"Patrick Tilley - Amtrak 3 - Iron Master" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tilley Patrick)

could not bear the idea of being second-best. Had he wished to avenge
his honour, he could have denounced her in front of the assembled clan
and demanded her death. By the laws of the Plainfolk, her trial would
have been a mere formality.

But that route was not open to him. Even now, Cadillac would have
gladly given up his own life to save hers. The bonds of friendship,
rooted in the shared pain and joy of their childhood and nurtured by
their special 'otherness', could never be broken until Mo-Town called
their spirits back into the luminous crystal waters that filled the
great Cup of Life. Moreover, he had no proof Clearwater had betrayed
him. She had not confessed her guilt. Indeed, her manner towards him
had hardly changed. But he knew! He knew! Her clouded blue eyes told
him that her mind and heart had parted company with his.

He also knew that, as a fellow-summoner, Mr Snow was bound to leap to
her defence, leaving him completely tongue-tied. The degree of respect
and obedience demanded by the ancient code of the wordsmiths made it
impossible for an apprentice to contradict his master publicly. To do
so would have been an unforgivable breach of etiquette. But even if he
had been foolish enough to try, he could never have won an argument
with Mr Snow. Far from gaining any sympathy, he would find himself
being mocked by those who envied him and sought to bar him from the
ranks of the Bears.

The simplest solution was to drop out of the contest; give up all claim
to Clearwater. But even this had its dangers. If she ceased to visit
his hut, eyebrows would be raised, tongues would start to wag. And if,
as he suspected, she and the cloud warrior had laid between the fox and
the wolf, it would not remain secret from her clan sisters for long.

Women had a way of knowing these things. They were also unable to keep
a secret. Once the news spread it would not be long before both of
them were called to account before the clan elders.

No. Regardless of his feelings, the most sensible course of action was
to take her with him to BethLem.

By so doing the truth could be concealed from the clan until their
return - perhaps for ever. Given time, a reconciliation was not
impossible. His pride had been hurt but he was not too proud to admit
that her presence on such a perilous journey would still be welcome.



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What had happened was the will of Talisman. So be it...