have much
difficulty in taking over this ship. Then we could change