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

УWho tied him up?Ф
УWe did not realize then,Ф the other said.
УYou can cleanse yourselves later. This man saved my life. Untie him.Ф
Reluctantly they went to Jo-An, lifted him up, and loosened the cords that bound
him. He crawled forward and prostrated himself at my feet.
УSit up, Jo-An,Ф I said. УWhy are you here? I said you were to come when I sent
for you. You were lucky not to be killed, turning up here without warning,
without permission.Ф
The last time IТd seen him IТd been almost as shabbily dressed as he was, a
fugitive, exhausted and starving. Now I was aware of the robe I wore, my hair
dressed in the warrior style, the sword in my belt. I knew the sight of me
talking to the outcast would shock the monks profoundly. Part of me was tempted
to have him thrown out, to deny that there was any relationship between us, and
to throw him from my life at the same time. If I so ordered the guards, they
would kill him immediately with no second thought. Yet, I could not do it. He
had saved my life; moreover, for the sake of the bond between us, both born into
the Hidden, I had to treat him not as an outcast but as a man.
УNo one will kill me until the Secret One calls me home,Ф he muttered, raising
his eyes and looking at me. УUntil that time, my life
is yours.У There was little light where we stood, just the lamp the monk had
brought from the guardhouse and placed on the ground near us, but I could see
Jo-AnТs eyes burning. I wondered, as I often had before, if he were not alive at
all but a visitant from another world.
УWhat do you want?Ф I said.
УI have something to tell you. Very important. YouТll be glad I came.Ф
The monks had stepped back out of pollutionТs way but were still close enough to
hear us.
УI need to talk to this man,Ф I said. УWhere should we go?Ф
They threw an anguished look at each other and the older man suggested, УMaybe
the pavilion, in the garden?Ф
УYou donТt need to come with me.Ф
УWe should guard Lord Otori,Ф the younger said.
УIТm in no danger from this man. Leave us alone. But tell Manami to bring water,
some food, and tea.Ф
They bowed and left. As they crossed the courtyard they started whispering to
each other. I could hear every word. I sighed.
УCome with me,Ф I said to Jo-An. He limped after me to the pavilion, which stood
in the garden not far from the large pool. Its surface glittered in the
starlight, and every now and then a fish leaped from the water, flopping back
with a loud splash. Beyond the pool the grayish white stones of the graves
loomed out of the darkness. The owl hooted again, closer this time.
УGod told me to come to you,Ф he said when we were settled on the wooden floor
of the pavilion.
УYou should not talk so openly of God,Ф I chided him. УYou are in a temple. The
monks have no more love for the Hidden than the warriors.Ф
УYou are here,Ф he muttered. УYou are our hope and our protection.Ф
УNo,Ф he agreed docilely, УI have to fetch the others.Ф
УWhat others, Jo-An?Ф
УThe rest of us. The ones who came with me. You saw some of them.Ф
I had seen these men at the tannery by the river where Jo-An worked, and I would