"David Gemmell - The Damned 02 - The Swords Of Night And Day" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gemmel David)

and looked as if it might drop at any moment, falling the hundreds of feet to the rocky beach
below. Yet someone had decided to set a seat here, as if to hurl a challenge at the gods. Kill me if
you will, but I will choose to sit here, in this place, and defy your power.

Skilgannon walked out onto the ledge and stretched himself out on the seat. The air was warm,
the sunshine bright. Far out on the Jian Sea he saw the fishing boats, and the gulls swooping and
soaring round them. Pain flared in his neck and he winced. The fingertips of his right hand grew
numb. He stretched his neck, then looked down at his hand. The fingers were trembling. Making a
fist, he tried to quell the tremor. Slowly the pain in his neck dulled, merging with the other aches
in his tired body. His lower back troubled hint at nights; the old scar on his hip would grind if he
rode a horse for more than an hour. His left knee had never recovered from the arrow wound.
Angry now, he pulled the parchment from his belt and opened it once more. тАШBakila has refused
our offer,тАЩ he read, тАШthough he has accepted the gifts and tributes.тАЩ

Gifts and tributes.

For years Skilgannon had tried to tell them that Bakila could not be bought off for ever. The
Zharn king had a hunger that would not be satisfied by tributes. He also had an army that needed
to be fed with plunder. The young Angostin king had not understood this. He did now.

Now that it was too late.

тАШHo, general!тАЩ came the call. Skilgannon swung on his seat. The pain flared in his neck once
more. The young captain, Vakasul, came striding up the cliff path. He halted just before the ledge,
and stood there, grinning and shaking his head. тАШThat will fall, you know,тАЩ he said.

Skilgannon smiled affectionately at the dark-eyed young warrior. тАШCome sit with me - and dare
it to fall,тАЩ he answered.
 тАШI think not.тАЩ

тАШYou know the Zharn are coming?тАЩ

тАШOf course.тАЩ

тАШAnd you will ride with me to fight them?тАЩ

тАШYou know that I will. We will scatter them, general.тАЩ

Skilgannon rose and walked back to where the officer waited. Vakasul was in battle dress,
black breastplate and helm of hardened leather, thigh-length riding boots, reinforced at the knee
with bronze. His long dark hair had been braided in the Angostin fashion, lengths of silver wire
placed within the braids to offer added protection to the head. тАШYou will fight a massive enemy
army,тАЩ said Skilgannon, тАШand yet you will not walk onto a stone ledge.тАЩ

тАШThe ledge is not under my control,тАЩ said Vakasul. тАШOn the battlefield my sword and my bow will
protect me.тАЩ

Skilgannon looked into the young manтАЩs eyes. Both men knew that nothing could possibly
protect them in the coming battle.