"L. E. Modesitt - Corean Chronicles 1 - Legacies" - читать интересную книгу автора (Modesitt L E)

green uniform of the Iron Valley Militia. Tied to the post outside the stable were
a roan, saddled, and a gray mare. The gray tied beside the roan had no saddle,
but a harness and two leather bags of provisions across its back.
'Father?" offered the boy.
The uniformed man bent down and scooped up the child, holding him against
his shoulder so that their faces were but handspans apart. "You'll be a good boy
for Mother, won't you, Alucius?"
'Yes, Father." His words were carefully articulated.
'He's always good," offered the older woman who stood back from the
couple.
'You'd say that anyway, Veryl," countered the older man. "I might," Veryl
responded with a smile, "but Alucius is good. Lu-cenda knows that."
'You'll be careful, Ellus," said Lucenda. "You will, won't you?" "He'll be fine,"
boomed the older man. "Best officer in all Iron Valley. Just going after brigands,
that's all. Not like the border wars with the Lanachronans when I was his age.
They had Talent-wielders. Not very good, but they did call out sanders--"
'That was then, Royalt," Veryl pointed out. "You and Ellus can compare
stories when he comes back. Reillies, sanders, Talent-wielders... whatever you
want."
The three other adults smiled at the dryness of her tone. Ellus handed Alucius
back to Lucenda, then bent forward and hugged her, kissing her on the cheek.
"You two be good. I shouldn't be gone that long."
Alucius squirmed, and Lucenda set him down beside her, and threw her arms
around her husband, holding him tightly.
 Alucius looked up at the pair, embracing, then to the corral not two yards
from where he stood. His eyes met the black-rimmed red orbs of the lead
nightram, and he gently let go of his mother's trousers, taking one step, then
another toward the black-wooled ram with the red eyes and sharp horns.
'Alucius!" Lucenda cried, lunging toward her son. "Let him go," came Royalt's
voice. "Best we see now. He's protected by the fence. Rams don't hurt children,
unless the children hit them, and Alucius won't do that."
Lucenda glanced from Alucius to the fence, and to the nightram on the far
side of the four rails. Then she looked to Ellus. His lips were tight, his eyes fixed
on their son.
In the silence that had settled across the stead, Alucius took three more
steps, until his chest was against the second railing. The nightram stepped
forward and lowered his head, until his eyes focused on the child. The curled and
knife-pointed black horns glittered, reflecting the sun from their lethal
smoothness, standing out from the light-absorbing all-black face, and from the
black fleece that was so deep in color that the ram was darker than any night.
Even the sharp-edged hoofs were night-black.
The boy smiled at the nightram, then reached out with his left hand and
touched the beast's jaw, fingertips from the sharp teeth. "Good! Good ram."
For a long moment, the nightram's eyes took in Alucius. Then the ram slowly
lowered himself to the ground, so that his eyes were level with those of the boy.
Alucius smiled. "He's a good ram."
'Yes, he is." Lucenda's voice was strained.
'He likes me."
'I'm sure he does."
Deliberately, slowly, Alucius lifted his hand away from the nightram. "You be