"David Gemmell - Druss 01 - Druss the Legend" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gemmel David)

me from her. It seems her dream was to find the world's ugliest man.'
His smile faded as he saw the expression on the
woodsman's face, and the cold gleam that appeared in his pale eyes. 'Only
jesting,' said Pilan swiftly, the colour ebbing from his face.
Druss took a deep breath and, remembering his father's
warning, fought down his anger. 'I am not. . . good with jests,' he said, the
words tasting like bile in his mouth.
'No harm done,' said Pilan's brother, moving to sit
alongside the giant. 'But if you don't mind my saying so, Druss, you need to
develop a sense of humour. We all make jests at the expense of our . . .
friends. It means nothing.'
Druss merely nodded and turned his attention to the
pie. Yorath was right. Rowena had said exactly the same words, but from her it
was easy to take criticism. With her he felt calm and the world had colour and
joy. He finished the food and stood. 'The girls should have been here by now,'
he said.
'I can hear horses,' said Pilan, rising.
'They're coming fast,' Yorath added.
Tailia and Berys came running into the clearing, their
faces showing fear, their heads turning towards the unseen horsemen. Druss
snatched his axe from the stump and ran towards them as Tailia, looking back,
stumbled and fell.
Six horsemen rode into sight, armour gleaming in the
sunlight. Druss saw raven-winged helms, lances and swords. The horses were
lathered and, on seeing the three youths, the warriors shouted battle cries
and spurred their mounts towards them.
Pilan and Yorath sprinted away towards the right.
Three riders swung their horses to give chase, but the remaining three came on
towards Druss.
The young man stood calmly, the axe held loosely
across his naked chest. Directly in front of him was a felled tree. The first
of the riders, a lancer, leaned forward in the saddle as his gelding jumped
over the fallen beech. At that moment Druss moved, sprinting forward and
swinging his axe in a murderous arc. As the horse landed the axe-blade hissed
over its head, plunging into the chest of the lancer to splinter his
breastplate and smash his ribs to shards. The blow hammered the man from the
saddle. Druss tried to wrench the axe clear, but the blade was caught by the
fractured armour. A sword slashed down at the youth's head and Druss dived and
rolled. As a horseman moved in close he hurled himself from the ground,
grabbing the stallion's right foreleg. With one awesome heave he toppled horse
and rider. Hurdling the fallen tree, he ran to where the other two youths had
left their hatchets. Scooping up the first he turned as a raider galloped
towards him. Druss' arm came back, then snapped forward. The hatchet sliced
through the air, the iron head crunching into the man's teeth. He swayed in
the saddle. Druss ran forward to drag him from the horse. The raider, having
dropped his lance, tried to draw a dagger. Druss slapped it from his hand,
delivered a bone-breaking punch to the warrior's chin and then, snatching up
the dagger, rammed it into the man's unprotected throat.
'Look out, Druss!' yelled Tailia. Druss spun, just as
a sword flashed for his belly. Parrying the blade with his forearm, he