"Katherine Kurtz - Heirs 02 - King Javan's Year" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kurtz Katherine)

determination. тАЬAnd I ride at the command of my king-and your king as well.тАЩ
The abbot gaped and glanced indignantly at his two monks for support. тАЬBut you┬┤re under vows. You
owe me obedience!тАЩ
тАЬMy vows are and always have been temporary, my lord,тАЩ Javan said, quietly but firmly. тАЬThey now are
at an end. I┬┤m leaving. So unless you intend to take up the matter with Sir Charlan and the other knights
waiting in the yard, I suggest you stand aside and allow me to pass. Sir Charlan, would you please
accompany me?тАЩ
The abbot gave way speechlessly as Javan pressed forward, Charlan at his elbow, and the monks
likewise parted to either side, leaving them a clear path across the garden.
тАЬI did bring you a horse, your Highness,тАЩ Charlan murmured breathlessly as they made for the
processional door, away from the now-muttering abbot. тАЬI have a spare pair of breeches and a short
tunic in my saddlebag, too, if you┬┤re in need of proper riding clothes. It would be a grim ride,
bare-legged.тАЩ
тАЬNo, I have what I need in my cell, from my last trip to Rhemuth,тАЩ Javan said. тАЬNothing fancy, but it will
do the job.тАЩ He pushed open the processional door and led Charlan briefly into the south transept and
around to the night stair. As they mounted the stair, Javan steadying his hobbling gait with a hand on the
thick rope swagged up the wall, he glanced back over his shoulder at the following Charlan.
тАЬHow is my brother Alroy, Charlan? Did you see him?тАЩ
тАЬNo, sir. Only Rhys Michael. But he said he┬┤d just come from the king, and he looked really worried.
I┬┤m reasonably confident we can get you back to Rhemuth in time, but I don┬┤t think I┬┤d have been sent
like this, in the middle of the night, unless it was urgent. Rhys Michael took a big risk, too, sending me the
way he did. It┬┤s my impression that it was against the wishes of Archbishop Hubert and whatever other
great lords might have been waiting outside the king┬┤s chamber.тАЩ
They had reached the landing now, and Javan led the young knight quickly along the dormer corridor,
limping only a little on the flat, ignoring the occasional sleepy head that peered out of a doorway.
тАЬIn here,тАЩ Javan murmured, pausing to take up the night-light set in a niche in the corridor before leading
Charlan into the tiny room designated as his monastic cell.
He lit the rushlight in another niche inside, then handed the night-light to Charlan to replace in the hallway
while he began unbuttoning his soutane, starting to formulate a plan of action as he did so.
тАЬI hope you don┬┤t mind squiring for me, the way you used to do,тАЩ Javan said as the young knight ducked
anxiously back into the room. тАЬYou┬┤ll find my other boot and my riding things in that chest at the foot of
the bed. I want to get out of here as quickly as we can, before the abbot decides that his Custodes men
are a match for yours.тАЩ
Grinning, Charlan bent to the task assigned.
тАЬThe possibility had crossed my mind, your Highness,тАЩ he said easily, quickly producing the desired boot
and then beginning to rummage through the stacks of uniformly black garments. тАЬHowever, I think the
presence of a dozen armed knights in his yard may have dampened the good abbot┬┤s enthusiasm for such
rash action. Are these the breeches you wanted?тАЩ he asked, holding a handful of black aloft by one leg.
Glancing up, Javan gave a nod.
тАЬAs for being your squire,тАЩ Charlan went on, tossing the breeches onto the bed, тАЬI shall always count
those months in your service as my honor and privilege. I-hope you┬┤ll be gracious enough to accept my
continued service, when you are king.тАЩ
тАЬWhen I am king-тАЩ
Javan had been in the process of stripping the hated Custodes cincture from around his waist, and he
stiffened and then swallowed before deliberately dropping it onto the bed like a limp snake-the braided
cincture of crimson and gold intertwined, whose colors the Custodes Fidei had usurped from the Haldane
royal house to lend credibility to their mission against Deryni.
тАЬI hope I needn┬┤t tell you that being king is the last thing I would have wished, if it meant that harm would
come to my brother,тАЩ Javan said quietly. He shrugged out of the heavy soutane and let it fall in a pool of
wool around his feet, stepping free awkwardly to sit on the edge of the bed, now clad only in the baggy