"Simon R. Green - Haven 06 - Bones of Haven" - читать интересную книгу автора (Green Simon R)

Haven - 06 - Bones of Haven
Simon R. Green

Haven is an old city, but still growing, with new houses built on the bones of the old. But some parts of
Haven are older than others and have never been properly put to rest. Down below the surface of the
city, the remains of older structures stir uneasily in their sleep and dream dark thoughts of the way
things used to be. There are new buildings all over Haven, and some of them stand on unquiet
gravesтАж


Chapter One
Hell Wing


Rain had come to Haven with the spring, and a sharp, gusting wind blew it in off the sea. The rain
hammered down with mindless ferocity, bouncing back from the cobbles and running down the gutters
in raging torrents. Water dripped from every surface, gushed out of drainpipes, and flew in graceful
arcs from carved gargoyle mouths on the smarter buildings. It had been raining on and off for weeks,
despite everything the city weather wizards could do, and everyone was heartily sick of it. The rain
forced itself past slates and tiles and gurgled down chimneys, making fires sputter and smoke. Anyone
venturing out into the streets was quickly soaked, and even inside the air seemed saturated with
moisture. People gritted their teeth and learned to ignore damp clothing and the constant drumming of
rain on the roof. It was the rainy season, and the city endured it as the city endured so many other
afflictionsтАФwith stubborn defiance and aimless, sullen anger.

And yet things were not as gloomy in the port city of Haven as they might have been. The rain-soaked
streets were decked with flags and bunting and decorations, their bright and gaudy colors blazing
determinedly through the grayness of the day. Two Kings had come to Haven, and the city was putting
on an attractive face and enjoying itself as best it could. It would take more than a little rain to dampen
Haven's spirits when it had an excuse to celebrate. A public holiday had been declared from most jobs,
on the grounds that the eager citizens would have taken one anyway if it hadn't been granted, and
people held street parties between the downpours and boosted the takings at all the inns and taverns.
Tarpaulins were erected in the streets wherever possible, to ward off the rain, and beneath them could
be found street fairs and conjurers and play-actors and all manner of entertainments.

Of course, not everyone got to take the day off. The city Guard still went about its business, enforcing
the law and protecting the good citizens from pickpockets and villains and outrages, and, most
important of all, from each other. Haven was a harsh, cruel city swarming with predators, even during
a time of supposedly universal celebration. So Hawk and Fisher, husband and wife and Captains in the
city Guard, made their way through the dismal gray streets of the Northside and wished they were
somewhere else. Anywhere else. They huddled inside their thick black cloaks, and pulled the hoods
well forward to keep the rain out of their faces.

Hawk was tall, dark, and no longer handsome. He wore a black silk patch over his right eye, and a
series of old scars ran down the right side of his face, giving him a cold, sinister look. Huddled inside
his soaking wet black cloak, he looked like a rather bedraggled raven that had known better days. It
had to be said that even when seen at his best, he didn't look like much. He was lean and wiry rather
than muscular, and was beginning to build a stomach. He wore his dark hair at shoulder length, swept
roughly back from his forehead and tied at the nape of his neck with a silver clasp. He'd only just
entered his thirties, but already there were streaks of gray in his hair. It would have been easy to