"Jack Mann - Her Ways Are Death" - читать интересную книгу автора (Mann Jack)

they saw Dark Lagny riding a Valkyr horse in the stormтАФchoosing the dead, that is. Saw her beckoning
Oger on, riding high over him as he steered his long shipтАФwhether he too saw her is past telling.
тАЬThey said, too, that at the time she was in reality asleep in the arms of her last lover, a Roman officer
of the garrison at EboracumтАФYorkтАФmany miles from the point where the long ship was wrecked. Yet
they said it was Dark Lagny they saw, past question, but younger and more alive and lovely than she was
thenтАФbecause by that time she had borne children who had nearly grown up, and was past her best. But
all three say they saw her, and that her spells caused the wreck.тАЭ
тАЬMen were credulous, in those days,тАЭ Gees observed reflectively.
тАЬYe-es,тАЭ Naylor half drawled. тАЬSo much so that, less than a year after OgerтАЩs deathтАФand with no
reference whatever to that incidentтАФDark Lagny was crucified by order of the Roman commander at
Eboracum, being found guilty of unholy spells and practices by which men had been compelled to kill
each other, or themselves.тАЭ
тАЬA lamia, apparently,тАЭ Gees commented. тАЬYet the Romans were a practical people. Materialists to
the nth, as a rule.тАЭ
тАЬLamia perhaps,тАЭ Naylor half-conceded, тАЬbut certainly VolsungтАФand, if you accept that story told
by the three men who escaped from the wreck, Valkyr too. Beloved of Odin, admitted to all the
mysteries of that old faith, and so given powersтАФthese things are, Mr. Green.тАЭ He broke off from his tale
to make an earnest insistence of the statement. тАЬYou can see stark evil walking the earth to-day, if you
look.тАЭ
тАЬAnd so they crucified Dark Lagny,тАЭ Gees mused.
тАЬThey should have put an end to her before she bore children,тАЭ Naylor said somberly. тАЬBecauseтАФher
death was not the end.тАЭ
тАЬElse, you would not be telling this tale,тАЭ Gees surmised, seeing in part the point to which the story
was driving.
тАЬElse I should not be telling it,тАЭ Naylor admitted. тАЬYou know, in spite ofтАФofтАФwell, a certain irritating
way you haveтАФyou are an understanding soul. I feel I can tell this to you.тАЭ
Not merely prejudice, but distrust of the man wakened as Gees heard the rather fulsome comment on
himself. He said, тАЬThat may be. This is, as you said, a long story, and I havenтАЩt heard it all, yet.тАЭ
тАЬDark Lagny left children,тАЭ Naylor went on. тАЬThere were two sons in this countryтАФshe spent a good
part of her life in BritainтАФand there were others, sons or daughters, who grew up and settledтАФand
marriedтАФin or near where Trondjhem stands to-day. On that fiord. That branch of her family is all that
counts in this tale of mine.
тАЬYou know Norse is Norman, of courseтАФthe Norsemen came to Normandy, and in due time Harold
of England fell into Duke WilliamтАЩs handsтАФthis part of it is childтАЩs historyтАФand swore away his
kingdom. Senlac, and the ConquestтАФand among Duke WilliamтАЩs followers was a descendant of Sigurd
and Dark Lagny, Hugo Main de FerтАФbecause at some time after Senlac he lost his left hand, and had it
replaced by an iron hook.
тАЬHe was a mere man-at-arms, but he got a knighthood or some patent of nobility from the Conqueror
over the devastation of the northтАФwhen William laid all Yorkshire waste in revenge for the attempted
rising. Also, this Hugo found and subsequently married one of the descendants of Dark LagnyтАЩs
British-born sons. Now I expect you have heard of William de Warenne, the ConquerorтАЩs favourite who
got so much out of his master?тАЭ
Gees nodded assent. тАЬHe had manors all over England,тАЭ he said.
тАЬYes,тАЭ Naylor assented, тАЬand this of TroyarbourтАФtrois arbersтАФwas one of them. To carry on the
storyтАФHugo Main de Fer died, and his wife became mistress of William de Warenne, for a little while.
Through thatтАФthey were lax over such things in those daysтАФher son became known as a de
WarenneтАФnot as a surname, because there were no surnames at that time, but as belonging to William
de Warenne. And William so much favoured him as to give him this manor of TroyarbourтАФto call it by
its present name, and get a barony for him from the ConquerorтАФam I making this clear to you?тАЭ
тАЬQuite clear,тАЭ Gees told him. тАЬCarry on with the tale.тАЭ