"Tamora Pierce - Protector Of The Small 3 - Squire" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pierce Tamora)

stopped by. I forgot to see to your kit. Do you have an hour? I know you'll want to sup with your
friends, but we should handle some things while we can."
Kel nodded.
"We'll see to personal armor tomorrow, but as you know, such things take time. Qasim will help you
draw pieces to tide you over when we're done talking," Raoul explained. "Until you get your own
weapons, use company issue. You need a sword and dagger, a small axe, a shield. That's a company
shield, Qasim - I'm having a proper Goldenlake shield made, but that takes a week. Kel, which are you
better at, longbow or crossbow?"
"Long, my lord," Kel replied. "And I have a bow, sword, and dagger."
"Let Qasim review them," Raoul said. "He may ask you to use ours for now." He nodded to Qasim.
"Standard field kit. Now, long weaponsтАж" He gazed at Kel thoughtfully. "Lances are good for
tournaments, giants, and ogres, but they're unwieldy in a scramble. Most of us carry spears - "
"A third use halberds," Flyndan added.
"I know you can use a spear," Raoul continued, thinking aloud. "Have you tried a halberd?"
Kel hesitated. Lord Wyldon had never let her use her favorite weapon, which was similar to a halberd.
I won't know if I don't ask, she thought. "One moment, my lord?" she asked. At his nod she returned to
her room.
"She's polite enough," Kel heard Flyndan say.
"What did you expect?" Raoul was amused. "Wyldon trained her. He's serious about manners."
Kel's wooden practice glaive and a standard glaive hung on a rack behind the connecting door. She
took the live weapon down. The five-foot-long staff was teak, the base shod in iron. The blade was
eighteen inches long at the tip and broadly curved. The blue ripples under the polished surface marked it
as the best steel money could buy. It was a gift from her mother and Kel's prize.
"I can use this, my lord," she said as she returned to the next room. The three men were talking. When
they stopped to look at her, Flyndan's jaw dropped. Qasim smiled.
Raoul walked over to her, eyes on the weapon. "May I?" he asked, holding out his hands. Kel gave
him the glaive and stood back. He spun it in a circle, as he might a staff. "Nice weight," he commented.
"Hey, Flyn, look here." He extended his arm and balanced the glaive on one finger. It remained steadily
horizontal. He picked up a quill and set the end on the blade's edge. The steel cut it in half without Lord
Raoul pressing the feather down. Flyndan whistled. "What's this?"
"It's a glaive, sir," Kel replied. "The Yamanis call them naginata. Noblewomen fight with these. Since
we were at court, we learned, too."
"Can you use it?" Flyndan demanded. "Don't take this the wrong way, but that looks awkward for a -
" Flyndan swallowed a word and finished with "youngster."
Raoul handed the glaive to Kel and pushed back some chairs to make room. Kel began the cuts,
turns, and swings of a pattern dance. She picked up the pace, until her blade was a silver blur shadowed
by the longer dark blur of the staff. She finished with a rapid spin and halt, the blade stopping just short of
a chair.
"Captain Whiteford." She offered him the weapon. Flyndan took it in one hand and nearly dropped it;
he'd been unprepared for the weight.
"So you've got a long weapon," Raoul said calmly, resting his behind on his desk. "Chain mail?"
"I will find something to fit," Qasim promised as Kel shook her head.
Flyndan, expressionless, returned the glaive to Kel. Qasim dusted his hands - the birds had eaten
every cherry - and jerked his head toward the door. Kel bowed to Raoul and followed Qasim, her
animals in their wake. She stopped to put her glaive on the rack.
"I chose a tent and bedroll for you already," Qasim remarked. He pointed to a tightly wrapped bundle
on Kel's clothespress. "The bedroll is inside the tent. So too are the stakes and rope you will need. May I
see your weapons? I need also to look at your travel gear."
Qasim checked everything, eyes sharp as he tested edges and cleanliness. He then inspected her travel
packs. "This is all very good," he said. "I am envious."