"David Gemmell - Knights Of Dark Renown" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gemmel David)

тАШThen call on the Blue.тАЩ Ruad closed his good eye and aided the boy in his search. тАШDo
you have it, Lug?тАЩ
тАШI do, Master.тАЩ
тАШAnd how do you feel?тАЩ
тАШI can sense the sky calling me. I feel the need for wings.тАЩ
Ruad smiled. тАШThen let us return to the hawk. Hold to your feeling.тАЩ
The two craftsmen made their way to the workshop, where the boy lifted a tiny knife.
тАШAm I ready?тАЩ he asked.
тАШWe shall see,тАЩ answered Ruad. тАШRelease the magic of the Blue.тАЩ
Lug nicked the skin at the base of his right palm and held his hand over the birdтАЩs
metallic head. A single drop of blood splashed on the beak.
тАШNow the wings,тАЩ Ruad ordered. тАШSwiftly now.тАЩ Lug followed the instructions, then
stepped back. тАШPress your finger over the cut and stop the bleeding.тАЩ Lug did so, but his
blue eyes were fixed on the bird. At first there was no movement, but then the golden
head jerked, the plate rings grinding together. Slowly the wings spread and the hawk rose
from the bench, soaring through the open window in search of the sky. The man and the
boy ran out on to the mountainside to see the golden bird fly higher and higher. Suddenly
it faltered, and Lug watched as a bronze feather floated away from the hawk . . . then
another . . . and another. The flight was ungainly now.
тАШNo!тАЩ screamed Lug, raising a slender hand to point at the struggling bird. Ruad watched
in amazement as two fragile bronze feathers which had dropped from the bird reversed
their flight and pinned themselves to the wings once more. For a few seconds the hawk
steadied. Then the wings snapped shut and it plummeted to the ground, lifeless and
ruined. Lug ran to it, gathering the feathers and cradling the twisted body.
Ruad Ro-fhessa came up silently, laying his hand on the boyтАЩs shoulder. тАШDo not let this
dismay you, Lug. My first bird did not even make the window. It was a great
achievement.тАЩ
тАШBut I wanted it to live,тАЩ he protested.
тАШI know. And it did; it found the sky. Next time we will check the neck joints more
thoroughly.тАЩ
тАШNext time?тАЩ repeated Lug sadly. тАШI reach the Age next week. There is no place for me in
the House and I shall be sold.тАЩ
тАШThat is next week. Many things can happen,тАЩ said Ruad. тАШBring the bird back to the forge
and we will see what can be saved.тАЩ
тАШI think I will run away. I will join Llaw Gyffes.тАЩ
тАШStronghand may not be an easy man to follow - but we will talk about this on another
day. Trust me, Lug. And now let us see to the bird.тАЩ
Ruad watched as the youth wandered the hillside gathering the fragments of metal. The
feathers had fallen away - and then reversed their flight - albeit for only a few seconds.
Yet Lug had only reached the Yellow, the least of the Colours.
Back at the workshop, they left the bronze fragments and sat by the fireside. Lug was
silent and sorrowful.
тАШTell me,тАЩ said Ruad softly. тАШWhat did you feel when you shouted to the sky?тАЩ
The youth looked up. тАШDespair,тАЩ he answered simply.
тАШNo, I mean at the moment when you screamed.тАЩ
Lug shrugged. тАШI do not know what you mean, sir. I ... wanted it to fly.тАЩ
тАШDid you notice what happened when you called out to it?тАЩ
тАШNo. It fell.тАЩ
тАШNot immediately,тАЩ said Ruad. тАШIt tried to gather itself; in some way you were still linked
with it. But you say you felt nothing. What Colour did you feel? Was it the Blue?тАЩ