"Katherine Kerr - Deverry 01 - Daggerspell" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kerr Katherine)

тАЬI will, Da. Promise.тАЭ

All afternoon, they rode down the east-running road, a narrow dirt track through the sharp-peaked
hills and pine forests. Every now and then they passed fields where the grain stood green and young, and
the farmers would turn to stare at the strange sight of a warrior with a child behind his saddle. Jill was
soon stiff and sore on her uncomfortable perch, but Cullyn was so wrapped in a dark brooding that she
was afraid to speak to him.

Just at twilight, they crossed a shallow river and reached the walled town of Averby. Cullyn
dismounted and led the horse along narrow twisting streets while Jill clung to the saddle and looked
around wide-eyed. She had never seen so many houses in her lifeтАФeasily two hundred of them. At last
they reached a shabby inn with a big stables out in back, where the innkeep greeted Cullyn by name and
gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. Jill was too tired to eat dinner. Cullyn carried her upstairs to a
dusty wedge-shaped chamber and made her a bed out of his cloak on a straw mattress. She fell asleep
before heтАЩd blown the candle out.

When she woke, the room was full of sunlight, and Cullyn was gone. Jill sat up in panic, trying to
remember why she was in this strange chamber with nothing but a pile of gear. It took her several minutes
to remember that Da had come and taken her with him. It wasnтАЩt long before Cullyn came back, with a
brass bowl of steaming water in one hand and a large chunk of bread in the other.

тАЬEat this, my sweet,тАЭ he said.

Eagerly Jill started in on the bread, which was studded with nuts and currants. Cullyn set the bowl
down, rummaged in his saddlebags for soap and a fragment of mirror, then knelt on the floor to shave.
He always shaved with his silver dagger. As he took it out, Jill could see the device engraved on the
blade, a striking falcon, which was CullynтАЩs mark, graved or stamped on everything he owned.

тАЬThat daggerтАЩs awfully sharp, Da,тАЭ Jill said.

тАЬIt is.тАЭ Cullyn began lathering his face. тАЬItтАЩs not pure silver, you see, but some sort of alloy. It doesnтАЩt
tarnish as easily as real silver, and it holds an edge better than any steel. Only a few silversmiths in the
kingdom know the secret, and they wonтАЩt tell anyone else.тАЭ

тАЬWhy not?тАЭ

тАЬAnd how should I know? A suspicious lot, the smiths who serve the silver dagger. I tell you, not just
any exile or dishonored man can buy one of these blades. You have to find yourself another silver dagger
and ride with him awhileтАФprove yourself, likeтАФand then heтАЩll pledge you to the band.тАЭ

тАЬDo you have to show him you can fight good?тАЭ

тАЬFight well.тАЭ Cullyn began to shave in neat, precise strokes. тАЬThatтАЩs somewhat of it, truly, but only a
part. Here, silver daggers have an honor of our own. WeтАЩre scum, all of us, but we donтАЩt steal or murder.
The noble lords know we donтАЩt, and so they trust us enough to give us our hires. If a couple of the wrong
kind of lads got into the band, gave us a bad name, like, well, then, weтАЩd all starve.тАЭ

Jill had a few more bites of bread.

тАЬDa, why did you want to be a silver dagger?тАЭ