The Sworn Sword — читать онлайн бесплатно полностью

What did the woman say?""

""She means to keep the water, and she wants you as well, for cutting that digger by the dam"".

""Thought she might"". Bennis spat. ""Lot o' bother for some peasant. He ought to thank me. Women like a man with scars"".

""You won't mind her slitting your nose, then"".

""Bugger that. If I wanted my nose slit I'd slit it for myself"". He jerked a thumb up. ""You'll find Ser Useless in his chambers, brooding on how great he used to be"".

Egg spoke up. ""He fought for the black dragon"".

Dunk could have given the boy a clout, but the brown knight only laughed. "" 'Course he did. Just look at him. He strike you as the kind who picks the winning side?""

""No more than you. Else you wouldn't be here with us"". Dunk turned to Egg. ""Tend to Thunder and Maester and then come up and join us""."

"When Dunk came up through the trap, the old knight was sitting by the hearth in his bedrobe, though no fire had been laid. His father's cup was in his hand, a heavy silver cup that had been made for some Lord Osgrey back before the Conquest.

A chequy lion adorned the bowl, done in flakes of jade and gold, though some of the jade flakes had gone missing. At the sound of Dunk's footsteps, the old knight looked up and blinked like a man waking from a dream. ""Ser Duncan. You are back. Did the sight of you give Lucas Inchfield pause, ser?""

""Not as I saw, m'lord. More like, it made him wroth"". Dunk told it all as best he could, though he omitted the part about Lady Helicent, which made him look an utter fool.

He would have left out the clout, too, but his broken lip had puffed up twice its normal size, and Ser Eustace could not help but notice.

When he did, he frowned. ""Your lip.. "".

Dunk touched it gingerly. ""Her ladyship gave me a slap"".

""She struck you?"" His mouth opened and closed. ""She struck my envoy, who came to her beneath the chequy lion? She dared lay hands upon your person?""

""Only the one hand, ser.

It stopped bleeding before we even left the castle"". He made a fist. ""She wants Ser Bennis, not your silver, and she won't take down the dam. She showed me a parchment with some writing on it, and the king's own seal. It said the stream is hers. And.. "". He hesitated. ""She said that you were… that you had.. "".

""… risen with the black dragon?"" Ser Eustace seemed to slump. ""I feared she might. If you wish to leave my service, I will not stop you"".