Mark Lawrence

The Wheel of Osheim


Скачать книгу

from Thirteen’s doors. The men on the towers were watching and probably having a good laugh at my expense. ‘They were good camels, Lisa!’

      ‘Three!’ She swung at me again and I jumped back. Overbalanced, she toppled, cursing, into the mud.

      No probably about it. I could hear the tower guards laughing.

      ‘Lisa! Angel! I rescued you!’ I thought it politic not to mention that it was actually just two camels. I traded the other one for five pieces of crown silver and a rather stylish leather jerkin with iron plates stitched to the chest and sides, nicely engraved. The factor had admitted after the deal that Lisa had been proving a pain to train in the duties of a harem girl and would likely have had to be whipped beyond the point of physical acceptability in the role. ‘I saved you!’

      ‘My husband should have done that!’ Her shriek managed to make my ears ring.

      ‘I’m sure Barras is…’ I bit the sentence off and decided not to make excuses for the treacherous bastard. ‘Well, he didn’t, did he? So you’re lucky I found you.’ I drew my knife. ‘Now, if you’ll stop trying to hit me I’ll cut your legs free.’

      Lisa dropped her arms and let me kneel to slice the rope.

      The moment the last fibres parted, she was off. Charging straight back at the doors, screaming bloody threats and dire promises, both hands raised in obscene gestures. Fortunately the circulation hadn’t fully returned to her legs and I caught her before she got a third of the way back, wrapping my arms about her from behind and spinning her around bodily.

      ‘Christsakes, woman! They’ll take you right back off me and tear up the bill of sale. These are not nice men. Your mouth’s going to get your nose cut off and find you doing tricks in a dark-house just to eat!’ I was as worried for me as for her. We were a long way from town, and these were the Corsair Isles: they could do pretty much anything and get away with it.

      I started to drag her away. It was actually slightly easier than dragging my three camels all the way up from the quayside. I got her back to where we started before she got her arm free and slapped me.

      ‘Ow! Jesus!’ I clutched my face. ‘What was that for?’

      ‘They said you died!’ Angry, as if it were my fault.

      ‘They said you got married!’ My turn to feel angry, and for more than being slapped, though I wasn’t sure why. The ingratitude of it probably. I’d liked those camels. I grabbed her arm and pulled her on. ‘We’ve got to get out of here. If they see I know you they’ll either want more money or just kill me so this never comes back to them.’ I set off, Lisa stumbling and jerking behind me. ‘How long before one of the men on the wall reports all this to someone important down below? I should have kept the hood on you till we were out of sight of the—’

      I broke off as Lisa started sobbing, heaving in great lungfuls of air and shuddering them out as she walked. In other circumstances I might have said or at least thought something patronizing about the ‘weaker sex’, but frankly I knew exactly the feeling – there had been too many escapes of mine where I would have been sobbing with relief too if I hadn’t had a front to maintain before the company I was in.

      I kept glancing back at Lisa as I led her down through those hills. Her sackcloth dress had got almost as muddy as my robes when I wrestled her to the ground, her hair stuck out at odd angles or hung in dirty straggles – slave-hood hair you could call it – and her eyes were red from too many tears.

      Back at Thirteen I’d said I was after the least expensive beauty they had, and Lisa was in the line of eight they’d brought out from the discipline hut. None of them had been made presentable and some you had to look at pretty hard to see much beauty beneath the grime and bruises. Lisa though, took my breath. Something in her eyes, or the shape of her mouth, or … I can’t tell you. Maybe just because that mouth, those eyes, the curve of her neck, meant something to me, each part of her so overlaid with memories that it became hard to see what stood in front of me without our history crowding in. I didn’t like the sensation at all – most uncomfortable – I put it down to the shock of my Hell-trek and having been so long in heathen climes. It gave me additional reasons to be grateful for the desert veil I’d put in place. I’d worn it of course to stop her recognizing me and giving away the fact I was there for her. At best that would have simply increased her price ten-fold. At worst it would have got me killed.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4QAYRXhpZgAASUkqAAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/sABFEdWNreQABAAQAAABQAAD/4QRQaHR0cDov L25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wLwA8P3hwYWNrZXQgYmVnaW49Iu+7vyIgaWQ9Ilc1TTBNcENl aGlIenJlU3pOVGN6a2M5ZCI/PiA8eDp4bXBtZXRhIHhtbG5zOng9ImFkb2JlOm5zOm1ldGEvIiB4 OnhtcHRrPSJBZG9iZSBYTVAgQ29yZSA1LjAtYzA2MSA2NC4xNDA5NDksIDIwMTAvMTIvMDctMTA6 NTc6MDEgICAgICAgICI+IDxyZGY6UkRGIHhtbG5zOnJkZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMTk5 OS8wMi8yMi1yZGYtc3ludGF4LW5zIyI+IDxyZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24gcmRmOmFib3V0PSIiIHht bG5zOnhtcE1NPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvbW0vIiB4bWxuczpzdFJlZj0i aHR0cDovL25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wL3NUeXBlL1Jlc291cmNlUmVmIyIgeG1sbnM6eG1w PSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvIiB4bWxuczpkYz0iaHR0cDovL3B1cmwub3Jn L2RjL2VsZW1lbnRzLzEuMS8iIHhtcE1NOk9yaWdpbmFsRG9jdW1lbnRJRD0idXVpZDoyZGI0YmU3 MS02NGI2LTQ2MTEtOWJiNi01NDA3NGEwMTgwNTYiIHhtcE1NOkRvY3VtZW50SUQ9InhtcC5kaWQ6 OEQxOUVGRDlCQkM3MTFFNkE3QTFDMkE2QzhDN0I4OUMiIHhtcE1NOkluc3RhbmNlSUQ9InhtcC5p aWQ6OEQxOUVGRDhCQkM3MTFFNkE3QTFDMkE2QzhDN0I4OUMiIHhtcDpDcmVhdG9yVG9vbD0iQWRv YmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTNS4xIE1hY2ludG9zaCI+IDx4bXBNTTpEZXJpdmVkRnJvbSBzdFJlZjpp bnN0YW5jZUlEPSJ4bXAuaWlkOjlERjdERDdEOUYyMTY4MTE4NzFGQjVFNjEyNEUzQkYxIiBzdFJl Zjpkb2N1bWVudElEPSJ4bXAuZGlkOjlDRjdERDdEOUYyMTY4MTE4NzFGQjVFNjEyNEUzQkYxIi8+ IDxkYzpjcmVhdG9yPiA8cmRmOlNlcT4gPHJkZjpsaT5hcnRkeGY8L3JkZjpsaT4gPC9yZGY6U2Vx PiA8L2RjOmNyZWF0b3I+IDxkYzp0aXRsZT4gPHJkZjpBbHQ+IDxyZGY6bGkgeG1sOmxhbmc9Ingt ZGVmYXVsdCI+V2hlZWwgb2YgT3NoZWltIFBCLmluZGQ8L3JkZjpsaT4gPC9yZGY6QWx0PiA8L2Rj OnRpdGxlPiA8L3JkZjpEZXNjcmlwdGlvbj4gPC9yZGY6UkRGPiA8L3g6eG1wbWV0YT4gPD94cGFj a2V0IGVuZD0iciI/Pv/tAEhQaG90b3Nob3AgMy4wADhCSU0EBAAAAAAADxwBWgADGyVHHAIAAAIA AgA4QklNBCUAAAAAABD84R+JyLfJeC80YjQHWHfr/+IIJElDQ19QUk9GSUxFAAEBAAAIFEFEQkUC QAAAbW50clJHQiBYWVogB9cAAwACAAoABwApYWNzcAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAEAAPbWAAEAAAAA0y1iSUNDnG00pa2kRfYUbZiwUQwSbQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAJY3BydAAABsQAAADJZGVzYwAAB5AAAACDd3RwdAAAAPAAAAAUclRSQwAAAQQAAAWE Z1RSQwAAAQQAAAWEYlRSQwAAAQQAAAWEclhZWgAABogAAAAUZ1hZWgAABpwAAAAUYlhZWgAABrAA AAAUWFlaIAAAAAAAAPbWAAEAAAAA0y1jdXJ2AAAAAAAAArwAAAAKABUAHwAqADQAPgBJAFMAXQBo AHIAfQCHAJEAnACmALAAuwDFANAA2gDkAO8A+QEDAQ4BGAEjAS0BNwFCAUwBVwFhAWsBdgGAAYoB lQGfAaoBtAG+AckB0wHdAegB8gH9AgcCEQIcAiYCMAI7AkUCUAJaAmUCcAJ7AoYCkQKcAqgCswK/ AssC1wLjAu8C/AMIAxUDIgMvAzwDSQNWA2QDcgN/A40DmwOqA7gDxgPVA+QD8wQCBBEEIQQwBEAE UARgBHAEgASRBKEEsgTDBNQE5QT3BQgFGgUsBT4FUAVjBXUFiAWbBa4FwQXVBegF/AYQBiQGOAZN BmEGdgaLBqAGtQbLBuAG9gcMByMHOQdPB2YHfQeUB6wHwwfbB/MICwgjCDsIVAhtCIYInwi4CNII 7AkGCSAJOglVCW8JigmlCcEJ3An4ChQKMApNCmkKhgqjCsAK3gr7CxkLNwtVC3QLkguxC9AL8AwP DC8MTwxvDI8MsAzRDPINEw01DVYNeA2aDb0N3w4CDiUOSQ5sDpAOtA7YDv0PIQ9GD2sPkQ+2D9wQ AhAoEE8QdhCdEMQQ7BETETsRZBGMEbUR3hIHEjESWhKEEq4S2RMEEy8TWhOFE7ET3RQJFDYUYxSQ FL0U6hUYFUYVdBWjFdIWARYwFmAWkBbAFvAXIRdSF4MXtRfmGBkYSxh9GLAY4xkXGUoZfhmzGeca HBpRGoYavBryGygbXxuVG8wcBBw7HHMcqxzkHR0dVh2PHckeAx49Hncesh7tHykfZB+gH90gGSBW IJMg0SEPIU0hiyHKIgkiSCKIIsgjCCNJI4kjyyQMJE4kkCTSJRUlWCWbJd8mIyZnJqwm8Sc2J3wn wigIKE4olSjcKSQpbCm0KfwqRSqOKtgrIitsK7YsASxMLJgs4y0wLXwtyS4WLmMusS7/L04vnS/s MDswizDcMSwxfTHOMiAycjLEMxczajO9NBE0ZTS5NQ41YzW4Ng42ZDa7NxI3aTfAOBg4cTjJOSI5 fDnWOjA6ijrlO0A7nDv4PFQ8sT0OPWs9yT4nPoY+5T9EP6RABEBkQMVBJ