"Elenium 02 - The Ruby Knight" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

the fog-wet cobblestones.
'What a jackass,' the corporal muttered to his
companions.
'Grow up, corporal,' an old, grey-haired veteran said
'We take the pay, so we 'obey their orders and keep our
opinions to ourselves. Just do your job and leave
opinions to the officers.'
The corporal grunted sourly. "I was at court yesterday,'
he said. 'Primate Annias had summoned that young
Puppy up there, and the fool absolutely had to have an
escort. Would you believe he was actually fawning all
over the bastard Lycheas?'
'That's what lieutenants do best,' the veteran
shrugged. 'They're born boot-lickers, and the bastard is
the Prince Regent, after all. I'm not sure if that makes his
boots taste any better, but the lieutenant's probably got
calluses on his tongue by now.'
The corporal laughed. 'That's God's truth, but
wouldn't he be surprised if the queen recovered and he
found out that he'd eaten all that boot polish for
nothing?'
'You'd better hope she doesn't, corporal,' one of the
other men said. 'if she wakes up and takes control of her
own treasury again, Annias won't have' the money to pay
us next month.'
'He can always dip into the church coffers.'
'Not without giving an accounting, he can't. The
Hierocracy in Chyrellos squeezes every penny of church
money until it squeaks.'
'All right, you men,' the young officer called out of the
fog, 'the Pandion inn is just up ahead. I've relieved the
soldiers who were on watch, so we'd better go there and
take up our positions.'
'You heard him,' the corporal said. 'Move out.' The
church soldiers marched off into the fog.
Sparhawk smiled briefly in the darkness. It was
seldom that he had the opportunity to hear the casual
conversations of the enemy. He had long suspected that
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Eddings, David - Elenium 2 - The Ruby Knight.txt
the soldiers of the Primate of Cimmura were motivated
more by greed than from any sense of loyalty or piety. He
stepped out of the alley and then jumped soundlessly
back as he heard other footsteps coming up the street.
For some reason the usually empty night-time streets of
Cimmura were awash with people. The footsteps were
loud, so whoever it was out there was not trying to sneak
up on anybody. Sparhawk shifted the short-handled
spear in his hands. Then he saw the fellow looming out of
the fog. The man wore a dark-coloured smock, and he