"Mary Stewart - The Arthurian Saga 02 - The Hollow Hills" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stewart Mary)

usual huddle of masts beyond the bridge, and nearer, on the towpath that threaded its way along the
silver curves of the river, a slow grey horse towed a grain barge up to the mill. The mill itself, lying where
the stream from my own valley met the river, was hidden in woodland; out of these trees ran the old
military road which my father had repaired, straight as a die through five open miles, to the barracks near
Maridunum's eastern gate.

On this road, perhaps a mile and a half beyond the water-mill, there was a cloud of dust where
horsemen skirmished. They were fighting; I saw the flash of metal. Then the group resolved itself, clearer
through the dust. There were four mounted men, and they were fighting three to one. The lone man
seemed to be trying to escape, the others to surround him and cut him down. At length he burst free in
what looked like a desperate bid for escape. His horse, pulled round hard, struck one of the others on
the shoulder, and its rider fell, dislodged by a heavy blow. Then the single man, crouched and spurring
hard, turned his horse off the road and across the grass, making desperately for the cover afforded by the
edge of the woodland. But he did not reach it. The other two spurred after him; there was a short, wild
gallop, then they had caught him up, one on each side, and as I watched he was dragged from his horse
and beaten to his knees. He tried to crawl away, but he had no chance. The two horsemen circled, their
weapons flashing, and the third man, apparently uninjured, had remounted and was galloping to join
them. Then suddenly he checked his horse, so sharply that it reared. I saw him fling up an arm. He must
have shouted a warning, for the other two, abruptly abandoning their victim, wheeled their beasts, and the
three of them galloped off, full stretch, with the loose horse pelting behind them, to be lost to sight
eastwards beyond the trees.

Next moment I saw what had startled them. Another group of horsemen was approaching from the
direction of the town. They must have seen the retreating trio, but it soon appeared that they had seen
nothing of the attack, for they came on at a canter, riding at ease. I watched them as they drew level with
the place where the fallen man тАФ injured or dead тАФ must be lying. They passed it without slackening
pace. Then they, too, were lost to sight below the woodland.

My horse, finding no more bread, nipped me, then jerked his head away sharply, ears flattened. I caught
him by the halter, pulled up the tether, peg and all, and turned his head downhill.

"I stood on this spot once before," I told him, "while a King's messenger came riding to see me and bid
me go and help the King to his desire. I had power that day; I dreamed I held the whole world cupped in
my hands, shining and small. Well, maybe I've nothing today but the hill I stand on, but that might be a
Queen's messenger lying down yonder, with a message still in his pouch. Message or not, he'll need help
if he's still alive. And you and I, my friend, have had our fill of idleness. It's time to be doing again."

In a little less than twice the time it would have taken my servant to do the job, I had the horse bridled,
and was on my way down the galley. Reaching the mill road, I turned my horse's head to the right, and
drove my heels in.

The place where I had seen the horseman fall was near the edge of the woods, where the bushes were
thick, a place of bracken and undergrowth and scattered trees. The smell of horses still hung in the air,
with the tang of trampled bracken and sweet briar and, foul through it all, the smell of vomit. I dismounted
and tethered my horse, then pushed my way forward through the thick growth.

He lay on his face, half hunched as he had crawled and collapsed, one hand still trapped under his body,
the other outflung and gripping a tuft of bracken. A youth, lightly built but well grown, fifteen, perhaps, or
a little more. His clothes, torn and grimed and bloodstained by the fight and his crawl through the thorns,
had been good, and there was a glint of silver on one wrist, and a silver brooch at his shoulder. So they