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

you?' he asked, trying to force the man into conversation. 'Killed many babes
today, did you?'
The young man's brow furrowed. 'This was my . . . my
home,' he said, his voice deep. 'You are not one of the raiders?'
 'I am hunting them,' said Shadak, surprised at the
relief he felt.
'They attacked Corialis looking for slaves, but the
young women escaped them. The villagers fought hard. Seventeen of them died,
but the attack was beaten off. My name is Shadak. Who are you?'
'I am Druss. They took my wife. I'll find them.'
Shadak glanced at the sky. 'It's getting dark. Best to start in the morning,
we could lose their trail in the night.'
'I'll not wait,' said the young man. 'I need one of
your horses.' Shadak smiled grimly. 'It is difficult to refuse when you ask so
politely. But I think we should talk before you ride out.'
'Why?'
'Because there are many of them, laddie, and they do
have a tendency to leave rearguards behind them, watching the road.' Shadak
pointed to the horses. 'Four lay in wait for me.'
'I'll kill any I find.'
'I take it they took all the young women, since I see
no corpses here?'
'Yes.'
Shadak hitched his horses to a rail and stepped past
the young man into the home of Bress. 'You'll lose nothing by listening for a
few minutes,' he said.
Inside the building he righted the chairs and stopped.
On the table was an old glove, made of lace and edged with pearls. 'What's
this?' he asked the cold-eyed young man.
'It belonged to my mother. My father used to take it
out now and again, and sit by the fire holding it. What did you want to talk
about?' Shadak sat down at the table. 'The raiders are led by two men -Collan,
a renegade Drenai officer, and Harib Ka, a Ventrian. They will be making for
Mashrapur and the slave markets there. With all the captives they will not be
able to move at speed and we will have little difficult catching them. But if
we follow now, we will come upon them in the open. Two against forty - these
are not odds to inspire confidence. They will push on through most of tonight,
crossing the plain and reaching the long valley trails to Mashrapur late
tomorrow. Then they will relax.'
'They have my wife,' said the young man. 'I'll not let
them keep her for a heartbeat longer than necessary.'
Shadak shook his head and sighed. 'Nor would I,
laddie. But you know the country to the south. What chance would we have of
rescuing her on the plains? They would see us coming from a mile away.'
For the first time the young man looked uncertain.
Then he shrugged and sat, laying the great axe on the table-top, where it
covered the tiny glove. 'You are a soldier?' he asked.
'I was. Now I am a hunter - a hunter of men. Trust me.
Now, how many women did they take?'
The young man thought for a moment. 'Perhaps around