"Hearn,.Lian.-.Otori.03.-.Brilliance.Of.The.Moon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hearn Lian)

enough arms and supplies to hold the Otori off if they do attack. Personally, I
donТt think they will. Arai and his allies will not relinquish Yamagata without
a long struggle, and many among the Otori would be reluctant to destroy this
place, which is sacred to the clan. Anyway they will be more concerned with
pursuing you.Ф He paused and then went on: УYou canТt fight a war without being
prepared for sacrifice. Men will die in the battles you fight, and if you lose,
many of them, including you yourself, may be put to death very painfully. The
Otori do not recognize your adoption: They do not know your ancestry; as far as
they are concerned you are an upstart, not one of their class. You cannot hold
back from action because people will die as a result. Even your farmers know
that. Seven of them died today, but those who survived are not sad. They are
celebrating their victory over those who insulted you.Ф
УI know that,Ф I said, glancing at Makoto. His lips were pressed together
tightly, and though his face showed no other expression, I felt his disapproval.
I was aware yet again of my weaknesses as a commander. I was afraid both Makoto
and Kahei, brought up in the warrior tradition, would come to despise me.
УWe joined you by our own choice, Takeo,Ф the abbot went on, Уbecause of our
loyalty to Shigeru and because we believe your cause is just.Ф
I bowed my head, accepting the rebuke and vowing he would never
have to speak to me in that vein again. УWe will leave for Maruyama the day
after tomorrow.Ф
УMakoto will go with you,Ф the abbot said. УAs you know, he has made your cause
his own.Ф
MakotoТs lips curved slightly as he nodded in agreement.
Later that night, around the second half of the Hour of the Rat, when I was
about to lie down beside Kaede, I heard voices outside, and a few moments later
Manami called quietly to us to say that a monk had come with a message from the
guardhouse.
УWe have taken a prisoner,Ф he said when I went to speak to him. УHe was spotted
skulking in the bushes beyond the gate. The guards pursued him and would have
killed him on the spot, but he called your name and said he was your man.Ф
УIТll come and talk to him,Ф I said, taking up Jato, suspecting it could only be
the outcast Jo-An. Jo-An had seen me at Yamagata when I had released his brother
and other members of the Hidden into death. It was he who had given me the name
of the Anael of Yamagata. Then he had saved my life on my desperate journey to
Terayama in the winter. I had told him I would send for him in the spring and
that he should wait until he heard from me, but he acted in unpredictable ways,
usually in response to what he claimed was the voice of the Secret God.
It was a soft, warm night, the air already holding summerТs humidity. In the
cedars an owl was hooting. Jo-An lay on the ground just inside the gate. HeТd
been trussed up roughly: His legs were bent under him, his hands bound behind
his back. His face was streaked with dirt and blood, his hair matted. He was
moving his lips very slightly,
praying soundlessly. Two monks were watching him from a careful distance, their
faces twisted in contempt.
I called his name and his eyes opened. I saw relief shine in them. He tried to
scrabble into a kneeling position and fell forward, unable to save himself with
his hands. His face hit the dirt.
УUntie him,Ф I said.
One of the monks said, УHe is an outcast. We should not touch him.Ф