"Brian Jacques - Redwall 10 - The Long Patrol" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jacques Brian)

sideways glance at Byral standing farther along the beach, and smiled thinly.
Gormad would have company at Dark Forest gates before the sun set.

Gormad Tunn, Firstblade of all Rapscallions, was close to death.

IO

Brian Jacques

The Long Patrol

ii

Greatrats were a strange breed, twice the size of any normal rat. Gormad had
been the greatest. Now his sun was setting, and one of his two sons would rule
as Firstblade when he was gone. The two sons, Damug Warfang and Byral
Fleetclaw, stood with their backs to the death tent where their father lay, in
accordance with the Law of the Rapscallion vermin. Neither would rest, eat, or
drink until the great Firstblade breathed his last. Then would come the combat
between them. Only one would remain alive as Firstblade of the mighty army.

The day wore on; Gormad Tunn's flame burned lower.

A small pebble struck Damug lightly on his back. "Lug-worm, is everything
ready?' * he whispered, lips scarcely moving.

The stoat murmured low from his hiding place behind a rock, "Never readier...
O Firstblade."

Damug kept his eyes riveted on the sea as he replied, "Don't call me
Firstblade yet, 'tis bad luck!"

A confident chuckle came from the stoat. * 'Luck has nothin' to do with it.
Everythin' has been taken care of."

The drums began to pound louder, booming and banging, small drums competing
with larger ones until the entire shoreline reverberated to their beat.

Gormad Tunn's eyelids flickered once, and a harsh rattle of breath escaped
from his dry lips. The Firstblade was dead!

An old ferret who had been attending Gormad left the death tent. He threw up
his paws and howled in a high keening tone:

"Gormad has left us for Dark Forest's shade, And the wind cannot lead
Rapscallions. Let the beast stand forth who would be Firstblade, To rule alt
these wild battalions!"

The drums stopped. Silence flooded the coast like a sudden tide. Both brothers
turned to face the speaker, answering the challenge.