"Roads by Seabury Quinn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Quinn Seabury)

peaceful travelers?"
The decurion in command turned on him fiercely. "Stand
back, Barbarian. We be soldiers of the King, and -"



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"By Father Odin's Ravens, I care not if ye be Caesar's
soldiers, I'll have your reason for attacking this good man and
wife, or the sword sings its song!" Claus roared.
"Seize him, some of you," the decharch ordered. "We'll
take him to the Tetrarch for his pleasure. The rest stand by, we
have our task to do - give me thy baby, Woman!" He bared
his sword and strode up to the woman seated on the ass, a
sleeping baby in her arms.
And now the wild war-madness of his people came on
Claus. A soldier sprang at him and thrust his lance straight at
his face, but Claus's long sword clove through bronze
spearhead and ash-wood stave, and left the fellow
unweaponed before him. Then before his adversary could
drag out his shortsword Claus thrust, and his blade pierced
through the soldier's shield and through the arm behind it,
and almost through the cuirassed body. The man fell with a
gasping cry and three more soldiers leapt at Claus, heads low
above their shields, their lances at rest.
"Aie, for the song of the sword, aie for the red blood
flowing, aie for the lay Storm-Maidens sing of heroes and
Valhalla!" chanted Claus, and as he sang he struck, and struck
again, and his gray-steel blade drank thirstily. Four soldiers of
the Tetrarch's guard he slew before they could close with
him, and when two others, rushing to attack him from behind,
laid hands on him, he dropped his sword and, reaching
backwards, took his adversaries in his arms as if he were some
monstrous bear and beat their heads together till their helmets

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toppled off and their skulls cracked and they fell dead, blood
rushing from their ears and noses. Now only four remained to
face him, and he seized the double-bladed axe that dangled at
his girdle and with a mighty shout leapt on his foes as though
they had been one and he a score. His iron axe-blade clove
through bronze and bullock-hide as though they had been
parchment, and two more of the Tetrarch's guardsmen fell
dead; the other two turned tail and fled from this avenging