"Kim Hunter - [The Red Pavillions 03] - Scabard's Song v1.0" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hunter Kim - [The Red Pavillions 03] - Scabard's Song)

Nearby were more bones, small and large. Piles of round skulls and long skulls; broken rib cages; scapulas; ghastly feet and hands planted like flowers in the ground around the two great dragons. Then a chill went through Soldier as he realised what the bead curtain was made of. Spinal cords! The backbones of warriors who had come to this place and had failed the test. In a pit on the far side of the old woman was a pile of rusting armour, with helmets, breastplates, horse harnesses, chain armour, shields. There were weapons too: many lances and spears, several daggers and swords, a crossbow or two. Here was the graveyard of the unfortunates, with an old woman sexton.
СMary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?Т muttered Soldier. СWith finger bones and fleshless toes all planted in a row.Т
The old woman looked up, briefly, and cackled, and stared at his chest, his hips, his shoulders.
СNot bad, not bad. But the best, I sell to the fairies,Т she said. СRib cages to gnome farmers for their harrows. Scapulas to goblins for their spades. Skulls for water carriers. Pelvis bones for flower bowls. Your bones are made of fairy gold, stranger.Т
Despite these ugly warning signs - the armour and the bones - Soldier marched up to the dragons. There was little point in pussyfooting around, once he had made up his mind. Dragons would kill you if you were nervous or nerveless, it mattered little to them. At first he thought he was going to be able to stride right between them, without them lifting a claw to stop him. However, just as he was about to do so, they closed together, forming a wall between him and the cave entrance.
СAnd you are going where?Т asked Gilchrista, the red one.
СAnd for what purpose?Т enquired Wilandow, the green.
СI seek my sword,Т answered Soldier, Сand was told by the dog-person, Wo, who is hiding like the coward he is in those trees behind me . . .Т a grunt of objection came from the forest fence С. . . that it was here, in this cave.Т
СAnd the name of that sword?Т asked Gilchrista.
СKutrama. I have his scabbard, here.Т He touched the sheath at his side. СHer name is Sintra.Т
СAh,Т murmured Wilandow, Сthen you would be . . . ?Т
СSoldier.Т
Gilchrista shook his-her head. СThat is not the name we were given.Т
Dismay entered SoldierТs heart. СNo, I have forgotten my real name. I was once a knight in another world, in another life. In fact I would appreciate knowing the name I bore then, if you have a mind.Т
СWell, we donТt have a mind,Т said Wilandow. СWe are not permitted to divulge names of people or swords. YouТll have to do better than this if you want to walk away whole. What, then, is the name of your bride?Т
СYou mean the name of my dear wife? Ah, that I can give you,Т he replied, eagerly. СThat is the beautiful Princess Layana, of GuthrumТs great city Zamerkand.Т
СThat is not the name we were given,Т said Gilchrista. СThe bride we speak of is dead and is buried beneath the snows of another world.Т
Despair again. Ah, once more I have to fall back on my defence of having no memory of that world, though I do have dreams of her death and those who are responsible.Т
СWhat a pity,Т said Wilandow, thrashing his-her tail and raising a dust devil. СWhat a great shame.Т
The old woman looked up, cackled again, and seemed to be coveting what lay beneath SoldierТs flesh.
СPretty hands,Т she said. СNice feet.Т
Soldier was at a loss. He said, СHow can I convince you?Т
Wilandow said, СYou say you are from the other world, the world where your bride rests beneath the snows.Т
СMy first bride, that is true.Т
СAnd that of course would account for your blue eyes,Т stated Gilchrista.
СYes, there are many in my old world who have eyes of blue, though there are other colours too, including brown.Т
СBut another came with blue eyes,Т said Wilandow.
СAnd he did not try to enter, so we had to let him go,Т added Gilchrista.
Soldier felt anger inside. СThat would be the enemy who has pursued me from the other world into this one and seeks my demise.Т
Wilandow said, СWe know something of the customs of this other world you claim to be from - Gilchrista will ask you a question. If you answer it, you may enter. If you make a mistake Ч any mistake - you will die. Are you ready to stake your life on such a question? Other knights are not. They run away in great fear, though we carol the word coward after them, trying to goad them into returning. Are you too a coward, knight? Is that how knights act in this world you are from?Т
СIs that the question?Т
СOf course not,Т growled Gilchrista, Сfor there is no proper answer to that one, only one manТs opinion.Т
СGive him the question, Gilchrista.Т
СMy question is: can you list for me by rank of noblemen and commoner which bird of prey each is entitled to use when out hunting with eagle, hawk and falcon? Take your time. WeТve got years if necessary. But you must get the list right. Make no mistake. We are aware of your customs and laws, blue eyes, so if you get it wrong we will know instantlyТ
СYou mean, for instance,Т said Soldier, his heart pounding, Сonly a king is permitted to hunt with a gyr falcon?Т
СThatТs what we mean, but youТve missed one out. You didnТt start at the top of the list as I expected you to. Or if you started at the bottom, youТve missed a whole lot of them. I donТt know whether that counts as a mistake already,Т said the green dragon, turning to the red. СWhat do you think, sister-brother? Do we have to kill him now?Т
There was a long pause during which SoldierТs heart was racing like mad, then the other dragon answered, СOh, I think that was just an example Ч he can start now, from the top of the list, working his way down through it, but with no more errors.Т
СThank you,Т murmured Soldier.
СSpeak up! DonТt mumble,Т chorused the dragons.
СYes, yes, I will. First comes an emperor, who is entitled to an eagle or a vulture.Т
СGood,Т cried Gilchrista. СAnd so on . . .Т
СA king with his gyr falcon. Princes, dukes and earls all have the same bird, a peregrine falcon. A knight of course has a saker, while his esquire may carry a lanner on his wrist. The knightТs lady will hunt with a merlin. Now, what comes next?Т SoldierТs mind was in a bit of a whirl. His brain suddenly froze. What came next? Was it a yeoman? He could not remember. It had, after all, been years. A yeoman, yes - yet there seemed to be someone missing. What rank? Surely, below an esquire and a knightТs lady was a yeoman? There was no other . . .
СTake your time,Т said Wilandow. СTime has a mellow quality for dragons. We savour it.Т
СI think . . . no, wait, yes Ч next comes a young man. He carries a hobby hawk!Т
СExcellent!Т cried Gilchrista. СYou nearly forgot the young man, didnТt you?Т
СYes, I admit it, I did, but then the hobby came to mind and I fitted the hawk to the rank.Т
СThatТs a brilliant way of doing it - but the list is not yet finished,Т said Wilandow. СThere are more, of course.Т
СYes there are, for after the young man comes the yeoman, who hunts with a goshawk. Then the priest, whose bird is the sparrowhawk. After him the holy-water clerk, whose permitted raptor is the male of the same species carried by the priest, which we call a musket.Т
СWell, thereТs a piece of information we didnТt expect,Т said Wilandow.
Gilchrista added, СNo, we werenТt aware that the musket was a male sparrowhawk. You learn something every day, donТt you? But the list is not yet finished, as IТm sure you know. Continue.Т