"Wentworth-AsYouSow" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wentworth K D)

beautiful white swans."

"Yeah, well, swans are for the ponds of lords, not peasants like us." Jaan hung
on the edge of the wagon and stared down at him. "And besides, swans never had
such ridiculous long skinny legs."

"I ate a swan the winter before last." Kaarel's gray eyes misted over in fond
recollection. "It landed on our pond by mistake. Mina boiled it in a soup."

A small figure came bobbing across the shorn fields, shouting and waving its
arms. Ungern brushed his hands off on his work pants and stood up.

"Uncle Ungern! Uncle Ungern!" The figure became his young nephew-by-marriage,
Nigol. The boy stopped in front of him, his black hair tousled, his cheeks
reddened from running. "Uncle Ungern -- Aunt Sonya says to come quick!"

Ungern put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "What's wrong? Is she hurt? "

"No--" Nigol leaned over, one hand on his stomach as he straggled for breath.
"She -- just says -- come!"

Jaan winked. "Maybe your birds are lonely."

Ungern ignored him. "You two had better go on. I'll meet you at the southeast
flax field in an hour."

"You'd better." Jaan flicked the languid ox with his birch stick. "You already
owe Lord Kreutzwald two days' work from last week. He'll have your neck if you
get further behind."

The wagon groaned as the ox leaned into its traces and plodded down the heavily
rotted path. Ungern watched his brothers fall into place beside the heavy load,
reaching their hands up to steady the bales of flax. He turned to Nigol. "Where
is Aunt Sonya?"

"At the pond."

"Well, come on, then." They tramped across the uneven field for a few minutes,
their feet crunching through the stiff stubble. "Surely you must have some idea
what she wants, "he said finally.

Nigol's brown eyes squinted. "I think it has something to do with all the
people."

"What people?"

"The ones at your pond."

Ungern let that enigmatic reply rattle around in his head. "What are they
doing?"