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

good, ram." He stepped away from the railing. The ram slowly rose, lifting his
head and sharp horns, but only watched as the boy stepped toward his mother.
'He was a good ram."
Lucenda swept Alucius up into her arms, hanging on tightly. "Yes, he was.
But you must be careful with the nightsheep."
'I was careful."
The ram tilted his head, before turning and walking toward the far side of the
corral.
'He'll be a herder, for sure, Ellus." The older and broad-shouldered Royalt
laughed. "He's already got a way with them. He'll be ready to take the flock with
us when you get back."
'That's good to know--and so young, yet." Ellus smiled and straightened the
green and black tunic. The smile faded as he looked at Lucenda and Alucius. He
stepped over to them and hugged both of them for a moment. Then he looked
at Alucius, his face serious. "You'll take care of your mother while I'm gone,
won't you?"
Alucius nodded.
 'Good." Ellus smiled once more. "I'll be back before long. Sure as there are
five seasons, I'll be back."
'I'll be here," Lucenda replied.
Still holding the smile, Ellus untied the roan and mounted, leading the gray as
he rode down the lane toward Iron Stem. He turned in the saddle and waved as
he passed the end of the outermost section of the southernmost corral.
The older man and woman took several steps back toward the main house,
before stopping and watching the rider. The younger woman stood by a fence
post, ignoring the nightram on the other side, tears streaming down her face.
The fingers holding her son's hand did not loosen as she sobbed.
Alucius looked at the departing rider. "Father..."
'He'll be back," Lucenda managed. "He will be."
Alucius watched until his father was out of sight. To the south, above the
high road that lay beyond vision, an eagle circled upward into the open expanse
of silver-green sky, a black dot that also vanished.

Outside, the evening was darkening, with neither moon to offer
illumination. Inside the second lambing crib, with only a small, single-crystal
light-torch to dispel the blackness, Alucius watched. His mother held a bottle
filled with goat's milk, feeding the small nightlamb. The lamb sucked greedily for
a short time, then stopped, lowering his head slowly.
'You have to drink more," Lucenda told the lamb gently. "It doesn't taste
right, but you have to drink it." She stroked the lamb.
'He doesn't like the sand. I wouldn't like sand in what I drank," Alucius said
solemnly.
'It isn't sand. It's quartz. It's powdered as fine as we can make it with the
crusher."
'But why?" Alucius gave a small frown.
'The ewes have it in their milk. They get it from the quarasote shoots. So we
have to put it in the goat's milk so the lamb will grow strong."
Alucius could sense the doubt in his mother. "He's very sick, isn't he?"
'He isn't as strong as he should be. It's hard for lambs who lose their
mothers. The other ewes don't have enough milk for two. Sometimes, they don't