"Andrew J. Offutt - Cormac 01 - The Mists of Doom" - читать интересную книгу автора (Offutt Andrew J)

MidhirтАЩs head jerked up and his face was instantly alert. тАЬAh.тАЭ Aengus was his second, as Midhir himself had
been second to Art.
тАЬAengus is after taking out a company of men yester night, to search. Nor have they returned.тАЭ
Cormac sat in silence whilst he gave listen, nor would he use the beer to dull and ease his mind. The while
he thought of Art, and of the past, and of himself, and the tears flowed down his cheeks. The sons of Eirrin
were men, and sureness of it was on them; theyтАЩd no need to hold back or disguise their tears.
Cormac knew himself to be alone now. These two discussed a dead man. He wasтАФhe had been CormacтАЩs
only kin. He had not known the sister who died, at less than a year of age, a year before his birth. He hardly
remembered the brother on whom illness and death had come, in his third year, when Cormac was but one.
His mother was two years dead; in winter she died, as so many did. He was alone. He felt that alone-ness,
and knew it would become loneliness.
Despair he would combat, and reject, for he remembered the words of his father on that subject, after the
death of CormacтАЩs mother Sobarche. Despair was not worthy. That he had of his father, and he would keep all
that he had of that good and noble man. Was Art too had told him that Eirrin had need of weapon-men, that
Connacht did, and so he must observe Midhir, and listed to Midhir, and practice with him. Too, Art had said
that the world had need of men who thought, and particularly of such men of weapons, so that he had bade
Cormac listen to Sualtim, and made the boy subject to the druid who had earned; the sobriquet Fodla for his
wisdom. A man should not draw blade and leap, Cormac had beep told, and told. A man should think, and
consider, and let his own self decide, rather than his glands. And then were it called for, he should draw blade
and leapтАФand if possible with the absolute ferocity of a hungry and cornered wolf. Were best not to kill, he
had been told, unless it were necessary. If it wereтАФthen kill, and kill swiftly.
Someone had thought, and considered, and drawn blade, and slain Art, swiftly.
On this Cormac was reflecting when they heard the horses outside, and then the voices and tramp of men.
Was Aengus, with all his company. They had found naught. In the noonday sun he looked worse than
unhappy, for all his freckles that vanished not with the winter; shame was on the face of Aengus DomnalтАЩs
son, as for some failure of his own.
Midhir allowed himself to well into a rage that would build to loud railing against his second; AengusтАЩs face
and downcast manner helped, of course, for they were all of them sore in need of an object for their wrath.
A very young man put his hand on the shoulder of Aengus DomnalтАЩs son.
тАЬThank you, Aengus,тАЭ he said, and his eyes were on Midhir, and they were clear of tears and blue-grey as
sword-steel.
Aengus looked both sad and grateful. Midhir subsided. They stared at mac Art then, the two stout
weapon-men and the long-gowned druid. They saw him anew, and his words now heightened their new feeling
for him.
тАЬSualtim: my father is dead and the slayer escaped. The rath mourns. Prepare him for burial, on the morrow.
Midhir: send messengers throughout the land about, and to the king in Cruachan, that Art is dead and his
son burying him on the morrow. See that none of those with Aengus go; they have done their best, and are
weary.тАЭ
He looked at them a moment, and then Cormac turned and re-entered the house.
Sualtim nodded. тАЬI will prepare Art, and prepare for the funerary rites,тАЭ he said, though not for the ears of
Cormac. тАЬNo need for the couriers, Midhir; that I was thinking of this morning and I saw them dispatched.тАЭ He
gazed solemnly on Midhir and Aengus. тАЬSee that no mention is made of this to Cormac. He too thought of it;
let it be his word.тАЭ
The two men nodded, but they were gazing after the youth-become-man, not at the druid. So big and
accomplished Cormac was for his years, and him coming to manhood so suddenly, and his hard encounter
with the bear to be swallowed up by this tragedy, the way that heтАЩd never feel the good glory of it was his due.
And now, now he was master of Glondrath, and he both knew it and had shown it.
And, they all realized... surely he was in danger.

Amid the keening and the intoning of words in a language far older than Eirrin, Cormac remained silent.