"Bill Fawcett & Brian Thomsen - Masters of Fantasy" - читать интересную книгу автора (Fawcett Bill)

left the older children and some of the adult womenтАФand a few of the grannies and granthers that were
still spry enough to sprintтАФon coast-watch.
And now came the shock for Alain. This was not the only village at riskтАФ
Which, when the men returned, Sted made very plain.
"We've done what we can for you," he told the villagers, once the men returned with holds full of fish
and the catch was distributed on the smoking racks. "Help is coming, and it will come here first, in three
days' time. I reached a Herald riding with a troop of the Guard no farther away than that. Now Alain and
I have to do the same for the rest of the villages."


file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/0743488229___2.htm (9 of 17)7-1-2007 23:47:51
 - Chapter 2

He'd chosen his moment well; in the first flush of success, or perhaps because of exhaustion, no one
objected.
"I will go north along the coast; Alain will go south and west," Sted announced. "We'll do for them what
we've done for you. If you can hold out for three days, all will be well."
Alain had gone quite still with shock. He would be going out alone? He looked at Sted in silent appeal,
but the older Herald was already mounting and preparing to ride to the next village. "Herald Stedrel?" he
faltered.
The Herald just gave him a sobering look, and he shut his mouth on any objections.
:Let's go,: Vedalia said. :If we push, we can make the next village by sundown.:
They pushedтАФand found that place in as much of an uproar as the first, and having had a full day to
stew over the warnings, people were ready to greet anything that looked like help with full cooperation.
Either they were not necessarily expecting Stedrel, or they were so grateful to see the uniform that they
were willing to overlook the youthful face. In either case, no one objected to a single aspect of the plan.
The water-caves here were nearer and larger; evacuation of goods and stores took place by torch- and
moonlight, and this village had a leader in the form of one indomitable old woman. Once given a plan,
she was perfectly prepared to see it carried out. Conscious of the passing of time, Alain decided to move
on that very night. He'd always understood that it was possible for a Herald to sleep in the saddle; now
he found out the truth of it. It wasn't exactly sleep, but it was no worse than his night beside the kettle.
He reached the third village at dawn, finding it in as desperate a state as the previous two.
And in coming closer to hysteria. So much so that he decided to organize the coast-watchers first. And it
was a good thing that he did.
For it was no more than a candlemark after the youngsters had set off than wild horn-calls sounded in
the middle distance, and all the careful plans fell to pieces.
After the first moment of blank incomprehension, while people, interrupted in mid-task, stared silently at
the west, someone screamed.
Then all hell broke loose. No one seemed to know where to go, or what to do, despite Alain's
instructions only two candlemarks ago. They dashed in all directions, some to their homes, some to the
woods, some to snatch up belongings, and some dropping them. Five people managed to keep their
heads: Alain, Vedalia, and three of the village elders.
"Get them to the caves!" Alain shouted over the screaming, the weeping, as people milled in panic
around him. "We have to get them to the caves!"
The elders began picking up children, shoving them into random arms, shouting at those who had frozen
with fear to rouse them, and shoving them in the right direction. Once little groups were moving towards
safety, Vedalia encouraged them by charging at them with lashing hooves and bared teeth, looking
utterly demonic.
Alain headed off those going in the opposite direction, screaming at them, even going so far as to swat a
couple of those lagging behind with the flat of his blade until they disappeared into the trees in the