"David Eddings - The Dreamers 01 - The Elder gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

They approached the cave-mouth with a certain caution. тАШZelana of the
West,тАЩ Red-Beard called into the echoing cave, тАШI am Red-Beard of the
line of White-Braid the Chief, and I have brought an outlander named
Sorgan Hook-Beak to speak with you.тАЩ
They waited for a few moments, and then a beautiful little girl with fair
hair came out of the dark cave. тАШWhat kept you so long, Hook-Beak?тАЩ she
asked Sorgan. тАШThe Beloved was starting to worry about you. Come
along, but wipe your feet before you come inside. She gets peevish when
anybody tracks mud into her cave.тАЩ


Sorgan and Red-Beard followed the little girl through the irregularly
shaped opening and on through a twisting, narrow passageway into a
large chamber where a small fire burned some distance back from the
cave mouth. A woman with dark hair and wearing a filmy gauze garment
was seated near the fire with her back to them. тАШItтАЩs about time you got
here, Hook-Beak,тАЩ the woman said. тАШHas the Seagull gone lame?тАЩ
тАШIt is a fair distance from LongbowтАЩs village,тАЩ Sorgan replied, feeling
more than a little offended.
тАШThat didnтАЩt bother her very much when she was chasing down that
Trogite treasure ship a little while back.тАЩ
тАШHow did you know about that?тАЩ he demanded.
тАШThe Beloved knows everything, Hook-Beak,тАЩ the little girl told him.
тАШEverybody knows that.тАЩ
тАШThatтАЩll do, Eleria,тАЩ the woman in gauze said. Then she turned to look
at Sorgan.
SorganтАЩs knees went weak at that point. She was by far the most
beautiful woman heтАЩd ever seen.
тАШDonтАЩt stare, Sorgan,тАЩ she said primly. тАШIt isnтАЩt polite.тАЩ
тАШForgive me,тАЩ he said, flushing slightly. тАШYour appearance startled me.
You must be used to that by now, though.тАЩ
 тАШIt does happen every so often,тАЩ she admitted. тАШAt least youтАЩre strong
enough not to swoon at the sight of me. That can be so irritating. I see
youтАЩve brought Red-Beard with you.тАЩ
тАШActually, heтАЩs the one who brought me,тАЩ Sorgan replied, his voice still
trembling a bit. тАШHe showed me the way.тАЩ
тАШThen you know each other. Good. HeтАЩll be going with us when we
return to Maag. WeтАЩll have to stop and pick up Longbow as well, but we
can go into the details later. LetтАЩs get down to business here. I need
warriors, and I pay in gold. Are you interested?тАЩ
тАШThe word тАЬgoldтАЭ is very interesting,тАЩ he replied. тАШWho do you want
me to kill, and how much gold will you give me after heтАЩs dead?тАЩ
тАШYouтАЩre a blunt man, Sorgan,тАЩ she said.
тАШIt saves time,тАЩ he said with a shrug. тАШAre we talking about some kind
of war here?тАЩ
тАШWell, sort of. How much do you know about the Land of Dhrall?тАЩ
тАШIтАЩd never even heard of it until I met Longbow about three days ago.
Red-Beard here was telling me something about some people that live
over beyond the mountains. I gather that theyтАЩre the ones youтАЩd like to
have me kill. Is this some sort of tribal squabble? That sort of thing