"Elizabeth Moon - Paksenarrion 1 - The Sheepfarmer's Daughter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moon Elizabeth)

Her own wavered as she tried to shift the grip of her left
hand. "Steady!" Paks let her eyes slide sideways to see
how others in the front rank were doing. Everyone
seemed to be in the right position. "Now тАФ bring them
back vertical again. That's right. Now slope 'em back тАФ
no тАФ No! Control it, don't let it get away from you."
They repeated this exercise again and again until the
whole unit could shift the reeds from vertical to sloped
position without getting out of position. Paksenarrion's
arms ached, and her palms tingled unpleasantly where the
reed slid back and forth.
"We're going to march back with them at slope," said

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Elizabeth Moon - The Deed of Paksenarrion [vol 1] Sheepfarmer's Daughter


Stammel. "And you'd best not look as foolish as the other
units, either. Anyone who drops a reed тАФ " he scowled at
them.
They managed to make it back to the courtyard before the
others, without dropping anything but sweat. By the time
the other units were in and halted, their own reeds were
safely on the ground.
Gradually their weapons skills improved. They took
fewer тАФ but never no тАФ thumps from Siger, and the
spears seemed more manageable. After Paks took the skin
off the inside of her left arm during archery practice, she
learned to keep her elbow braced correctly. They all
suffered a variety of lumps, cuts and scrapes, but the only
serious injury in Paks's unit was Mikel Falsson, who fell
from the wall while working on repairs and broke both
legs. He recovered, but with a bad limp, and eventually
went to work in the armory.
"He was lucky not to lose either leg," said Devlin. "That
was as nasty a break as I've seen." Paks shuddered,
remembering the white ends of bone sticking out.
"If there'd been a Marshal here тАФ " began Effa. Devlin
interrupted.
"No. Don't say that. Not here. Not in this Company."
Effa looked puzzled. "But I thought Phelan's Company
recruited mostly Girdsmen тАФ doesn't it?"
"Once it did, but not now."
"But when I joined, and said I was a yeoman, Stammel

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Elizabeth Moon - The Deed of Paksenarrion [vol 1] Sheepfarmer's Daughter


said it was good."