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

"We'll talk more later, perhaps," Kane called after her. Her
shoulders tensed, but she made no reply.
"Want some opium?" queried Braddeyas, once they had
secured the men in the storeroom. "It'll take the sting out of your
side to where you can sleep good. You'll need your strength.''
"I can sleep," mumbled Kane, swallowing a mouthful of
brandy. "Don't want to dull my wits, with Pleddis likely to catch
us before the next ridge." His chin declined slowly toward his
chest.
Then he jerked his head erect and stared fiercely about him.
"Bring my sword from my saddle!" he demanded. "Pleddis on our
necks, and I sit here like a besotted lord at his wedding feast. This
is no time to sleep! Fix me a pipe to hold me awake."
Weed signed insistently to Braddeyas, and the broken-toothed
outlaw began to fill a pipe with coarse tobacco, secretly stuffing a
large crumb of opium into the bottom of the bowl. He lit the pipe
with a wood splinter and handed it to Kane.
Darros reappeared at the door, carrying Kane's long sword in
one hand, while he hastily drew the bolt with his other. "Thoem! I
don't like that mist!" he muttered, not voicing his true thoughts.
Kane took the strangely-hilted blade from him and rested the
scabbard against his leg. His fingers touched it, sensed its
strength. Steel knew neither pain nor exhaustion, and its only
fever was the warmth of an enemy's blood. Kane wished such
unfeeling strength were his, for he was desperately tired, and he
dared not rest. His vision blurred and cleared with the throbbing
of his skull. "I've gone into battle in worse shape than this," he
said defiantly, drawing at the harsh smoke that passed so easily
into his lungs.
When the pipe was out, Weed took it from his relaxed fingers.
Kane's slumped head did not lift from his chest; his breathing was
slow and regular, his eyes closed.
"He'll rest better like this," explained Weed. "Let's get him to a
bed. Did you say there was a place ready upstairs?"
Staggering under Kane's weight, Seth and Darros hauled their
unconscious leader up the narrow stairway to the inn's topmost
floor. There a common room had been prepared for several of the
guests; a fire burned on its hearth, and a straw-ticked bed was
covered with a quilted blanket. They stretched Kane across the
bed and threw the quilt over him.
"Go on and get some rest," advised Weed. "Braddeyas and I
will take first watch."
He waited until they had quit the chamber, then bent over
Kane's ear. "Kane," he whispered, "Kane, can you bear me?"
Kane made a noise in his throat that might not have signified
anything.
Frowning, Weed bent closer. "Where did you hide it, Kane?
Remember? You always cached part of your share of the loot.
Where did you take it, Kane? You can tell me, Kane. I'm your
friend. We'll find your cache and use it to escape. We can live