"Jeffrey Lord - Blade 32 - Pirates of Gohar" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lord Jeffery)

All right, then, he'd give a supernatural explanation. He'd been sent by the godsтАФno, that might not
be a good idea. He had no idea of what gods were worshipped here, or how. There was always the risk
of being denounced as a liar and blasphemer and punished accordingly. Even if they believed him,
claiming to be a messenger from the gods always threw him into local religious politics, which could be
even bloodier than the normal kind.
So forget about the gods. If he didn't come from this world or from somewhere Up Above, where
else was there?
Of course. The future. He couldn't be sure what kind of gods these people worshipped, but he could
be nearly certain they had some concept of a past and a future. If he said he was fromтАФ
"Huh, stranger," said the captain, rapping the edge of the foc'sle with one sword to get Blade's
attention. "You said you weren't an enemy. You certainly aren't of Gohar, so what are you?"
"My fathers a thousand years before I was born might have been of Gohar," said Blade. "I do not
know. I do know that I come from a time when your children's children's children are only a distant
memory."
The captain sheathed his sword and looked Blade up and down so intently that Blade had the feeling
the captain was counting each scar or even each hair on his body. Or perhaps the captain was just trying
to decide whether he faced a man from the future or an escaped lunatic.
At least the sailors were quiet while their captain examined Blade. The archers still held their bows,
but no longer drawn. The men with spears let them trail on the deck. Satisfied that the sailors accepted
their captain's authority and were no immediate danger to him, Blade looked around him. For the first
time since his arrival he got a really good look at the ship.
She was about a hundred feet long and nearly thirty feet wide, heavy-timbered, high-sided, probably
slow and clumsy, almost certainly built for carrying capacity rather than speed. She had two stout masts,
each supporting a large square sail of coarse cloth, reinforced with strips of leather. The sail on the
foremast showed a badgeтАФa blue bird with outspread wings.
Looking over the port railing, Blade saw a series of ports in the ship's side a yard or so above the
water, covered by stout wooden hatches. No doubt these were ports for sweeps, which the sailors could
man to get the ship into or out of port against Contrary winds. She was certainly too heavy and too
clumsy to row in the open sea.
At the stern an aftercastle rose one level above the main deck. Spears and axes were racked along
either railing. In the shelter of the aftercastle two men stood at the long tiller, feet braced wide apart and
chests slick with sweat. Apparently the people ofтАФGohar, the captain had saidтАФhad invented the stern
rudder for their ships.
 Beyond the railings, a blue sea rose and fell gently under a paler blue sky spotted with puffy white
clouds. If Blade had been inEngland , he would have called it a perfect day for sailing. A hundred yards
to either side of Blade's ship, two others kept pace with her. One was the same type as Blade's, but
slightly smaller and with her foresail showing a large green hexagon as a badge. The other ship was much
smaller, with no castles at either bow or stern and only a single mast.
Astern Blade could see another trio of ships, also lined up abreast. Beyond them he caught a glimpse
of a seventh ship, apparently bringing up the rear by herself. This last ship seemed to be low,
two-masted, and painted black all over.
Before Blade could make out any more details of the little fleet, a wild scream jerked everyone's
attention aloft. On the lookout platform at the fore masthead, a sailor was hanging over the railing and
waving his arms frantically.
"Pirates! Pirates! Pirates to the northwest! Three ships! Three Bloodskins!"
The captain raised his eyes to heaven and his hands to his head. He clutched at his hair, and Blade
could tell what the man was thinking almost as if he'd been speaking out loud.
Pirates! Pirates now, of all times, with a madman aboard and some of my men unfit to fight! The
captain turned toward the archers, and his fingers twitched as if he was about to signal them to shoot.
Blade spoke quickly.