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.'A good man,' he admitted, 'and a good guess.' Then, 'Follow,'and he turned away.They were able to bypass the only other sentry between themselves and thecommon room.The room itself, cavernous and slipshod as ever, was lit only by the smoky glowfrom the great fireplace, and a few smoldering torches.It was enough, however,to make out the great stone staircase that curved its way up the far wall with agrace that belied its worn treads and broken balustrade.A gallery jutted out into the ball at the top of the stair.The doors opening off itgave onto private rooms.A broad-shouldered, hatchet-faced man sat sprawled and snoring in a huge chairby the side of the vast fireplace.A sentry stood guard at the foot of the greatstaircase, blinking and yawning.Two more guards slouched at either side of thedoor in the center of the balcony.'Here's a pretty mess,' said Big Tom, ducking back into the hallway.'There's onemore of them than there are of us, and they be so far between that two mustsurely take alarm as we disable two others.''To say nothing of that wasteland of lighted floor that we have to cross to get toany of them,' Rod added.'We might creep up through the tables and stools,' Tuan suggested, 'and he at thefoot of the stairs must surely nod himself asleep ere long.'aaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r r'That takes care of the two on the ground floor,' Rod agreed, 'but how about thepair on the balcony?''To that,' said Tuan, 'I have some small skill at the shepherd's bow.'He drew out a patch of leather with two rawhide thongs wrapped about it.'How didst thou learn the craft of that?' Tom growled as Tuan unwound thestrings.''Tis a peasant's weapon, not a lordling's toy.'There was a touch of contempt in the glance Tuan threw Tom.'A knight must beschooled in all weapons, Big Tom.'Rod frowned.'I didn't know that was part of the standard code.''It is not,' Tuan admitted.'But 'tis my father's chivalry, and mine, as you shall see.Both yon knaves shall measure their length on cold stone ere they could knowwhat has struck them.''I don't doubt it,' Rod agreed grimly.'Okay, let's go.I'll take the one by thefireplace.''Thou'lt not,' Big Tom corrected him.'Thou'lt take him by the stairway.''Oh? Any particular reason?''Aye.' Tom grinned wolfishly.'He in the great chair is the lieutenant that Tuanforesaw - and one among those who ha' jailed me.'Tis my meat, master.'Rod looked at Tom's eyes and felt an eerie chill wind blow up along his spine.'All right, butcher,' he muttered.'Just remember, the lady's not for carving, yet.'"'Let each man pile his dead according to his own taste and fashion,"' Tomquoted.'Go tend your corpses, master, and leave me to mine.'They dropped to their bellies and crawled, each to his own opponent.To Rod, it was an eternity of table-legs and stool-feet, with plenty of dropped foodscraps between, and the constant fear that one of the others might reach hisstation first and get bored.There was a loud, echoing clunk.Rod froze.One of the others had missed his footing.aaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r rThere was a moment's silence; then a voice called, 'What was that?' Then, 'Eh,you there! Egbert! Rouse yourself, sot, and have a mind for the stairs you'reguarding!''Eh? Wot? Wozzat?' muttered a bleary, nearer voice; and, 'What fashes ye?'grumbled a deeper, petulant voice from the fireplace.'Must ye wake me fortrifles?'There was a pause; then the first voice said, with a note of obsequiousness, ''Twasa noise, Captain, a sort of knock 'mongst the tables.''A knock, he says!' growled the captain.'A rat, mayhap, after the leavings, nowtmore! Do ye wake me for that? Do it more, an' thoul't hear a loud knock indeed, ablow on thy hollow head.' Then the voice grumbled to itself, 'A knock, i' faith! Adamned knock!'Then there was silence again, then a muted clang as one of the sentries shifted hisweight uneasily.Rod let out a sigh of relief, slow and silent.He waited for the sentry to start snoring again.Then he wormed his way forward again, till at last he lay quiet under the tablenearest the stairway.It seemed he lay there for a very long time [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.'A good man,' he admitted, 'and a good guess.' Then, 'Follow,'and he turned away.They were able to bypass the only other sentry between themselves and thecommon room.The room itself, cavernous and slipshod as ever, was lit only by the smoky glowfrom the great fireplace, and a few smoldering torches.It was enough, however,to make out the great stone staircase that curved its way up the far wall with agrace that belied its worn treads and broken balustrade.A gallery jutted out into the ball at the top of the stair.The doors opening off itgave onto private rooms.A broad-shouldered, hatchet-faced man sat sprawled and snoring in a huge chairby the side of the vast fireplace.A sentry stood guard at the foot of the greatstaircase, blinking and yawning.Two more guards slouched at either side of thedoor in the center of the balcony.'Here's a pretty mess,' said Big Tom, ducking back into the hallway.'There's onemore of them than there are of us, and they be so far between that two mustsurely take alarm as we disable two others.''To say nothing of that wasteland of lighted floor that we have to cross to get toany of them,' Rod added.'We might creep up through the tables and stools,' Tuan suggested, 'and he at thefoot of the stairs must surely nod himself asleep ere long.'aaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r r'That takes care of the two on the ground floor,' Rod agreed, 'but how about thepair on the balcony?''To that,' said Tuan, 'I have some small skill at the shepherd's bow.'He drew out a patch of leather with two rawhide thongs wrapped about it.'How didst thou learn the craft of that?' Tom growled as Tuan unwound thestrings.''Tis a peasant's weapon, not a lordling's toy.'There was a touch of contempt in the glance Tuan threw Tom.'A knight must beschooled in all weapons, Big Tom.'Rod frowned.'I didn't know that was part of the standard code.''It is not,' Tuan admitted.'But 'tis my father's chivalry, and mine, as you shall see.Both yon knaves shall measure their length on cold stone ere they could knowwhat has struck them.''I don't doubt it,' Rod agreed grimly.'Okay, let's go.I'll take the one by thefireplace.''Thou'lt not,' Big Tom corrected him.'Thou'lt take him by the stairway.''Oh? Any particular reason?''Aye.' Tom grinned wolfishly.'He in the great chair is the lieutenant that Tuanforesaw - and one among those who ha' jailed me.'Tis my meat, master.'Rod looked at Tom's eyes and felt an eerie chill wind blow up along his spine.'All right, butcher,' he muttered.'Just remember, the lady's not for carving, yet.'"'Let each man pile his dead according to his own taste and fashion,"' Tomquoted.'Go tend your corpses, master, and leave me to mine.'They dropped to their bellies and crawled, each to his own opponent.To Rod, it was an eternity of table-legs and stool-feet, with plenty of dropped foodscraps between, and the constant fear that one of the others might reach hisstation first and get bored.There was a loud, echoing clunk.Rod froze.One of the others had missed his footing.aaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r rThere was a moment's silence; then a voice called, 'What was that?' Then, 'Eh,you there! Egbert! Rouse yourself, sot, and have a mind for the stairs you'reguarding!''Eh? Wot? Wozzat?' muttered a bleary, nearer voice; and, 'What fashes ye?'grumbled a deeper, petulant voice from the fireplace.'Must ye wake me fortrifles?'There was a pause; then the first voice said, with a note of obsequiousness, ''Twasa noise, Captain, a sort of knock 'mongst the tables.''A knock, he says!' growled the captain.'A rat, mayhap, after the leavings, nowtmore! Do ye wake me for that? Do it more, an' thoul't hear a loud knock indeed, ablow on thy hollow head.' Then the voice grumbled to itself, 'A knock, i' faith! Adamned knock!'Then there was silence again, then a muted clang as one of the sentries shifted hisweight uneasily.Rod let out a sigh of relief, slow and silent.He waited for the sentry to start snoring again.Then he wormed his way forward again, till at last he lay quiet under the tablenearest the stairway.It seemed he lay there for a very long time [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]