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

I avoided him for the moment and plunged my hands into one of the buckets. The familiar scents of the
herbs and mixtures were welcome and I took a deep breath. The bitter smell of feverтАЩs foe came in
through the window.

тАЬThe King has told you not to go there, Lara. I thought that maybeтАжтАЭ His voice trailed off, hinting at the
doubt in his eyes.

тАЬThe King? Let me worry about him, Eln.тАЭ I gathered my hair up and tried to tame it back in a braid. тАЬ
Death and injury arenтАЩt limited to us Xyians. I canтАЩt stop the fighting, canтАЩt bring peace, but I wonтАЩt
neglect wounded men. We take oaths when we gain our mastery. Remember?тАЭ
He sighed, and thrust ajar toward me. тАЬThereтАЩs extra of the feverтАЩs foe. It will go bad if itтАЩs not used.тАЭ

FeverтАЩs foe takes months to go bad. This jar was from last weekтАЩs batch. I hid my smile and put the jar
in the basket I had pulled from the corner, carefully cushioning all the other bottles inside. тАЬMy thanks.тАЭ

тАЬI wish I could do more.тАЭ He made a move to follow.

I picked up the basket and grabbed the jug of liniment that IтАЩd mixed the night before. тАЬEln, I donтАЩt
expect you to come with me.тАЭ

тАЬI have sworn the same oaths.тАЭ He tilted his head. тАЬXylaraтАжтАЭ

тАЬYou canтАЩt get away with disobeying the King, Eln.тАЭ I flashed him a smile. тАЬHeтАЩs not your half-brother.тАЭ

He laughed ruefully. тАЬThat is so.тАЭ

I smiled, headed outside, and paused to let my eyes adjust to the twilight. Summer was still with us, but
barely. There was a hint of chill in the evenings now, the first sign of the winter snows to come. I shifted
my basket and the jug and wished that I had thought to grab my cloak. It would be late before I would
finish my work in the tents deep in the castle gardens.

The barracks sprawled against the southern wall of the city. I had a fairly long walk ahead of me. Even as
I stepped out, my eyes were drawn up.

I have seen it nearly every day since I was a little girl, but the sight of the castle of WaterтАЩs Fall never
failed to amaze. The huge tower was built into the mountainside. Even in the starlight, its gray rugged
granite was a stark contrast to the greenery around it. The various waterfalls that gave the city and castle
its name trickled and roared down the cliffs, making a striking picture. Ten generations, the House of Xy
had labored to build and expand and improve the castle at the head of the valley and its city. I bit my lip,
trying to remember which ancestor had named the place. Xyson? Or was it Xyred?

I crossed the ward to the small gate that would let me out onto the main street. There was an older guard
there, and he raised a hand in greeting as I passed him. I nodded back, then plunged into the hustle and
bustle of the avenue. This late, everyone was starting to head for home. Rather than head north to the
main thoroughfare, I went south. It was the more direct route, although it would take me past the farmers
тАЩ markets. Hopefully the crowds would have dwindled, having made their purchases earlier in the day. I
strode along as quickly as I could, watching where I stepped. For all the ordinances about refuse, one
was never sure what might be tossed out into the street at any given moment. Of course there were fines,
but the Guard had little time to worry over that issue. They had more than enough problems on their