"Andre Norton - Brother To Shadows" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

TarrHos's weapons swept in the ritual gesture. There was no sound from the man who
crumpled forward, only the moaning of the wind. Red spattered upward, not quite
reaching the perch of the priest.

LasStir, Left Hand of the Master, took another step forward. He did not look at his dead
fellow.

"It is permitted?" His voice, rendered harsh by an old throat wound, outrode the wind.

"It is permittedтАФthe issha holds."

With the same dexterity of weapons LasStir joined his colieutenant in death.

The Shagga descended the last two steps, making no effort to draw back the hem of his
robe from the spreading pools of blood coming to join as one.

Ten more made up that assembly left below, younger men, some near boys. Their short
cloaks were black, the sign of those who had not made at least ten forays for the honor of
the Lair. One in that line dared to speak to the Shagga.

"It is permitted?" His voice was a little too high, too shrill.

"It is not permitted!" The priest silenced him. "A Lair dies when its heart is no longer fed
by the will of its Master. The unblooded and half-sworn do not take up the issha.

"Rather you shall serve in other Lairs still as is demanded of you. Ho-Le-Far has ceased
to be." He made the Descent-of-Darkest-Night wave with his left handтАФso setting an end
to all which had existed here, erasing a long and valiant history. "Here no longer is there
a Post of Shadows."

For the first time there was a slight movement in that assembly. This was a thing of
disaster, almost of terror, and it was an evil fate to be caught in it.
The Shagga moved along the line slowly, stopping to eye each one, and to address that
one alone:

"HasGan and CarFur," he singled out the first two on the left. "Draw supplies and
weapons, go to the Lair of Tig-Nor-Tu. DisNov and YasWar, you will do likewise, but go
over mountain to Ou-Quar-Nin."

So it went until the priest reached the last in that line. He had to look up to meet eye to
eye with the waiting novice and now that it was fully light it was plain to see the sparks
of malice in his sunken eyes, the vicious twist of his lips as he shaped words which he
had long savored and held ready for this moment.

"OutlanderтАФmisbornтАФno-bloodтАФ Out with you to where you willтАФyou are not of the
Oath and by the Will of TransGar you never shall be. You are an abomination, a stain. No
doubt the Master's force death has come through you. You will take no weaponsтАФfor
those are of the Brotherhood, and henceforth you will go your own way!"