"Katherine Kerr - Deverry 06 - A Time Of Omens" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kerr Katherine)

hundred miles from Aberwyn, where once heтАЩd ruled as gwerbret, not far at all from the place heтАЩd
always considered home.
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тАЬWhatтАЩs wrong with you?тАЭ Calonderiel said. тАЬYou look pale.тАЭ

тАЬDo I? Ah, well, itтАЩs a sad thing, when one of the People dies so young. WeтАЩd best call for the ceremony
to end the alardan. The sooner we get moving, the better.тАЭ

The women sprinkled OldanaтАЩs corpse with spices and covered it with dried flowers before they
wrapped it round with white linen. They cut a white horse out of the herd to drag the travois that would
carry her to the resting place of her ancestors, and when the alar left the rest of the gathering behind for
their sad journey east, that horse led the line of march, with Rhodry and Calonderiel riding alongside. The
boys, as much confused as grief-struck, traveled far back at the rear with their uncle and grandmother.
Out of simple decency the king and the young prince came twith them, and their alar, of course, as well,
to dignify the eventual ceremony with their presence.

It took them two full days and part of a third to reach theLakeof the Leaping Trout. During that time they
ate food left from the alardan feasting, and slept cold at night, too, because no one could light a fire until
OldanaтАЩs soul was safely on its way to the world beyond. Slowly the grasslands began to rise, until by the
third dawn they saw ahead of them rolling grassy downs that were almost hills. Finally, just after anoon
gray with the promise of winter, they came to the last crest. Far down the green slope lay the silver lake,
a long finger of water caught in a narrow valley pointing southeast to northwest. To the north a thick
forest spread along the valley floor, the dark pines standing in such orderly rows that obviously they were
no natural growth, but all along the north shore lay an open meadow. Calonderiel turned to Rhodry and
gestured at the forest with a wide sweep of his arm.

тАЬWell, there it is. The death ground of my ancestors, and of yours as well. Your fatherтАЩs father was set
free and his ashes scattered among those trees, though I think your grandmother died too far out on the
grass to be brought here.тАЭ

When they rode down to the lake, Rhodry realized that the meadow area was laid out as a proper
campground: there were stone fire pits at regular intervals and small sheds, too, for keeping firewood dry
and food safe from prowling animals. The alar rushed to set up their tents against the darkening sky and
tether the horses securely as well, just in in case there should be thunder in the night. As the early evening
was setting in, Calonderiel fetched Rhodry.

тАЬLetтАЩs go take a look at the firewood. The women tell me that weтАЩd better do the ceremony tonight.тАЭ

They crossed the neatly tended boundary of the forest into the dark and spicy-scented corridors of
trees. In a clearing, not ten yards in, stood a structure of dry-walled stone and rough-cut timber about
thirty feet long. Inside they found it stacked with cut wood, a fortune in fuel out on the grasslands.

тАЬGood,тАЭ Calonderiel saidbd. тАЬFetch the others. LetтАЩs get this over with before the rain hits.тАЭ

But as if in sympathy witlth their loss, the rain held off. The wind rose instead, driving the clouds away
and letting the stars shine through. Close tomidnightthe alar burned OldanaтАЩs body to send her soul free