[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Thesun shone brightly down on the procession as it moved through thestreets of Winterreach and then out the southern gates and beyond.Twenty members of the Gray accompanied Kelan and Teris asprotection, including Rom who rode at the head of the line.Kelan andTeris were sandwiched in the middle of the group, surrounded on allsides by their heavily armed guard.Also accompanying them wasLord Edgely, who rode toward the end of the line accompanied onlyby one assistant.Two wagons holding supplies brought up the rear.As they moved farther and farther into the countryside, Kelan drew adeep breath, relishing the crisp morning air, untainted by the scents ofa large, well-populated city.Teris rode beside him, sitting loose and at ease in the saddle.Kelan cast a quick glance at the man, admiring his tall, lean figure. You look quite at home on horseback, Kelan commented.Teris tossed him a grin. I should.I spend a lot of time ridingaround Hawksworth, partly for pleasure, but chiefly because it s theeasiest way to inspect my land and visit the various tenants on theestate. You re obviously very involved in the workings of yourholding. Guardian s King 47 I am.My father taught me from a young age the responsibilitiesof my station and my people.It s a lesson I ve never forgotten.I quiteenjoy it, as well. So you re a farmer at heart, then? Teris laughed. A farmer and a student. Ah, yes, your studies of the supernatural.It seems quite anunusual hobby.How did that start? Teris grew serious. When I was young, around ten I suppose, Isnuck out of the house one night.There had been rumors of a smallband of travelers from a distant land in the south crossing throughAverin.Like so many boys of that age, I was eager to get a look atthese strangers.Not much exciting ever happened at Hawksworth, soI couldn t resist the temptation. What boy could? Kelan smiled understandingly. Exactly.The travelers had camped near a stream that cut throughthe very southern tip of Hawksworth.I found them easily enoughsimply because I knew those woods very well.I crept as close as Icould, not wanting them to see me.There were only three men and afew of women and children.For a while, I lay there, just watching.Nothing much happened at first.Oh, I could tell they were strangers.They had hair dark as night, and it reached down past their backs.Inoticed right away the graceful, sinuous way they moved, tending totheir animals and cooking their meal.It was almost inhuman.Anyway, some troublemakers from the village apparently had decidedthat the strangers would be easy pickings.They rode in, intending torob them.There must have been a dozen men, armed to the teeth. What happened? Kelan had turned in his saddle so he couldwatch Teris s face as he told his story.Teris shook his head. It was a massacre. The travelers were killed? Teris met his eyes with a bleak stare. Not a single one of thetravelers was hurt, but the villagers were cut down like bothersomeflies.The strangers moved so quickly, it was difficult to follow.And 48 Britt Kenleyone of them He stopped and bit his lip, as though reluctant tocontinue. Tell me, Kelan urged, eager to hear the end of the tale.He wasfascinated with this story of Teris s.Teris looked away for a moment.When he turned back to Kelan,he shrugged and his mouth curled up into a little half smile. You llthink me mad. I swear I won t. All right. He took a deep breath before blurting out, One ofthem changed into a large cat. Kelan let out a bark of laughter. You re joking. I knew you d think I was lying. Not lying.But you were a young boy with a fertile imagination.I m sure it seemed to happen the way you remember. I know what I saw.My father didn t believe me either.I got outof there as fast as I could and ran all the way home.I woke my fatherand made him come back with me. And? Kelan prodded when Teris fell silent. And there was nothing there.No bodies.No travelers.No camp.Nothing. You have to admit the tale is rather unbelievable, Teris. I m telling you the truth, Kelan.It happened just as I said.Noone would believe me, but I knew what I saw.I began studying,researching.For the next several years, I read every book, parchment,or scroll I could get my hands on.I talked to other people who hadreported similar experiences.I became more and more convinced thatwhat I saw was not a hallucination or a dream.It was real. Kelan considered what Teris had told him.He knew that the otherman was not prone to hysterics or wild imaginings.If anything, he dalways found Teris to be very pragmatic and logical.He had a calm,easygoing manner.He frequently had his nose in a book on somesubject or other.That he would tale such an outlandish tale seemed togo against what Kelan knew of the man. Guardian s King 49 It s hard to give credence to such a tale. I understand that.There are some things that must be seen to bebelieved.I m just asking you to keep an open mind.My studies havetaken me to some strange places, and I ve met some very unusualpeople.I ve seen things that defy logic and reason, Kelan. Kelan studied the earnest face of his lover.Finally he nodded. Iwill reserve judgment, I promise.Unlike Rom, I have always beenwilling to keep an open mind on the subject, though I have personallynever had any experiences such as you speak of. That s all I ask, Kelan. A comfortable silence fell between them as they continued ontheir journey.When darkness began to fall, the company beganlooking for a place to camp for the night.It didn t take them long toset up camp near a small stream.The night passed uneventfully, andthe next morning dawned bright and clear.By the end of the third day,they had passed into Averin Province.When they halted that night,Rom approached Teris and Kelan where they sat eating their eveningmeal.He greeted his king, and then turned to Teris. How much fartheris it to Old Marton s home? he asked.Kelan listened idly as Teris and Rom discussed which would bethe easiest and quickest route to take to their destination.He d beenthinking about the story Teris had told him on and off as they d riddenalong, and he couldn t get the sincerity and earnestness on his lover sface out of his mind.He d been telling Teris the truth when he d toldhim that he d never experienced anything supernatural himself, buthe d heard the tales and stories all his life.One of his nurses when hewas young had been from Feresa, and she d filled the young prince sears with tales of her own unexplainable experiences.No, unlike Rom and most of the other Guardians, Kelan did notcompletely discount the stories he d heard.Oh, he was sure thatplenty of it was made up stories and exaggerated claims by drunkards 50 Britt Kenleyand tale spinners.But he d always believed that there was usually anelement of truth in even the most outlandish claims.He studied Teris s face as he bent to draw a rough map on theground.The Duke of Hawksworth had always been a trustworthyman, and the more he d thought about Teris s story, the more he dbelieved him [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl matkasanepid.xlx.pl
.Thesun shone brightly down on the procession as it moved through thestreets of Winterreach and then out the southern gates and beyond.Twenty members of the Gray accompanied Kelan and Teris asprotection, including Rom who rode at the head of the line.Kelan andTeris were sandwiched in the middle of the group, surrounded on allsides by their heavily armed guard.Also accompanying them wasLord Edgely, who rode toward the end of the line accompanied onlyby one assistant.Two wagons holding supplies brought up the rear.As they moved farther and farther into the countryside, Kelan drew adeep breath, relishing the crisp morning air, untainted by the scents ofa large, well-populated city.Teris rode beside him, sitting loose and at ease in the saddle.Kelan cast a quick glance at the man, admiring his tall, lean figure. You look quite at home on horseback, Kelan commented.Teris tossed him a grin. I should.I spend a lot of time ridingaround Hawksworth, partly for pleasure, but chiefly because it s theeasiest way to inspect my land and visit the various tenants on theestate. You re obviously very involved in the workings of yourholding. Guardian s King 47 I am.My father taught me from a young age the responsibilitiesof my station and my people.It s a lesson I ve never forgotten.I quiteenjoy it, as well. So you re a farmer at heart, then? Teris laughed. A farmer and a student. Ah, yes, your studies of the supernatural.It seems quite anunusual hobby.How did that start? Teris grew serious. When I was young, around ten I suppose, Isnuck out of the house one night.There had been rumors of a smallband of travelers from a distant land in the south crossing throughAverin.Like so many boys of that age, I was eager to get a look atthese strangers.Not much exciting ever happened at Hawksworth, soI couldn t resist the temptation. What boy could? Kelan smiled understandingly. Exactly.The travelers had camped near a stream that cut throughthe very southern tip of Hawksworth.I found them easily enoughsimply because I knew those woods very well.I crept as close as Icould, not wanting them to see me.There were only three men and afew of women and children.For a while, I lay there, just watching.Nothing much happened at first.Oh, I could tell they were strangers.They had hair dark as night, and it reached down past their backs.Inoticed right away the graceful, sinuous way they moved, tending totheir animals and cooking their meal.It was almost inhuman.Anyway, some troublemakers from the village apparently had decidedthat the strangers would be easy pickings.They rode in, intending torob them.There must have been a dozen men, armed to the teeth. What happened? Kelan had turned in his saddle so he couldwatch Teris s face as he told his story.Teris shook his head. It was a massacre. The travelers were killed? Teris met his eyes with a bleak stare. Not a single one of thetravelers was hurt, but the villagers were cut down like bothersomeflies.The strangers moved so quickly, it was difficult to follow.And 48 Britt Kenleyone of them He stopped and bit his lip, as though reluctant tocontinue. Tell me, Kelan urged, eager to hear the end of the tale.He wasfascinated with this story of Teris s.Teris looked away for a moment.When he turned back to Kelan,he shrugged and his mouth curled up into a little half smile. You llthink me mad. I swear I won t. All right. He took a deep breath before blurting out, One ofthem changed into a large cat. Kelan let out a bark of laughter. You re joking. I knew you d think I was lying. Not lying.But you were a young boy with a fertile imagination.I m sure it seemed to happen the way you remember. I know what I saw.My father didn t believe me either.I got outof there as fast as I could and ran all the way home.I woke my fatherand made him come back with me. And? Kelan prodded when Teris fell silent. And there was nothing there.No bodies.No travelers.No camp.Nothing. You have to admit the tale is rather unbelievable, Teris. I m telling you the truth, Kelan.It happened just as I said.Noone would believe me, but I knew what I saw.I began studying,researching.For the next several years, I read every book, parchment,or scroll I could get my hands on.I talked to other people who hadreported similar experiences.I became more and more convinced thatwhat I saw was not a hallucination or a dream.It was real. Kelan considered what Teris had told him.He knew that the otherman was not prone to hysterics or wild imaginings.If anything, he dalways found Teris to be very pragmatic and logical.He had a calm,easygoing manner.He frequently had his nose in a book on somesubject or other.That he would tale such an outlandish tale seemed togo against what Kelan knew of the man. Guardian s King 49 It s hard to give credence to such a tale. I understand that.There are some things that must be seen to bebelieved.I m just asking you to keep an open mind.My studies havetaken me to some strange places, and I ve met some very unusualpeople.I ve seen things that defy logic and reason, Kelan. Kelan studied the earnest face of his lover.Finally he nodded. Iwill reserve judgment, I promise.Unlike Rom, I have always beenwilling to keep an open mind on the subject, though I have personallynever had any experiences such as you speak of. That s all I ask, Kelan. A comfortable silence fell between them as they continued ontheir journey.When darkness began to fall, the company beganlooking for a place to camp for the night.It didn t take them long toset up camp near a small stream.The night passed uneventfully, andthe next morning dawned bright and clear.By the end of the third day,they had passed into Averin Province.When they halted that night,Rom approached Teris and Kelan where they sat eating their eveningmeal.He greeted his king, and then turned to Teris. How much fartheris it to Old Marton s home? he asked.Kelan listened idly as Teris and Rom discussed which would bethe easiest and quickest route to take to their destination.He d beenthinking about the story Teris had told him on and off as they d riddenalong, and he couldn t get the sincerity and earnestness on his lover sface out of his mind.He d been telling Teris the truth when he d toldhim that he d never experienced anything supernatural himself, buthe d heard the tales and stories all his life.One of his nurses when hewas young had been from Feresa, and she d filled the young prince sears with tales of her own unexplainable experiences.No, unlike Rom and most of the other Guardians, Kelan did notcompletely discount the stories he d heard.Oh, he was sure thatplenty of it was made up stories and exaggerated claims by drunkards 50 Britt Kenleyand tale spinners.But he d always believed that there was usually anelement of truth in even the most outlandish claims.He studied Teris s face as he bent to draw a rough map on theground.The Duke of Hawksworth had always been a trustworthyman, and the more he d thought about Teris s story, the more he dbelieved him [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]