"Andre Norton - WW - Secrets 03 - The Warding of Witch World" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

overridden by it. On the point of giving birth, his mother Elys had been viciously ensorcelled, hidden
away in a state of half-life.

It had been Eydryth herself who had started the breaking of that spell, years long as it had lasted.
Her mother had been mercifully freed and within moments had given birth. But it was no baby toddling
toward her now. For, having been broken, that power, which had tightly held mother and unborn child
released time as well as captives, and in the weeks following his birth Trevor had caught up bodily and
mentally with the years he had been denied.

"Firdun?" He stood straight before her now, his thumbs looped into his belt, his lower lip
outthrust, taking on the guise of Guret, the Torgian horsemaster, to a comic degree.

Inwardly Eydryth was close to sighing. Firdun, the son of Joison and Kerovan, and recognized
by them all as having talent perhaps even past their own way of measuring -- was as unlike his sister
Hyana as day from night. So far the discipline of his parents had held, but he had refused within the past
month to work longer with Alon (of whom Eydryth thought he was jealous).

Perhaps the greatest difficulty of all was the fact he had not been named to the Champions of the
Gryphon. Eydryth's own father Jervon had not been among them, but he was a fighting man without talent
and readily accepted that his worth lay in another direction. But Trevor--yes, the newborn--had been
named to their chosen circle, though he was but a child. Firdun had not, in spite of his obvious power.
 Trevor, however, had fastened upon the older youth as a life model. He dogged Firdun whenever
he could and, while Firdun was never harsh with him, he now avoided the child as much as he was able.

"Firdun said," Trevor was continuing, "that we would go to see the horses. The choosing." His
large eyes were shining. "Could be one might even choose me and then Father would not say I was too
little to ride except with him."

Suddenly Eydryth shivered. She had no farseeing talent, but it was as if a dark troubling had
touched her for an instant.

To her surprise, Trevor swung away from her. At the same time she heard the pounding of
hastening boots on stairs. A moment later Alon burst into the courtyard and skidded to a sudden stop
just before he crashed into the two of them, as if he could not control the force of the necessity which had
brought him. One of his hands fell on Trevor's small shoulder and he pulled the small body closer. At the
same time he reached also to Eydryth as if he must embrace them both, as he was looking in the same
direction as Trevor.

There was nothing to be seen--not for her. But she swept fingers across the harp strings and
their answer was much louder than she had sought for--almost nearing the blast of a battle horn.

Alon shook his head at her as he pushed her brother into her arms, taking a position before the
two of them. Trevor was wriggling and Eydryth had a hard time holding him under control.

The troubling! It was not just a touch now. From the camp in the valley below, as far as that was
from them, they heard a dulled shouting, the screams of fear-maddened horses.

"Garth Howell rides!" Alon spat.

Eydryth shivered. Those of Garth Howell had good reason to hate her. Fueled by rage, she had