"Barb & J. C. Hendee - Noble Dead 03 - Sister of the Dead" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hendee JC & Barb)

chk: Occurs mostly in Elvish and Dwarvish. At the end of word, it is pronounced as written. Similar to
the ending of the wordlatched, where thee is unpronounced and thed becomes ak. When it appears
midword, it is a syllabic separation; thech ends the previous syllable and thek begins the following
syllable.




This one is for our parents... with appreciation.


Prologue

Amber light spread across the dirt floor from a fireplace embedded in the cottage's sod-and-timber wall.
It barely illuminated a rough table and stools, two low beds with patchwork quilts, and other
hand-me-down fixtures so old, no one remembered whose father's father or mother's mother had first
acquired them. And on the tail of nightfall, a tall and black-haired woman in her twentieth year lit but one
candle upon the table, for even that was a luxury.
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She was straight-boned, with deep brown eyes beneath eyebrows that arched high, and strands of hair
escaped her long braid. Beneath her wool coat, she wore an age-stained apron covering a blue dress.
She swung a cook pot out from the fire on its iron arm so the stew wouldn't burn, then stepped to the
cottage's one front window. Brushing aside burlap curtains, she cracked the shutter to peer anxiously up
the village path.

Few villagers moved among the huddled huts, carrying in firewood or heading for the common well,
buckets in hand. She closed the shutter, let the curtain fall into place, and returned to the table to set out
two clay bowls and wooden spoons. From the shelves she gathered a cloth-wrapped bundle and a knife,
then settled upon a stool. She unwrapped a loaf of rye bread to cut away the dried end. There was
nothing more to do, and she watched the fire's flames recede.

When the knock came, she sighed in relief.

Before she stepped to the door, a hollow voice growled from outside. "Enough pleasantries!"

The crack of shattering wood filled the small hut as the door slammed inward. Its top leather hinge broke
away, and splinters skittered across the dirt floor. She backed into the table, nearly tripping over a stool.

Three shadowed figures stood in the opening, their features hidden by cowls and cloaks. The tallest
lowered his foot as the broken door ceased shuddering.

"That was not necessary, Father, " said the one next to him. Dressed in a charcoal cloak and hood and
crafted riding boots, his gloved hand was still raised to knock again. He let it drop to his side.

The third figure hung back as the father entered and, in three strides, grabbed the woman by the throat.