"Tracy Falbe - The Rys Chronicles 03 - Judgment Rising" - читать интересную книгу автора (Falbe Tracy)

that it could forget its hard history. He had faith that he and his descendants would heal Nufal of
the memory of genocide.

Already this place was the home of his children. Deltane, his son, had been born during DreibrandтАЩs
first year in Nufal. The winter that year had been the hardest, and Deltane had arrived during the
last blizzard of the long season. Dreibrand had feared terribly for his wife Miranda, but she had
been fine, especially with help from Jolen, the rys physician who Shan had assigned to their
household. Dreibrand remembered Tytido trying to ease his nerves at the time. Tytido was from a
western tribe called the Hirqua. He had told Dreibrand that the Hirqua believed it was a good sign
to have a son born during a storm. It meant the child would be strong.

Deltane was a healthy boy, but in the glow of his new fatherhood, Dreibrand had credited that to
his parentage and not the storm. Now, just four months ago, his second child had come. A girl,
Victoria, and he hoped that the new daughter might make up for the one that Miranda had lost
during the war. In DreibrandтАЩs homeland of Atrophane, it was considered lucky for his second child
to be a girl. He had not mentioned that to anyone though. He had been reminded of that cultural
convention enough while growing up as the unwanted second son.

Although enthusiastic about the potential of his new home, Dreibrand never discounted the
dangers of the Wilderness. It was a fact that fenthakrabi lived in the valley, and the vicious beasts
had killed three men since settlement had begun. Dreibrand and the other men stayed quiet and
watchful as they rode deeper into the woodland. If a fenthakrabi attacked, they would have little
warning. The warm sunlight filtering through the leaves offered them little reassurance. By all
accounts the bold animal was the most active during the day.

Chilo halted the group. тАЬLord Dreibrand, I wanted to show you the old bridge,тАЭ he explained and
pointed at a row of tumbled stone blocks that were overgrown with moss and shoved around by
tree roots.

It did not look like much now, but Dreibrand could discern that a structure had once spanned the
area.

тАЬAs you see, the stream has changed course since then. Probably after the bridge broke down and
blocked it,тАЭ Chilo said.

The stream could be heard gurgling a small distance away in its new location.

ChiloтАЩs trail disintegrated as they broke through the foliage on the banks of the stream. With the
waterтАЩs change of course over the centuries, the original portion of the trail that had connected
with the bridge had disappeared, but Chilo assured everyone that it reappeared a little farther
east.

From the break in the forest created by the stream, Dreibrand could see Elendra on the eastern
slope above the valley. The summer settlement still looked like a forlorn ruin from this distance, but
he could see the sharp edges of the few terraced fields that they had remade by the city.

With his goal in sight, he called for a break to water the horses.

While the horses drank, Chilo, Tytido, and four other men dismounted and splashed upstream to
look for a better fording place. Dreibrand stretched his legs with the other men and waited for them