"Katherine Kerr - Deverry 02 - Darkspell" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kerr Katherine)

It was some minutes later that a page came to Gweniver and told her that the King wished to speak
with her privately. Mindful of the enormous honor being paid her, she followed him up to the second floor
of the main broch, where Glyn had a suite of apartments furnished with carved chairs and tables, hung
with tapestries, and carpeted with fine Bardek weavings. The King was standing at a hearth of pale
sandstone, carved with ships and interlacements. When she knelt before him, he bade her rise.

тАШI was thinking of all your kin whoтАЩve died serving me,тАЩ Glyn said. тАШThis matter of the Wolves lies
heavily upon me, Your Holiness. Do you wish to petition me to hand the lands and name down in the
female line?тАЩ

тАШI do, my liege. Now that IтАЩve sworn my vows, I can own naught but what I can carry in one large
sack, but my sister will soon be betrothed to a man whoтАЩs willing to take on our feud with our name.тАЩ

тАШI see. Well, let me be honest. I may not be able to move as quickly as I like in this matter of your
lands, but IтАЩm quite willing to grant that the name pass down to your sisterтАЩs sons. As much as IтАЩd like to
remove the Boars from your demesne, much depends on the progress of the summerтАЩs fighting.тАЩ

тАШMy liege is most honorable and generous. I understand that my clanтАЩs woes are only one thing among
many to him.тАЩ

тАШUnfortunately, Your Holiness, you speak true. I only wish it were otherwise.тАЩ

As she was leaving the KingтАЩs presence, Gweniver met Dannyn, opening that most private of doors
with no announcement or ceremony. He gave her a thin twitch of a smile.

тАШYour Holiness,тАЩ he said. тАШMy heart aches for the death of your kin. IтАЩll do my best to avenge them.тАЩ

тАШLord Dannyn is most kind, and he has my thanks.тАЩ

Gweniver hurried down the corridor, but at the staircase she glanced back to see him still watching
her, his hand on the door. All at once she shuddered with cold and felt danger like a clammy hand along
her back. She could only assume that the Goddess was sending her a warning.

On the morrow, Gweniver was walking around the outer ward with Ricyn when she saw a shabby old
man leading two pack mules through the gates. Although he was dressed in dirty brown brigga and a
much-mended shirt with GlynтАЩs blazons upon it, he stood as straight and walked as vigorously as a young
prince. Several pages came running to help him with the mules, and she noticed that they treated the old
man deferentially.
 тАШWhoтАЩs that, Ricco?тАЩ

тАШOld Nevyn, my lady, and thatтАЩs truly his name. He says his da named him тАШno oneтАЩ in a fit of spite.тАЩ
Ricyn looked oddly in awe of the old man as he spoke. тАШHeтАЩs an herbman, you see. He finds wild herbs
and brings them for the chirurgeons, and then he grows some here in the dun, too.тАЩ

The pages were taking the mules away. An undercham-berlain who was passing by stopped to bow
to the herbman.

тАШNow here,тАЩ Gweniver said. тАШObviously our Nevyn is a useful sort of servitor to have, but why do
people treat him like a lord?тАЩ