"David Gemmell - Winter Warriors" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gemmel David)

'Tapped?'

'Well, maybe more than tapped. One of them laughed at me. Ventrian scum! Said the army would be
better off without the greybeards. I picked him up and threw him like a spear. It was really
funny. But he landed on a table and broke it with his head. That upset the Drenai soldiers who
were eating there. So I tapped them all.'

'How many were there?'
'Only five or so. I didn't really hurt no-one. Well, not badly.' He grinned. 'Well, not very
badly. But I'll be on charges.'

'What kind of punishment will you get?'

T don't know . . . ten lashes.' He shrugged. 'Twenty. No problem.'

Palima climbed from the bed and stood naked before him. 'How did it feel when you were tapping
them?' she asked.

'It was . . . good,' he admitted.

'You felt like a man?'

'Yes. I felt young again.'

Her hand slid down over his leggings. 'Like a man,' she whispered, huskily. She felt him swell at
her touch.

'And how do you feel now?' she asked him.

He let out a long sigh. 'Like a man,' he said. 'But they don't want me to be one any more.
Goodbye, Palima.'

34

Without another word he walked out into the night.

Palima watched him from the window. 'A pox on you and all your kind, Drenai,' she whispered. 'Go
away and die!'

Banelion, the legendary White Wolf, gathered his maps and carefully placed them inside a brass
bound chest. Tall and lean, his long white hair tied at the nape of the neck, the general's
movements were swift and precise, as he packed the chest with the expertise of a lifetime soldier.
Everything neatly in its place. The maps were stacked in the order they would be needed during the
1400 mile journey to the western port. Alongside them were notes listing the names of tribes and
their chieftains, way stations, fortresses and cities along the routex As with everything else he
undertook the journey home would be planned meticulously.

Across from the broad desk a young officer in full armour of gold and bronze stood watching the
general. The old man glanced up and gave a swift grin. 'Why so sad, Dagorian?'