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

As Destree worked with Josephinia's poor, pain-twisted body, the men waited without the
shrine. But when she issued forth again having put her charge under a soothe-sleep, she found only
Trimble there, striding distractedly up and down, while the draft animal sampled the sweet, high-growing
grass of the shrine field. Foss and Stanwryk were gone.

"Voice!" The farmer hurried toward her, his big hands outstretched as if to wring what he wanted
out of her. "What can a man do against th' Dark Ones? Long ago our kinfolk fled 'ere to be away from
such danger. Now --

Destree laid her hand gently on his shoulder. "The Lady takes care of Her own, Trimble. She will
show us a way."

He stared at her as if he wanted to accept her words as a sworn oath.

"Foss -- Stanwryk -- they have gone to raise th' valley that we can form a hunt. Pacle's hounds
-- " he shook his head slowly. "Voice, there has never been a hound whelped in the valley as dangerous
as Tightjaw, nor as sly and clever in th' hunt. Yet this thing took him with ease."

He smeared the palm of his hand across his face. "Voice, those who hunt the Dark are many
times fools."

Trimble was no coward, that she well knew. He only spoke bare reason. But how many would
listen to it?

"There is another way of hunting." She glanced over her shoulder to the shrine behind. "Be sure
that that will be tried."

It was well into midday when the clamor of leashed and impatient hounds and horses' pounding
hooves, as well as one man striving to bring them to order, sounded from the cart track. Josephinia had
wakened from her sleep and stretched cautiously.

"But there is only a memory of the pain now, Voice," she said excitedly. "I am as new!"

Destree showed her a flask. "Be sure to drink of what this holds night and morn. Also eat
sparingly of meat but well of that which grows in the earth through the Lady's bounty."

The ragged body of the assembled hunt came bursting in to shatter the peace of the shrine
meadow. Slavering hounds strained at the restraint of collar and the leash. Their handlers were a motley
crowd -- from lads still to name themselves men to a grandsire or two, they were milling about. Foss
pulled off his peaked leather cap and came directly to her.

"Voice -- Hubbar's youngest, he was down by th' river an' he saw a thing -- a thing of hair an'
huge of body, with fangs for tearing. It was by the water laving one arm -- for Tightjaw must have left his
mark after all. But when Yimmy came with th' news an' we went there it was gone. Now we ask the
Lady for arm strength and weapon strength to take it before it kills again!"

"I shall ask," she said, "but this I must say. If this is but some wild beast of a kind new to us, then
it can be well hunted. If it is more -- then go with caution."

He nodded as he put on his cap again. They were on their way. Trimble and his cart, with his