"Elizabeth Vaughan - Chronicles Of The Warlands 01 - Warprize" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vaughan Elizabeth)

She sighed. тАЬHave you been out working all this day?тАЭ
I stuffed my mouth with a bite of bread and waggled my eyebrows at her. Anna leaned back in her chair
and let out a laugh that set her whole body to shaking. Anna, Goddess love her, knew how to laugh. She
caught her breath, laid her fat arms on the table and looked at me shrewdly. тАЬHis Mightiness pulled the
army back within the walls this day, against WarrenтАЩs wishes. The WarlordтАЩs men are before the walls.тАЭ

тАЬI heard as much in the market. Is that true?тАЭ Not that I doubted her. Anna always seemed to be the first
to know.

тАЬAye.тАЭ She leaned forward and snagged the last of the bread. She turned her head and bellowed at
someone over by the fire. Then she looked at me. тАЬI hear tell that Warren was saying that His Mightiness
panicked.тАЭ She sniffed. тАЬBlood tells.тАЭ

тАЬAnna.тАЭ I scolded her. She hadnтАЩt liked the foreign queen and didnтАЩt like Xymund and never had. But
Anna was an institution and Xymund loved his comfort and his meals. So there was a truce of sorts. He
stayed away from her domain, and she let him run the kingdom with a full stomach.

She shook her head, setting the chins to wobbling. тАЬHeard tell heтАЩs sent a messenger to ask for terms.тАЭ

My eyes flew open at that. I thought that the battles had been going well, but perhaps XymundтАЩs pride
would not allow him to admit to anything less. For Xymund to even agree to talk to the man who had
beaten him so soundly, so recently, was a sign that things were bad.

A plate appeared on the table, this time with slices of toasted bread and cheese, with roasted onion. I
dug in, getting a piece before Anna could reach for one first. The cheese was still hot and bubbling on
top, and I blew on it, eager for a taste.

Anna inhaled her piece, impervious to the heat. She reached out a fat finger and prodded my basket. тАЬ
Does he know that you were out there again today?тАЭ

I shrugged, my mouth full.

тАЬI suppose you charmed your way past that son of mine.тАЭ

I shrugged.

She tapped her finger on the table, which caused ripples to move up her fleshy arm. тАЬWatch yourself,
child. Xymund is not Heath, to be wound around your finger. You are a thorn in his side, and you can
only push so far.тАЭ

тАЬLook whose talking.тАЭ

Anna focused a serious look on me, but said nothing more.

The doors to the main dining hall opened and in walked Othur, AnnaтАЩs husband and the castle seneschal.
A great barrel-chested man, he made his way through the servants toward us. He was sweating, his
brown hair plastered to his skull. He looked very tired and very pleased at the same time.

тАЬAnna, my love.тАЭ He put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a hearty kiss. тАЬYou did a wonderful job