The Shining Ones. David Eddings

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ as he bunched them under his tunic.

      ‘Ah – no matter, I suppose,’ the innkeeper rushed on. ‘It’s not really any of my affair, is it?’

      ‘You’ve got that part right,’ Ulath said. He looked around. ‘Good enough,’ he said. ‘We’ll stay.’ He nudged Sparhawk with his elbow. ‘Pay him,’ he said, turned, and clumped down the stairs.

      They turned their horses over to the grooms and carried their saddle-bags up to the sleeping-rooms. Then they went back downstairs for supper.

      Kalten, as usual, heaped his plate with steaming beef.

      ‘Maybe we should send out for another cow,’ Berit joked.

      ‘He’s young,’ Kalten told the others jovially, ‘but I like the way he thinks.’ He grinned at Berit, but then the grin slowly faded, and the big, blond Pandion grew quite pale. He stared at the young knight’s face for quite some time. Then he abruptly pushed his plate back and rose to his feet. ‘I don’t think I’m really hungry,’ he said. ‘I’m tired. I’m going to bed.’ He turned, quickly crossed the common-room to the stairs, and went up them two at a time.

      ‘What’s the matter with him?’ Ulath asked in a puzzled tone. ‘I’ve never seen him walk away from supper like that before.’

      ‘That’s God’s own truth,’ Bevier agreed.

      ‘You’d better have a talk with him when you go up, Sparhawk,’ Vanion suggested. ‘Find out if he’s sick or something. Kalten never leaves anything on his plate.’

      ‘Or anybody else’s, for that matter,’ Talen added.

      Sparhawk did not linger over supper. He ate quickly, said goodnight to the others, and went upstairs to have a talk with his friend. He found Kalten sitting on the edge of his bed with his face in his hands.

      ‘What’s the matter?’ Sparhawk asked him. ‘Aren’t you feeling well?’

      Kalten turned his face away. ‘Leave me alone,’ he said hoarsely.

      ‘Not very likely. What’s wrong?’

      ‘It doesn’t matter.’ The blond knight sniffed loudly and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. ‘Let’s go get drunk.’

      ‘Not until you tell me what’s bothering you, we won’t.’

      Kalten sniffed again and set his jaw. ‘It’s something foolish. You’d laugh at me.’

      ‘You know better than that.’

      ‘There’s a girl, Sparhawk, and she loves somebody else. Are you satisfied now?’

      ‘Why didn’t you say something earlier?’

      ‘I just now found out about it.’

      ‘Kalten, you’re not making any sense at all. One girl’s always been the same as another to you. Most of the time you can’t even remember their names.’

      ‘This time’s different. Can we go get drunk now?’

      ‘How do you know she doesn’t feel the same way about you?’ Sparhawk knew who the girl was, and he was quite certain that she did in fact return his friend’s feelings for her.

      Kalten sighed. ‘God knows that there are people in this world who are brighter than I am, Sparhawk. It’s taken me all this time to put it together. I’ll tell you one thing, though. If he breaks her heart, I’ll kill him, brother or no.’

      ‘Will you at least try to make some sense?’

      ‘She told me that she loves somebody else – as plain as if she’d come right out and said it in so many words.’

      ‘Alean wouldn’t do that.’

      ‘How did you know it was Alean?’ The big blond man sprang to his feet. ‘Have you all been laughing at me behind my back?’ he demanded pugnaciously.

      ‘Don’t be an ass. We wouldn’t do that. We’ve all been through exactly the same thing. You didn’t invent love, you know.’

      ‘Everybody knows, though, don’t they?’

      ‘No. I’m probably the only one – except for Melidere. Nothing much gets past her. Now what’s all this nonsense about Alean loving somebody else?’

      ‘I just put it together myself.’

      ‘What did you put together? Try to make a little sense, Kalten.’

      ‘Didn’t you hear her singing on the day we left?’

      ‘Of course I did. She has a beautiful voice.’

      ‘I’m not talking about her voice. I’m talking about the song she was singing. It was “My Bonnie Blue-Eyed Boy”.’

      ‘So?’

      ‘It’s Berit, Sparhawk. She’s in love with Berit.’

      ‘What are you talking about?’

      ‘I just noticed it when we sat down to supper.’ Kalten buried his face in his hands again. ‘I never paid any attention before, but when I looked into his face while we were talking, I saw it. I’m surprised you haven’t seen it yourself.’

      ‘Seen what?’

      ‘Berit’s got blue eyes.’

      Sparhawk stared at him. Then, being careful not to laugh, he said, ‘So do you – when they’re not bloodshot.’

      Kalten shook his head stubbornly. ‘His are bluer than mine. I know it’s him. I just know it! God’s punishing me for some of the things I’ve done in the past. He made me fall in love with a girl who loves somebody else. Well, I hope He’s satisfied. If He wants to make me suffer, He’s doing a good job of it.’

      ‘Will you be serious?’

      ‘Berit’s younger than I am, Sparhawk, and God knows he’s better looking.’

      ‘Kalten.’

      ‘Look at the way every girl who gets to within a hundred yards of him starts to follow him around like a puppy. Even the Atan girls were all falling in love with him.’

      ‘Kalten.’

      ‘I know it’s him. I just know it. God’s twisting His knife in my heart. He’s gone and made the one girl I’ll ever feel this way about fall in love with one of my brother-knights.’

      ‘Kalten.’

      Kalten sat up and squared his shoulders. ‘All right, then,’ he said weakly, ‘if that’s the way God wants it, that’s the way it’s going to be. If Berit and Alean really, really love each other, I won’t stand in their way. I’ll bite my tongue and keep my mouth shut.’

      ‘Kalten.’

СКАЧАТЬ