"Barbara Hambly - Sun Wolf 2 - Witches of Wenshar" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hambly Barbara)

"It's a clever choice on somebody's part," Sun Wolf rumbled, half
to himself, half to Starhawk. "It's sure as pox what I'd do if I ruled
Wenshar." He contemplated the man Osgard for a moment against the
blurred candlelight with a narrowed eye. "Most of the shirdar lords are
fallen into decay-none of them ever ruled more than a couple handfuls
of people in all their hundreds of miles of sand, anyway. With one
mud-walled city, a string of oases, and a couple hundred goats and
camels, Hasdrozaboth's not terribly powerful, but it's ruinously old, like
all the Houses of the Desert Lords. But it's an in to the kin network that
Wenshar could call on if Dalwirin or Kwest Mralwe invaded them
again from the north."
 Starhawk nodded, accepting this information without inquiring how
Sun Wolf knew it. Back in the days when Sun Wolf had been a
mercenary captain and she his second-in-command, part of his success
had been due to his minute knowledge of the politics and economics of
every kingdom and principality likely to hire his troops. The habit had
stayed with him-he gossiped like an old woman with every tale-telling
merchant they'd met on the roads. His aim these days was principally to
find rumor of a wizard to teach him to use the powers so suddenly
arisen within him, but he managed to pick up a good deal of knowledge
of other things in the process. Curious, she asked, "If they never had
more than a couple hundred warriors, why do you say they're in
decay? Decay from what?"
"From ruling the southern trade routes through the desert to the
gold mines of Kimbu," he replied promptly. "The Lords of
Wenshar-not the King now, but the Ancient House of the old Lords of
Wenshar-ruled the whole desert, back when the Empire of Gwenth
was still around in the north for Kimbu to trade with."
"Silly me," apologized Starhawk ironically, and Sun Wolf gave her
a grin, half-embarrassed at his own sudden show of erudition, and
squeezed the fingers still lightly clasped in his own.
They ordered dinner; through it Sun Wolf alternated between
watching the increasing crowd in the tavern and particularly around the
next table, where Osgard and Norbas were holding a sort of court for
what looked like the wealthier miners, and relapsing into his own
thoughts. By the look on his face, Starhawk thought he didn't care
much for them, but she had learned long ago when to keep her silence.
Full dark fell outside; Osgard and his friends departed singing; the local
Children of Joy, youths as well as girls, began to make their
appearance. Pergemis silks of rose and violet shimmered softly in the
ochre lamplight, and painted eyes teased. When the tavern girl came to
clear up, Sun Wolf signed to her to stay. "Where would I find the house
of the Lady Kaletha? The wizard?"
The girl hastily sketched in the air the sign against evil. "She'll be up
at the Fortress of Tandieras," she mumbled. "But if you need a healer
or something, go to Yallow Sincress in Leatherworker's Row. He's ... "
 "Tandieras?" asked Sun Wolf, surprised to hear her name the
fortress of the King.
The girl nodded, her dark eyes avoiding his. She was fourteen or
so, gawky and plain, with the hawk features of the shirdar in the frame