"Jennifer Roberson - Sword Dancer 4 - Sword Breaker" - читать интересную книгу автора (Roberson Jennifer)

Sword Breaker
Book 4 of the Sword Dancer series
By Jennifer Roberson




Prologue
There are things in life you just know, without having to think much about them.

Like now, for example.

I lurched to my feet in the darkness, staggered two steps through rocks, landed painfully on my
knees. "Oh, hoolies," I muttered.

And promptly discarded my supper.

Supper such as it was; Del and I hadn't really had much chance to eat a proper meal the night
before, being too tired, too twitchy, too tense. And, in my case, too dizzy.

Around me, insects fell silent. The only sounds I heard were the scraping of shod hooves in dirt--
my bay stud, Del's blue roan, hobbled a few steps away--and my own rather undignified bleat
that was half hiccup, half belch, and all disgruntlement.

From behind me, a sleep-blurred voice, and the scratch of pebbles and gritty dust displaced by a
moving body. "Tiger?"

I hunched there on my knees, sweaty and cold and miserable. My head hurt too much to attempt
a verbal answer, so I waved a limp, dismissive hand, swiping the air between us, and hoped it
was enough.

Naturally, it wasn't. With her, it never is.

Blurriness evaporated. She wastes little time waking up. "Are you all right?"

My posture was unmistakable. "I'm praying," I mumbled sourly, wiping my mouth on a burnous
sleeve; it was already filthy dirty. "Can't you tell?"

Sand gritted again. From behind she slung a bota, which landed next to me. The sloshing thwack
of leather on stone was loud in the pallor of first light. The stud snorted a protest. "Here," Del
said. "Water. I'll warm the kheshi."

Belly rebelled at the thought. My turn for a protest.

"Hoolies, bascha--kheshi's the last thing I need!"

"You need something in your stomach, or you'll be spewing your guts up all day."

Nice way to start the morning. Glumly, carefully, I reached down and hooked the bota thong,
shifting weight to ease aching knees. I was stiff and sore inside and out from the exertions of the