"Karl Edward Wagner - Ravens Eyrie" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wagner Karl Edward)

trickles of sweat. "Feel stronger once I get some food down,
catch some sleep. Can't spare more than a few hoursтАФPleddis
can't be far back."
"Figure we can risk it here till dawn. Darros says Pleddis will
have to camp. Demonlord's Moon tonight." Weed paused, then
added: "We lost Frassos coming down the ridge."
"No point looking for him," Kane concluded simply. "Not this
night."
Seth came stomping down from the rooms overhead. "Nobody
else here," he reported. "Just a skinny girl, and I locked her in her
room. Second floor's pretty near empty, but there's a big room
with a fire going on the third."
Kane nodded. It was hard to concentrate, and he could feel his
strength ebbing once more. "Put a guard where he can watch
outside, Weed," he ordered. "Another man stay awake to watch
things here. There's a big storeroom past the kitchen there. Tie
the men and lock them inside itтАФno point killing them if they
stay in line. Toss that body in with them.
"Leave the women out to clean up this mess. Doubt if anyone
else will come along tonight, but if they do, we don't need to give
alarm the instant they walk in. Then they can put together some
food for us. Watch them closely, though."
His eyes returned to Ionor's drawn face. "But you wouldn't try
to poison me, would you, Ionor?"
"It's a cleaner death than I'd wish for you, Kane," came her
strained reply.
"Bring me another bottle," Kane told her mockingly. "And one
of those hens I smell roasting." Grudgingly she complied. Kane
watched the sway of her body as she stiffly came toward him;
memory of her drew his lips in a cold smile.
"Sit down," he said. Since it was not an invitation, loner sat
down across from him, taking the chair his boot dragged
forward.
"Are your memories so bitter, Ionor?"
Her voice was cold, drained of angerтАФdeceptive, for hate
edged its timbre. "You and your bandits raided my father's inn,
slaughtered our guests, murdered my family, looted and set fire to
Raven's Eyrie. You gave my younger sisters to your men to rape
until death was a mercy! I could hear their screams even as you
had your way with me. I can still hear them. No, Kane! Bitter is
too sweet a word for the memories I have of you!"
No emotion touched Kane's pallid face. "Shouldn't have run off
on me like you did," he said, dividing the roasted fowl with
curious delicacy. "I could have made you forget that night."
His eyes seemed to wander from focus, and Ionor smiled
inwardly to see the fever that racked his giant body. "Nothing
will ever erase that night!" she whispered.
A rough hand squeezed her shoulder and drew her from her
seat. "Bring food for us," growled Seth, his mouth stuffed with
meat he had scooped up from the dead ranger's plate.