"Katya Reimann - Tielmaran 2-A Tremor in the Bitter Earth" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reimann Katya)

ankles.
The leather, touching the boyтАЩs skin, seemed to burn it. An acrid tang sprang out, strong enough to
overpower the musky scent of chestnut blossom. Tullier could sense magic. A strong prayer had set the
spell on the leather. He bent forward, trying to understand what he was seeing.
тАЬKeep yourself busy.тАЭ Corbulo glanced at his novice, his voice sharp. Tullier had a confused sense
that his master did not want him watching, that despite his instruction that Tullier should watch, he was
doing a thing he wished to finish without witnesses. тАЬGive thanks to Llara that everything so far has gone
smoothly. Goddess help us with this nextтАФтАЭ
With a sudden powerful heave he jerked the strapped boy up by his ankles and lashed him, head
down, to one of the chestnutтАЩs low branches. The acrid scent grew stronger. It smelled of burning, of
ritual power.
Tullier, with all his training, could guess neither the ritualтАЩs purpose nor the source of its power. The
ugly burnt odor did not smell like LlaraтАЩs magic. . ..
тАЬGo on,тАЭ Corbulo said roughly, seemingly reading his apprenticeтАЩs doubts. тАЬBless Llara for letting
you observe this.тАЭ With the first boy secure, the journey-master nervously ran the second strap through
his finтАФ
gers and bent to bind the bigger boy. Now Corbulo was the one who was rushing, almost clumsy.
тАЬThanks be to the Thunderbringer,тАЭ said Tullier, eager to demonstrate his obedience, but bewildered.
The upended bodies, the way the ankles were strapped, reminded him more of stock hanging in a
butcherтАЩs slaughteryard than of human bodies readied for death. He saw no signs of the Thunderbringer
or of the rites of death as he had been taught them. Only the prayer that Corbulo called him to recite was
familiar. He began: тАЬGreat Llara, our thanks for this kill, proof here of LlaraтАЩs favorтАФтАЭ
CorbuloтАЩs next action cut TulherтАЩs prayer short. A shocking, sharp interruption, as he drew a knife
across the first of the boysтАЩ throats. There was nothing in the kill: just a slash with his knife, repeated for
the second boy. A slash and a quick end.
тАЬтАФproof here of LlaraтАЩs favor,тАЭ Tullier repeated, тАЬand of Her Blessing on us.тАЭ The boy stared at his
teacher, appalled. The journey-master should not have made his kill with his apprenticeтАЩs recitation
unfinished. Not after he had specifically asked Tullier to recite the blessingтАФ
тАЬThese young ones should have been locked behind warded gates.тАЭ Corbulo wiped his knife on one
of the discarded jackets and pushed it cleanly into the sheath on his thigh. He would not meet TullierтАЩs
eye. тАЬItтАЩs a sign of LlaraтАЩs support for us that they werenтАЩt. DonтАЩt be displeased, boy, that this part has
gone so smoothly. ItтАЩs not Lady Van-deriveтАЩs fault Tielmarans are fools who left the treasury door of her
blood unguarded. This has gone smoothly, thank Llara, smoothly. Bless the Great Thunderer for that.тАЭ
Smoothly? Tullier shot a skeptical look at the fast-draining corpses, and then at his master. Corbulo
was repeating himself too insistently. Something had gone awry. This was not the way of death that
Tullier had been taught. There was something unpleasant here. Something concealed, something beyond
what a master should keep from his subordinate.
тАЬI thought Lady Vanderive was our target.тАЭ The question was out of his mouth before he could quell
it.
тАЬShe is.тАЭ
тАЬI thought she was our only target. You told me Bissanty was bringing Tielmark to heel, that we were
here to teach Tielmark it is not free, not safe from Bissanty aggression.тАЭ
тАЬSo?тАЭ
тАЬThisтАФтАЭ Tullier gestured at the strung-up corpses. He hesitated, but the words had to be spoken.
тАЬThere is no hope in me that I could finish this work if you were to die.тАЭ Novice stared at journey-master.
For a moment, neither moved.
This was TullierтАЩs inaugural mission. He had been well drilled in its terms. No Sha Muira could return
to the home island with any part of his mission uncompleted. Because of this, the Sha Muir code decreed
that a noviceтАЩs first mission should be limited to a task he might hope to accomplish unaided, in the
unlikely event that his master failed him.