"Robert Jordan - Ravens" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jordan Robert)

not slow. A sheep that got swept away might drown before it
could struggle ashore.

A large raven flew across the river to perch high in the
branches of a whitewood near where the men were washing
sheep. Almost immediately a redcrest began diving at the raven, a
flash of scarlet that chattered noisily.

The redcrest must have a nest nearby. Instead of taking
flight and maybe attacking the smaller bird, though, the raven just
shuffled sideways on the limb to where a few smaller branches
sheltered it a little. It peered down toward the working men.

Ravens sometimes bothered the sheep, but ignoring the
redcrest's attempts to frighten it away was more than unusual.
More than that, she had the strange feeling that the black bird
was watching the men, not the sheep. Which was silly, except . . .
. She had heard people say that ravens and crows were the Dark
One's eyes. That thought made goosebumps break out all down
her arms and even on her back. It was a silly idea. What would
the Dark One want to see in the Two Rivers? Nothing ever
happened in the Two Rivers.

"What are you up to, Egwene?" Kenley Ahan demanded,
stopping beside her. "You can't play with the children today."
Two years older than she, he carried himself very straight,
stretching to seem taller than he was. This was his last year
carrying water at the shearing, and he behaved as if that cloaked
him with some sort of authority.

She gave him a level look, but it did not work as well as she
hoped.

His square face twisted up in a frown. "If you're turning
sick, go see the Wisdom. If not . . . well . . . get on about your
work." With a quick nod, as if he, had solved a problem, he
hurried off making a great show of holding his bucket with one
hand, well away from his side. He won't keep that up long once
he's out of my sight, she thought sourly. She was going to have to
work on that look. She had seen it work for older girls.

The dipper's handle slid on the rim of her bucket as she
picked it up with both hands. It was heavy, and she was not big
for her age, but she followed Kenley as quickly as she could. Not
because of anything he had said, certainly. She did have work to
do, and she was going to be the best water-carrier ever. Her face
set with determination. The mulch of last year's leaves rustled
under her feet as she walked through the river's shadowy fringe
of trees, out into the sunlight. The heat was not too bad, but a few
small white clouds high in the sky seemed to emphasize the