the opened window and again sat down by Aptakhar.
- Sometimes, - the same equal voice he spoke, - it seems to me,
that my father would be living if you were still with him.
The ceiling began to spin over the Wolfhound and began to fall slowly. Or perhaps
this sky fell down to the ground. Venn closed eyes.
Aptakhar obviously did not want to say about what, apparently, stood
between it and young Koons's father.
- I could not remain! - he told, having rumpled. - Forgive, Vinitar, but
my honor already suffered. You will not believe, but nobody in army knows,
that I at your father six years beer of saws. It was a shame to me to tell!
Because then it should speak also about in what everything came to an end!
Koons came about the room again: exactly like some force drove
it up and down. He answered:
- Not to me to condemn you and the more so my father, but everything could be
otherwise.
- That milksop killed my brother! - heatedly Aptakhar objected. - I
to ithas the guts for garters!. What, unfairly? Fairly! So not,
your father by all means needed to leave the bastard in live. On
happiness, ha!. Good luck tested everything! Dogs, you see did not rush!.
Vinitar thoughtfully repeated:
- Everything could be differently.
Aptakhar half was ashamed of own flash. He grumbled:
- All right. Do not become angry, Koons. That gloomily grinned:
- To me to become angry about you, the uncle Aptakhar! You grew up me. Here
this hand which to you was chopped off for an ear frayed.
The wolfhound felt that Vinitar stopped directly over it. Venn
opened eyes, somehow razlepit lips and prosipet:
- Found madam?.
It seemed to it as if he uttered it rather loudly, but young
Koons bent to his face, and he repeated:
- Found madam?.
This time Vinitar caught it. Also answered, having shaken the head:
- No, did not find yet.
They looked in eyes each other again, and now at the Wolfhound not
remained the slightest doubts: Vinitar knew about him everything. Including
and the fact that the Wolfhound guessed this his knowledge at once. Still the Wolfhound to
to the village to the city thought that a knesinka and Vinitar if
to put, their row, would reach in couple just lovely sight.
- It... it is live, - somehow squeezed out veins. - It... on the bridge...
- I know, - Vinitar told.
- For the sake of Hramn's trousers which tore I will not tell where!!. - rejoiced
Aptakhar, was late thought that veins to which it would be necessary long ago
to die, regained consciousness and even started talking. - Vinitar, the sonny, help to get up!.
Vinitar helped, and soon veins saw over himself both at once. The person, at
which there were all reasons to kill him, the Wolfhound. And other person.
Whom he would have to kill. It is too much cares for one soul,
still plainly not installed back in a body. The wolfhound closed eyes, and the world
again ceased to exist for it. Only now it was not drowsiness,
and the usual dream bringing healing if not to spirit, so fleshes.
"Mother, run! - The gray Dog of twelve years old picked up from the earth
the thrown sulitsa also threw someone across to a young komes,
jumped out because of a barn. - Mother, run!."
The skilled soldier without looking, carelessly waved away the blood-stained sword.
However the greenhorn was evasive. The sword whistled over the fair-haired head, not
having caused to harm, the boy was thrown under a hand of a segvan, and thin, sharp
the sting of a sulitsa was thrust to that in a face, just under an eyebrow.
"Mother, run..."
When the Wolfhound woke up, behind a window there was an evening again, and in the room with
Ertan was him. Velkhinka held a wooden sword and, being bent from time to time from
pains, at half strength warmed up the right hand. Left she protected so far.
- I with Aptakhar exchanged, - she told the Wolfhound. - Hardly
persuaded. Bothered to put bruises to assholes. The wolfhound whispered:
- Found madam?.
Ertan willingly told how Vinitar dispatched the people everywhere and
tried to speak with mountaineers through the Obstacle. Ichendara very frostily
answered it that the ruler who arrived from the North stays with the leader, and
it, the groom who did not manage to oboronit properly the precious guest
it is unworthy even to mention her name. About any terms of its return they not
wished and hear.
- How many I?. - the Wolfhound asked.
- Today the ninth day, - Ertan told. - I to you already and hair
braided as at you it is accepted... - Then with hope asked: - You, maybe,
you want to eat, and? A milk lukewarm with a small loaf? Honey spoon?.
Ninth day. Means if came which of the killed robbers, then
and cleaned up.
- To me to Koons... it is necessary to tell, - exhaled veins.
Ertan attentively looked at it, nodded and went beyond a door.
The wolfhound carried out it by eyes. The warrior recovered greatly. It still
held the right shoulder above left because the wound pulled together with it a side, but
it will pass soon. Will govern fighting horses again, to pull onions and
to distribute slaps in the face immoderately to the ardent guys delighted with its beauty...
Vinitar came in wet boots, with moisture drops on gold hair,
collected in a tail on the top as carried island segvana. It is visible, Ertan
found for it in the yard. Together with young Koons the servant who brought was
on a wooden subnose big mug, piece of white loaf, oil and
honey cup. From a mug there was a cozy house smell of fresh milk. Servant
put a tray, bowed to the mister and left, having left blood
enemies alone.
Vinitar stood in the middle of the small room, having stuffed up hands for a back, and
silently looked at the Wolfhound. The man lying before him looked so that
more more beautiful in a coffin put. The doctor put to go for wounded, only
was surprised to animal survivability a vein. One of arrows which got into a breast
passed absolutely near heart. Fortunately, the arrow was armor-piercing. It
the vein through, but a narrow cut tip of an extensive wound not pierced
caused. The wolfhound looked at Vinitar deeply sunk down muddy
gray-green eyes in black circles of bruises what are from strong
blow to the head. And on a stomach at it the bat sat. The person with
bat who was seen on Sveta’si shortly before...
- You wanted to tell something to me, the bodyguard? - nothing without having given itself,
Vinitar asked. He spoke on-vennski. He well knew this language.
- You feed me at yourself in the house, - the Wolfhound told. He wanted to nod
on a subnose with food, but once you moved, faintness poured again
worse than any pain. He took rest, collecting the strength, and finished: - I
killed Koons Vinitariya, your father.
To the one who tries to be covered from revenge, taking communion one bread with
the avenger, there is no need to be called the man.
Vinitar listened to him, without having shown surprise, and nodded.
- Yes, it so, - he told, having kept silent. - You killed him, and besides at night,
&nbs
p; in what there is a little advantage. However you are not really similar to the robber...
The wolfhound answered:
- People called us Grey Dogs, Vinitar. Young Koons was self-controlled,
as it befits the leader. He did not change countenance, only blue eyes
darkened, precisely the ocean during bad weather. He long enough was silent, then
spoke:
- Means, those who advised the father were right to exterminate all of you to
uniform.
The wolfhound stubborn answered:
- Can... those were right... who advised it... absolutely us not
to touch.
Vinitar for the first time raised the voice:
- Not to you to judge my father! - Then added more quietly: - And not me.
The wolfhound kept silent. He already pronounced the sentence to the Cannibal. Also executed.
Segvan crossed the room and got up at a window. A wolfhound from the bench not
saw it, but could imagine how that it is blind looks in wet twilight.
At last Vinitar asked:
- How the father died?
The wolfhound wearily covered eyes.
- He wanted to grab weapon... I nailed it a spear to a wall... It
died when the lock burned.
Leather boots sharply creaked - Vinitar turned back:
- You did not give it a duel?
- No.
Both hard became silent. It was useless to ask the Grey Dog why
it did not give a duel to the executioner some kind of. It was useless to remind
To Vinitar, that the Cannibal of his father own tribe, island nicknamed
segvana. Something was useless in general to speak. Blood feud
talk do not make.
- For you it is right, - the Wolfhound said in low tones at last. - At you a sword...
Its own sword hung on a wall, in bed legs.
Vinitar departed from a window and got up so that the Wolfhound could see it.
- Consider, veins that this time you were lucky, - he spoke deafly.
- You carried to me the bride, and Dungorm claims as if you not once
protected it from murderers. Those who the bridge had with you extol you to
heaven and unanimously swear that my bride would be in the Obstacle now
or it is worse than that if not you. They speak, you to the last protected it and
gave it the chain armor. Frankly speaking, I trust Aptakhar more, than
to the boyar of a galiradsky knes. Aptakhar grew up me. He wanted to mix with
you blood. I too expensive appreciate the honor after that to kill
you as you deserve, at least even from revenge. Therefore you will eat
my bread also you will leave my house live. But you know that we with you still
let's meet.
He turned away from the Wolfhound and left, without knock having realized for himself
door. Almost at once the door revealed again, and Ertan returned to the room.
The warrior sat down by the Wolfhound and began to give to drink to him milk through
the dried-up duck neck because to raise the head it was not in
state. The wolfhound took bread the left hand: right was broken, it
just now tried to move it and with surprise found a popular print.
Veins did not master everything that Ertan, and the girl tried to feed to it
soaked the bread remains in milk for Mysh. Greedy small animal fixedly
watched how she prepared for it a favourite delicacy. Then it is impatient
sat down it directly on a hand, ran across on a tray and dipped a muzzle into a saucer.
There passed three weeks. During this time at the Wolfhound not one time
all ratnik visited: both solvenna, and velkh, and segvana. Did not appear
only Aptakhar, and veins understood that Vinitar told everything to him. Wolfhound
evenhe was grateful for it to a young segvan. The conversation with Aptakhar promised
to be burdensome, he after all considered the foreman the friend. To
recent time.
In three weeks the Wolfhound, shaking from weakness and being in poor shape,
was chosen to the yard of the lock and for the first time properly looked round around. Ertan and
the doctor unanimously inspired in him that it too early slipped from a bench.
The wolfhound also did not argue. Just it was not pleasant to it in fortress. All internal
rooms were dry and warm: one were warmed with the centers or furnaces,
others - by means of smartly laid chimneys. Nevertheless
from everywhere the stone smell proceeded, and dog sense of smell of the Wolfhound caught
it it is faultless. In the afternoon from it still it was possible to distract somehow. But on
nights when nothing disturbed, a vein dreamed unbearable vaults.
Did not put to live to the person, having heated up at itself over the head thousands of poods
hostile stone! At all not that in a kind Vienna log hut which was put
from huge logs of years so three hundred back, at living grandsons of the primogenitor
Dog and which as much again will stay to itself and people on joy, without having acquired
decay speck... There and air absolutely another, and Brownies in the subfield.
There any illness will get rid at once. And here, any minute, from an agnail
you will die.
The lock of the Guard of the Northern Gate was skillfully cut in a steep slope. Courageous
architects a part modeled its walls directly in rocks, a part put from them
fragments. It seems, from a distance with some difficulty was to distinguish fortress against the background of
the piling-up rocks; it was only gradually shown at approach,
appearing in stone chaos severity of the finished outlines. Lock
dominated over the mountain gorge, - one of that only a few that
connected the country Velimor with the outside world. From walls it was well visible
the black mouth passing, by hearsay, into a tunnel, having passed which
the traveler saw over himself the sky of the Undercover Country.
On other side, to the north, the vskholmlenny plain stretched. On
to the plain the road disappearing in a dark-coniferous taiga curled. It was cold, and
deciduous trees stood black and nude. For that time, so far the Wolfhound
rested in bed on a bench, several storms, usual blew over fortress
till falls in these parts. The rain and mad wind carried away everything from trees
the leaves ready to fly, and ruthlessly peeled all that gathered
still to hang for a while on branches. Snow will drop out soon.
In the distance, at the horizon, dim gloss of water seemed to the Wolfhound.
At first he and solved - it seemed, but then remembered the card. Belt
pocket in which it kept it, cut someone's sword in fight, but
the pocket was found, and Ertan carefully cleaned off from blood and the card, and
birch bark book. And so, if to trust the card, to the north of fortress in most
business the river flew. Inflow of the Shrine.
Get into the boat or on a raft and travel to Galirad. If,
of course, some robbers who built a nest at d not prishinut on the road
thresholds.
Ratniki, survived in fight at the bridge, recovered before the Wolfhound. In total,
except Deksha. At the guy medicine with which his Illad supplied came to an end.
The wound inflamed again, the inflammation was thrown on other eye, and was
it seems that White-headed it was necessary to go blind. He also now saw
surrounding as if in dense fog.
- Here so!. - trying to summon up courage, he told the Wolfhound. - I will go to
>
To Kornysh, baker... this is my former owner... I will again be employed dough
to knead!
The wolfhound wanted to advise him to compose verses, but changed the mind: to that,
whom Gods blessed with the poetic gift, such councils are not required. However
veins thought a little more and changed the mind again, having remembered as appreciate
poets each particle of attention. And he told:
- You compose songs. You have very good songs. From them and bread is better
will be. Deksha squeezeed out a smile:
- Yes...
Also moved away, groping fingers a wall. A wolfhound, having remembered,
held it by a hand:
- You here that... when we return to the city... I have a friend, the doctor
even purer than Illad. The scientist, hundred books read. If it is possible that
to make, he will make.
Deksha muffledly thanked and left, and the Wolfhound thought as
behaved, be led up it here also slowly and to painfully lose sight.
And in particular if in the middle of the become already habitual hopelessness suddenly
the illusive hope begins to dawn. Venn even wondered, and whether not for nothing he
in good time Dekshe about Tilorn told. You never know?. No, he solved then,
not for nothing. We saw before such. Joke on own mutilation and in a mustache it seems not
blow. And then suddenly jump from a high wall down.
Aptakhar long did not show the face to him. It is visible, carefully avoided
meetings. So far at last they did not face on covered from winds
to lawn behind rocks where the Wolfhound came to look how studied
velimorsky soldiers.
Having noticed each other, both involuntarily moved back and long enough
were silent. Be it someone else, not Aptakhar, the Wolfhound it is simple
silently left, having once and for all ceased to notice it. But with this person
something connected it.
- Lived! - with bitterness Aptakhar told. - And I am with you, unbearable мурло,
wanted to fraternize! Yes you do not cost a nail of my brother!.
The wolfhound with surprise heard as its voice shivered. If it not
so well Aptakhara knew, he would think that that hardly constrained tears.
- I had an old-prestary great-grandfather, - slowly, feeling as he presses in
Bloody Revenge Page 64
