"Elizabeth Haydon - Symphony of Ages - Threshold" - читать интересную книгу автора (Haydon Elizabeth)

loomed.

тАЬCantha, Jarmon, walk on,тАЭ he said softly. тАЬYou too, Anais.тАЭ

тАЬMe?тАЭSevirym shouted, too overwrought to catch the words before they exploded from his lips. тАЬYou
are sendingme away? No, Hector. IтАЩll not leave.тАЭ

Hector signaled again to his puzzled friends, urging them away from the pier.

тАЬYes, Sevirym,тАЭ he said quietly, laying a hand on SevirymтАЩs arm. The young soldier shrugged it off
angrily. тАЬYes, you will.тАЭ

тАЬWhy? Has my loyalty to you been any less than theirs? Have I dishonored you, failed youтАФтАЭ
тАЬNever,тАЭ Hector interrupted him, taking his arm again. тАЬHear me, Sevirym; time is short and words
should be used sparingly, so that their meaning is undiluted. No man could have asked for a more loyal
companion and a better friend than you have been to me, to the othersтАФto this dying land. But I need
you to go with the captain now, to guard the refugees, and to make certain they are not combative.тАЭ
Involuntarily he winced at the sight of the pain on his friendтАЩs face.

тАЬI want to remain here, Hector.тАЭ

Hector sighed. тАЬWell, that makes one of us, Sevirym. I do notтАФbut what I want is not at issue. Nor is
what you want. We are both prisoners of what needs to be done, as decided by the one who commands
us.тАЭ His tone softened. тАЬYou are fulfilling the same order of the king that the rest of us areтАФтАЩkeep my
people safe in the last days.тАЩ These ragged refugeesтАФthey are the kingтАЩs subjects as much as you or I.
They need our protection. Get them out of here, Sevirym. Take them to safety.тАЭ

Sevirym dropped his eyes, unable to maintain a calm mien anymore.

тАЬYou are commanding me to do this, against my will and my vow?тАЭ he said, his voice choked with
anguish.

тАЬOnly if you force me to,тАЭ Hector replied gently. тАЬRather, I am asking you to do this for me, as my friend
and brother. You swore to stand by me, to help me in this task that was commanded of me. In leaving
with the ship, you are helping me far more than by staying.тАЭ

For a long moment, Sevirym continued to stare at the rotting planks of the pier, listening to the splash of
the waves beneath the mist. Then finally he nodded.

In turn Hector nodded to the three standing on the docks and turned to walk with Sevirym back to the
end of the pier. Anais raised his hand; Sevirym lifted his halfheartedly in return. Jarmon bowed his head,
then turned away. Only Cantha remained still, her eyes staring sharply through the fog, her face
expressionless.

тАЬI am abandoning them, and you,тАЭ Sevirym muttered as they walked back to where the longboats and
the shipтАЩs captain waited. тАЬI may live, but you are sentencing me to life as a coward.тАЭ

Hector stopped suddenly, dragging Sevirym to a harsh halt by the arm.

тАЬDamn your tongue if it utters such a thing again,тАЭ he said sharply. тАЬAnd damn your mind if it believes it.