"03 - Legacy of the Sword" - читать интересную книгу автора (Roberson Jennifer)

And so he did not back down. He leaned closer to the man,
which caused the Homanan to flinch back, and spoke barely
above a whisper. "You are truly a fool to mink you can chase
me back into the forests. I come and go as 1 please. If you
think to dissuade me, you will have myself and my iir to
contend with." A brief gesture indicated the hackled wolf
and Taj's attentive flight. "What say you to me now?"

The Homanan looked down at Lom, whose ruddy muzzle
wrinkled to expose sharp teeth. He looked up at Taj as the
falcon slowly, so slowly, circled, descending to the street.

Lastly he looked at the Cheysuli warrior who faced him: a
young man of twenty-three, tall even in his saddle; black-
haired, dark-skinned, yellow-eyed; possessed of a sense of
grace, confidence and strength that was almost feral in its
nature. He had the look of intense pnde and preparedness that
differentiated Cheysuli warriors from other men. The look of
a predator.

"I am unarmed," the Homanan said at last.

Donal did not smile. "Next time you choose to offer insult
to a Cheysuli, I suggest you do so armed. If 1 was forced to
slay you, I would prefer to do it fairly."

The Homanan released the stallion's rein- He clutched at
his own so violently the horse's mouth gaped open, baring
massive teeth in silent protest. Back, back . . . iron-shod

16 Jennifer Roberson

hooves scraped against stone and scarred the cobbles. The
man paid no heed to the people he nearly trampled or the
collapse of a flimsy fruit stall as his mount's rump knocked
down the props. He completely ignored the shouts of the
angry merchant.

But before he left the square he spat once more into the
street.

Donal sat rigidly in his saddle and stared at the spittle
marring a single cobble. He was aware of an aching empti-
ness in his belly. Slowly that emptiness filled with the pain of
shock and outraged pride.

He is not worth slaying. But Lorn's tone within the pattern
sounded suspiciously wistful.

Taj, still circling, climbed back into the sky. You will see