"Katherine Kerr - Deverry 08 - A Time Of Justice" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kerr Katherine)

turned down the street by the saddlemaker's, and saw at last the tavern with the wooden sign of an ox
hanging over the door. At the doorway she paused, peering into the dim smoky room, which smelled of
sour ale and roast meat. Near the hearth the man Vyna had described was watching a couple of
merchants play at dice. A blond man, with the high cheekbones and narrow eyes of a southerner, he
glanced her way and smiled.

Jill looked over her shoulder as if she were afraid of something, then beckoned him to follow her. As he
set his tankard down she left the doorway and walked round back, to find no sign of Rhodry and Lallyc.
In her heart she cursed them both and wished she were wearing her sword. When the fellow came up, Jill
let out a little squeak and pretended to have a stone in her shoe. She knelt down, letting the hood fall
around her face, and mimed getting it out.

'Here,тАЩ he said. 'Is someone following you?'
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Jill shook her head no.

'You're not Vyna! What is this?'

'She sent me instead.' Jill got up slowly. 'Cook wouldn't let her leave the dun.'

'I don't believe a word of that, lass.'

When he stepped forward to grab her, Jill charged, taking him so off-guard that she got a good punch in
his stomach before he could defend himself. With a grunt he staggered back, then recovered and swung
open-handed at her face. Hampered by the long dresses, Jill dodged barely in time.

'You little bitch! What is this?'

When he lunged again, she dodged sideways, then tripped over the hem of her dress and nearly fell. He
grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her up, yelped as she raised a knee and got him hard between
the legs, but hung on grimly and tried to pin her back against a wall. A shout - Rhodry's voice - the man
let go and spun round to run for it. Jill slammed her fist into his kidneys, kicked him in the back of the
knee, and shoved him to the ground just as Lallyc and Rhodry raced up.

'You bastards' What took you so blasted long?'

'A crowd on the streets ' Lallyc knelt down and disarmed their prey

By then the noise had attracted a smallish crowd of its own

'Naught to worry about, lads ' Rhodry called out 'This stinking swine was trvmg to rape this poor
innocent lass We'll )ust take him along to the heryn '

Dwaen and half the dun were waiting by the honour hearth in the great hall. Although Vyna identified
their prisoner as the man who met her regularly, nobody in the warband recognized him for a member of
Lord Bervn's troop The tieryn questioned him, Rhodry mocked him, and Lallyc got in a few barbs of his