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

тАЬDonтАЩt talk with your mouth full. I didnтАЩt want to. It was only choice I had, thatтАЩs all. IтАЩve never heard
of a man being so big a fool as to join up just because he wanted to.тАЭ

тАЬI donтАЩt understand.тАЭ

Cullyn considered, wiping the last bit of lather off his upper lip with the back of his hand.

тАЬWell,тАЭ he said at last. тАЬNo man joins the daggers if he has a chance at a decent life in a lordтАЩs dun.
Sometimes men are fools, and we do things that mean no lord would let us ride in his warband ever
again. When that happens, well, carrying the dagger is a cursed sight better than sweeping out a stable or
suchlike. At least you get to fight for your hire, like a man.тАЭ

тАЬYou never could have been a fool!тАЭ

CullynтАЩs lips twitched in a brief smile.

тАЬI was, truly,тАЭ he said. тАЬA long time ago your old Da here was a rider in a warband in Cerrmor, and
he got himself into a good bit of trouble. Never dishonor yourself, Jill. You listen to me. Dishonor sticks
closer to you than blood on your hands. So my lord kicked me out, as he had every right to do, and
there was nothing left for me but the long road.тАЭ

тАЬThe what?тАЭ

тАЬThe long road. ThatтАЩs what silver daggers call our life.тАЭ

тАЬBut Da, what did you do?тАЭ
 Cullyn turned to look at her with eyes so cold that Jill was afraid he was going to slap her.

тАЬWhen youтАЩre done eating,тАЭ he said mildly. тАЬWeтАЩre going to the market fair and buy you some ladтАЩs
clothes. Dresses arenтАЩt any good for riding and camping by the road.тАЭ

And Jill realized that she would never have the courage to ask him that question again.

Cullyn was as good as his word about the new clothes. In fact, he bought her so many things, boots,
brigga, shirts, a good wool cloak and a small ring brooch to clasp it with that Jill realized sheтАЩd never
seen him with so much money before, real coins, all of them bright-minted silver. When she asked him
about it, Cullyn told her that heтАЩd captured a great lordтАЩs son on the field of battle, and that this money
was the ransom the lordтАЩs family had to pay him to get their son back.

тАЬThat was honorable, Da,тАЭ Jill said. тАЬNot killing him, I mean, and then letting him go home.тАЭ

тАЬHonorable?тАЭ Cullyn smiled faintly. тАЬIтАЩll tell you, my sweet, itтАЩs every silver daggerтАЩs dream to capture
a lord single-handedly. ItтАЩs the coin you want, not the glory. And by the hells, many a poor lordling has
made himself a rich lord doing the same thing.тАЭ

Jill was honestly shocked. Taking someone prisoner for profit was one of those things that never got
mentioned in the bard songs and the glorious tales of war. She was glad enough of the coin, however,
especially when Cullyn bought her a pony, a slender gray that she named Gwindyc after the great hero of
ancient times. When they returned to the inn, Cullyn took Jill up to their chamber, made her change her