- You do not love snakes?
Niilit crafty flashed blue eyes:
- Where there are no snakes, there, probably, cheaper... The girl understood that
money at it will be enough unless for pieces of glass.
- Sometime I will buy you the presents, sapphire, - the Wolfhound told.
She for some reason pricked up the ears. Then asked:
- You like sapphires?
The wolfhound shrugged shoulders and honestly answered:
- They, at least, were not where I sat on a chain.
Eventually they chose an open tray behind which stood
young сольвенн, for some reason dressed up as Arrantiada's native.
- Hi, respectable, - the Wolfhound told it.
- Dust on the road which brought you here about the soldier is blessed, -
that replied ceremoniously, diligently imitating a reprimand and a manner
arrant. To a wolfhound it became ridiculous. Well, he told himself, others in most
business undo purses more willingly if think that buy overseas
goods. Not nevertheless saw how it, at first sight, that fabulous
stones really happened from a glass-making workshop round the corner.
- What do you want to please the beauty with, valorous soldier? -
the dealer inquired. - Here an incomparable necklace from monomatansky
black diamonds. Here the purest emeralds from secret mines of the Eternal Steppe: I
would tell you of twisting and really surprising ways which
each of them got to me, but, I am afraid, my story would detain you to
mornings...
Nonvolatile Mysh meanwhile got down from a master's shoulder on a tray and tried
to bite densely - the cherry transparent bead which seemed to it edible.
Nearly broke tooth and, an insult being spat, vzbezhat on a hand of the Wolfhound from
sin far away on the habitual place.
- Sapphires, - the Wolfhound told. - These if I correctly understood you,
presents halisunsky?
- Hey yeah! - reverentially the merchant put hands and nearly forgot about accent,
pleased with a credulity of the forest ignoramus: - Happy inhabitants of Halisong
find them at the bottom of deep lakes... Others consider them tears of birds of paradise,
depressed by separation. You, undoubtedly, know that color of a stone depends from
depth at which it arose. Those that is lighter lie at most
the surfaces almost invisible in water. Therefore they are cheap. But dark and
the finest get from terrible abysses, and almost everyone is paid
blood of the diver because sharp-clawed nest in a gloom of underwater caves
creatures...
The wolfhound patiently listened to chatter pseudo-arranta, askance observing for
Niilit. He saw how it was inclined over a string of a medium-sized blue beads -
slightly more darkly than her eye. The little girl had a faultless taste. It even
wanted to take a beads in hand, but the last words of the seller forced ре
to start back. She scaredly looked at the Wolfhound: really it after all
decided to buy it the real stones?.
- Perhaps, we will look for glass?. - she begged in a whisper.
The wolfhound put a hand to it on a shoulder and a broad gesture led round all
counter:
- Choose any what are pleasant.
The fright in the opinion of Niilit was replaced by genuine horror. She silently specified
on the cheapest small group of watery-blue, almost colourless beads
irregular shape. They were not even snizana in a necklace.
- Well is not present, - the Wolfhound told and turned to the dealer: - Those,
blue, - how much? Lzhe-arrant upraised hands to the sky:
- Grief, grief to me!. Need of urgent departure compels me
to sell wonderful treasures really for nothing... Three quarters
horse silver. At a loss I sell to myself...
Having heard the unreasonable price, Niilit gasped and moved was from under a hand
Wolfhound, but, of course, did not escape. He slowly put on a counter
the sword, having tried that the rag half moved down from it at the same time,
also began to untie a burse also slowly.
- We, veins, prefer to buy from worthy people, - he spoke
with satisfaction. - Yes, be I a local governor, I would order to chop off
hand to anything who trades in fakes. I and treated one
the person who sold to me allegedly gold a hoop with rubies. Half a year
later I learned that gave three-months earnings for worthless brass and
contemptible pieces of glass. I long searched for the villain, but when
found...
He saw how the dealer was swept up. The wolfhound very much hoped that
the sharp-witted swindler will find only the correct way out, and
was not mistaken. The dealer picked up the thread chosen by Niilit and stared on
it so as if for the first time saw.
- Grief, grief to me! - again he exclaimed, and it is this time quite sincere,
to considerable pleasure of the Wolfhound. - This necklace got to me only
yesterday, and I did not notice a tiny tsarapinka on one of stones, here
here, with edge. Thus, for these purest, incomparable stones...
-... there will be quite enough one and a half silver coins, - called
Wolfhound exact price. Also smiled.
- Ah, the valorous soldier, - sighed pseudo-arrant and stretched a beads
To wolfhound. - Gods see, at a loss I sell to myself...
The wolfhound paid off and clasped a tiny lock on a neck of Niilit.
Looked in the eyes its laughing, shining, and the hand itself stretched
to stroke the silk hair braided to the hard thick spit.
- Went, - he told and took away a sword from a counter. - Our wise man there already
got exhausted it seems.
Finally they still curtailed to moorings: Niilit, grown by the sea, so
also lasted to look at the ships. Nonvolatile the Mouse hung at her on a hand.
Holding one pad her finger and helping itself bends of wings, big-eared
the small animal pushed soaked apple with which its compassionate treated in a mouth
dealer.
Having thought a little, the Wolfhound bought sweet puff from the next tray
roll for Niilit.
- And you? - at once she asked. The wolfhound smiled:
- I am not a sweet tooth.
Niilit began to persuade him, and at last, having been given, he pinched off
piece. The bun seemed to it surprisingly tasty.
And around in what only did not trade! Pears and apples, carefully
sberezhenny since last year and not lost neither a look, nor taste. Early
the greens which were in time to be poured by juice in the solar corners covered from wind.
Fish of ninety nine grades and saltings. The mushrooms dried on threads
or sustained in barrels under oppression. Smoked geese and a live bird in
willow cages. Pies from which one smell the head went around...
The wolfhound to death wanted to buy everything at once and to arrange a junket,
to indulge Tilorn with Niilit and itself... It after all lowered
the hand which was already reaching for a purse. Rather early took in head to play about. It is necessary
will be to go tomorrow on street of smiths to ask whether it is necessary to whom
journeyman hammerer...
Solvennsky and segvansky lod stood on sand, pulled out for the line
inflow on oak skating rinks. For the heavy ships coming from
Arrantiada, the real mooring from the pi
les hammered into a bottom covered was arranged
sound timbered vymostka. There were many Arrantsky ships.
Grateful seamen even erected bronze on the floor space
statue of the God. The huge man tousled and naked, trampled
granite boulder, angrily raising the harpoon clamped in a mighty hand.
When solvennsky merchants quarreled with arrantsky. To copper God,
it happened, pulled a bag on the head. And even polished other parts
sculptures to cheerful solar gloss.
Today beside Copper God axes with might and main knocked: carpenters built
in the middle of the bargaining board scaffold.
Niilit admired sailing vessels, surely calling from where what. Two
or three of them she already saw houses and now rejoiced them, precisely old
acquaintance.
The wolfhound paid attention to one vessel which recently moored to
I protect. The team removed and displaced sails, at a board fussed
loaders, and on staircases went down several men in long-skirted
the attires sewed from two half: on the right gray fabric cast redness,
at the left - greens. At those that went ahead colors of clothes were brighter. At those,
that kept behind - turn pale.
- It, has to be, from the island Tolmi, - told Niilit. - There live
priests of Twin Gods.
... Once, when the Wolfhound was small, the boy, to them to the village
the high gray-bearded old man who was called the Pupil Bliznetsov came and
asked for permission to locate nearby.
"Old people should not lodge one, - told a bolshukh. - As
left what you live the orphan?"
The newcomer explained that to him his belief so ordered. It gathered
to build a tent in the wood or to dig out a peshcherka over Sveta’si's coast. But on
other day began to cough and willy-nilly remained in the big house where
it was looked after by old women and children. When the old man recovered,
there came the winter, and the priest was not let anywhere. Whether imaginable business - to give to the guest
to go to a blizzard and a frost, on right death?
The wolfhound perfectly remembered his wrinkled hands, kind eyes and long,
magnificent beard. How many was hairs in that beard, as much and
stories about Twins lived in memory of the old man. Gray Dogs listened to it with
curiosity, whiling away winter twilight behind homework. Sometimes,
on the contrary, the priest, asked them to tell about the belief. Once he asked
to make boys bone wrote it and to tear smooth birch bark with
the logs prepared for the center.
"Why to you?" - asked it.
"I will write down your legends", - the old man answered. Where those got to
the birch bark sheets speckled by foreign letters? In night of defeat
the old wise man appealed to mercy, created a sacred sign and tried
to cover with itself wounded and children. So far someone from komes of the Cannibal did not take down
to it by the way the gray-haired head from shoulders... The wolfhound did not begin to tell about him
Niilit.
... The sweet roll after all did not go to it for the future. And could,
it seems, already to acquire: it is worth smoothing reared on a nape
bristle, and now something happens. Something nasty.
The wolfhound stayed in such indecently kind mood that,
having noticed ahead a flock of the boys who were hazardously throwing in water stones, not
at once sorted, than they were engaged.
And only when from water thin, plaintive squeal, the Wolfhound reached
blinked the eyes against light, having instantly pricked up the ears. The evening sun beat
in eyes, but after all he made out: in ten steps from the mooring, showered
hail of stones, the lop-eared puppy floundered.
Further everything occurred much quicker, than it is possible to tell about that.
The wolfhound put Niilit the sword wrapped in a rag and, without telling the word,
jumped forward. Nonvolatile the Mouse choked with apple, dropped it, straightened
wings also rushed from a hand of Niilit, but the broken-off membrane again
brought it. Mysh plopped down on a wooden pavement and is shrill
cried, cursing the mutilation.
The mooring was meanwhile announced by a heart-rending roar. The wolfhound scattered
juvenile executioners without any mercy, and it had a heavy hand.
Having dispersed boys, he quickly looked down. Lazy waves waved
between osklizly piles. Where just unfortunate rolled out pads
the kid, slow circles dispersed.
The wolfhound without thoughts jumped in cold water.
Slanting beams were reflected from a surface, almost without getting into depth, but
he calculated precisely. Outstretched arms were groped almost at once soft, still
the moving little body. Having made a start legs from a stony bottom, the Wolfhound
came up, intercepted the puppy who swallowed oxen for back pads and it is strong
stirred up. Coming to life, that has a fit of coughing and began to cry. The wolfhound swam up back to
to the mooring. He was lucky - there was inflow time, water stood highly.
Having rushed up, it grasped with a free hand edge of a flooring,
it was tightened and got out.
- And well, serve a puppy here!
Already met requirements of him broad-shouldered daddy of one of madcaps. Son
cautiously hid behind the back of the angered parent. The left eye at it
promptly swam away, but right looked at the Wolfhound with undisguised
gloating. The terrible father quite often okhazhivat the successor a lash. But with
they could be afraid of nothing. And anybody.
Two policemen appeared from the gathered crowd and stopped
to look what occurred.
The wolfhound gave a puppy of Niilit and herds to wring out a shirt hem.
- It is a lot of will of visors, veins! - flushing the person, the man began to roar and jerked
it for a shoulder, forcing to turn back. - Not in the wood at!. Not yours
псеныш, not to you and to take care of it! Give here, I speak!
Long enough the Wolfhound silently looked at him. Then smiled. It
knew what it had a smile. Other people thought whether costed
to continue a conversation.
- The son, - he told the frowned solvenn, - you are so
brought up that it is ready to torment anything who is weaker. Means, let not
takes offense when and with it also.
The wet clothes densely stuck around his shoulders. It had not to shake
others hand - the man took away it. The Brekhlivy domestic dog who got used
to bark on anything counter-cross, scattered from under gate and
ran into a silent wolfhound. Yes. To communicate because of a nasty puppy
with wild wine, covered with scars and in addition obviously capable to break in
palms horseshoe... The wounded pride, however, overcame caution:
- You are not free in my son!
- As I will have a look, this is truly your son, - the Wolfhound told. - Weigh in
you. Probably, you want to call me on a duel?
Also was lop-sided to Niilit which was singing lullabies to the covered with wounds puppy. It, between
we designate, held under the arm its sword.
Did not want to cause it on a duel сольвенн. Having turned, it
walked away, trying to preserve the advantage remains under amazed
began with a look of the sonny which, it a
ppears for quite some time now in
presence of the parent with impunity to offend any easy riders.
It was visible that with each step the offense whispered in an ear a solvenna everything
more loudly, and care - is more and more silent. Having departed on dozens of steps, it
turned back:
- In Bright mountains such it is necessary to der...... Video recorders claimed then,
as if veins covered the distance dividing them with one animal jump.
- Hkhakhkh!. - with amazement exhaled red-faced and, having flown by a back forward
full one and a half sazhens, with splash collapsed in water. Policemen ran to
To wolfhound, but, having come nearer, stopped - he did not try to slip away and
stood quietly, having lowered hands. Solvenn, отплевываясь, caught for
slippery piles. He was an indispensable participant of fist funs, understood
in hand-to-hand also understood something that had to thank all Gods
at once.
- For what rinut the kind person? - the senior asked the Wolfhound from
policemen. - What he it told you?
The wolfhound answered with an equal voice:
- This kind person told that such as I, in Bright mountains
it is necessary to hold. The policeman turned back to crowd:
- Truly, people?
- Truly, - several people, not differently beaten responded at once
once red-faced. It seemed to a wolfhound that the policeman sighed with
simplification. It is right, he did not want excess efforts.
- Go, the guy, with the world, - he spoke. Punch for similar
wish really was punishment insignificant. Niilit gave Mysha
the apple which is picked up from a pavement was also substituted by a palm, but Mysh to it not
went: was not enough yet that the Wolfhound made something without him again.
The suffered much puppy sobbed and shivered on hands at Niilit. Wolfhound
took away a sword from the girl, and, without stopping any more, they walked to
to inn of Lyubochada.
The grinning friends took krasnolitsy of water. And it, not for long
thinking, broke the evil on the son: awarded with a ringing box on the ear on other cheek.
The wolfhound knew that he shamefully broke. What was rather simple
to part forcibly bastards, and it is not obligatory to beat at all. But anything with
it could not do.
To whom in eleven years of nothing crying of a wounded puppy who means
Bloody Revenge Page 12
