"Tamora Pierce - The Song of the Lioness 3 - The Woman Who Ri" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pierce Tamora)

Renewing her grip on Lightning's hilt, she settled her shield more firmly on her arm. The hill-men closed
rapidly, fanning out in a half circle that would close around Alanna and her companion. Grimly the
knight clenched her jaw and ordered, "Take them in a charge."
"What?" yelped Coram.
Alanna charged directly at the hillmen. Coram gulped and followed her, letting out a war cry.
Moonlight reared as they reached the first raiders, striking out with hooves: she had been trained for
battle years ago. Alanna slashed about her with Lightning, ignoring her enemies' yells of fury.
A one-eyed villain closed in, grabbing her sword arm. With an angry yowl Faithful leaped from his cup
with his claws unsheathed. The one-eyed hillman screamed and released Alanna, trying to pull the
hissing cat away from his face.
"Lass! Beware!" Coram bellowed, trying to fend off three at once. He yelled in pain as one of them
opened a deep gash on his sword arm. He swore and attacked again, dropping his shield and switching
his sword to his good left hand.
Warned by her companion, Alanna whirled to face a giant hillman, a grinning mountain with red hair and
long braided mustaches. He guided his shaggy pony with his knees, leaving his hands free to grip the hilt
of a sword with an odd crystal blade. Alanna eyed its razor-sharp length and gulped, ducking beneath the
red-headed man's first swing. He reversed it, and she blocked it with her shield just in time, yelping at the
pain of impact. She struck back with Lightning, only to miss as her attacker darted away.
She refused to follow and fight on his terms. Instead she brought her lioness shield up and waited.
The giant returned, circling her carefully. His pony lunged forward, and Moonlight reared, warning it
back with her flailing hooves. Alanna caught another blow from the crystal blade on her shield, feeling
the shock through her entire body.
I hope my brother put plenty of magic on this shield, she thought grimly. Otherwise it won't last through
its first battle!
She turned Moonlight as the giant circled her on his nimble pony. With a kick of her heels she urged the
gold mare forward, slashing at her opponent. She was a knight of Tortall, and not to be toyed with!
She used every chance to break through his guard. He blocked her time after time, grinning in-
furiatingly.
Alanna drew back, breathing hard and fighting to keep her control. Now the giant returned the attack, and
she blinked sweat from her eyes: she could not afford to make a mistake now! His tactics were different
from those of the mounted knights she had fought before; she didn't know what to expect.
Suddenly the midday sun was directly in her eyesтАФhe had maneuvered her just for this. Only at the last
second did she glimpse his sword descending on her. She brought Lightning up hard, slamming her blade
hilt-to-hilt with the giant's sword. There was a ring of clashing metal, and the downward sweep of the
crystal edge was stopped.
Then Lightning broke, sheared off near the hilt.
Moonlight darted away, taking Alanna out of the hillman's range. Her mistress stared at the hilt she still

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 THE WOMAN WHO RIDES LIKE A MAN - Tamora Pierce

gripped. Lightning had been her sword ever since she had been considered fit to carry one. How could
she fight without it in her hand?
Coming out of her daze, Alanna fumbled for her axe. She was trembling with rage; it took all her self-
control to keep from losing her temper completely and making a fatal mistake. Axe in hand, she charged
the hillman with a yell. She didn't hear the warning cries of the other hillmen, or Coram's gleeful whoop;
she heard only the wheezing of the giant's pony and her own choked breath. She swung, swearing as the
hillman ducked and pulled out of her range. She was closing with him again when he yelled, seeing
something behind her. To her fury, he whirled his pony and fled, calling to the few men he had left.
Alanna spurred after him.