"Anne Logston - Shadow 01 - Shadow" - читать интересную книгу автора (Logston Anne)

SHADOW
by Anne Logston


CHAPTER ONE
It was midmorning when Shadow rode into Allan mere in grand style in
a haycart. ragged, whistling and cheerfully broke. She jumped off at the
Sun Gate and stood breathing the aroma of the city, a heady melange of
baking bread, of tanning leather, of sweat and incense and dung.

A fruit vendor trudged past, pushing his heavily laden cart, and
Shadow charitably lightened his load by two apples with the merchant
none the wiser. Tossing one apple idly while munching on the other,
Shadow gazed wistfully at a vintner's stall, then resolutely turned her eyes
to the market ahead.

"Damn that Ragman and Filch," Shadow said mildly, feeding her apple
core to the nearest horse. Bad enough that they had taken all her gold,
leaving her bruised and unconscious by the roadside; bad enough that
they had taken her expensive, hand-crafted tools and weapons; but did
they have to take all of her wine?

Ah, but why waste her time on anger on this fine, sunny morning, when
the great city of Allan mere lay before her as fat and juicy as a pear ripe
for the picking? Oh, life was grand!

Shadow dropped the second apple on the ground, rolling it underfoot
until it was mushy, and scanned the market crowds at belt levelтАФwhich,
for her, was only a little below eye level.

"Hey, you." She snagged a filthy street urchin running by. "Do me a
favor and I'll give you two coppers."

The boy eyed her skeptically.

"You got no money."
 "I will if you do me the favor."

"Make it a Moon," the boy asserted.

"Half a Moon."

He considered.

"Done."

Shadow picked up the mushy apple.

"Go over there by that fruit stand and wait a few seconds. Then throw
this at the man in the blue velvet tunic and make sure it hits him good.