cacb.thefarkingdoms-第71部分

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　there；　a　forting　breath　on　my　cheek。
　The　whisper　came　again。　〃You　must　not　。。。　stop。　You　cannot　。。。　surrender。〃
　I　wanted　to　cry　out；　what　was　the　use？　What　was　the　point？　The　wisp　of　his　touch　stroked　my　face。　〃Heal；　brother；〃　he　whispered。　Then；　〃Sleep；　Amalric　。。。　Sleep。〃
　I　slept。　It　was　the　sleep　of　the　dead；　for　no　one　could　rouse　me。
　The　servants　carried　me　to　my　room　and　put　me　to　bed。　They　tended　poor　Emilie；　burying　her　in　the　garden　beside　my　wife。　Six　days　later；　I　awoke。　The　grief　was　a　knot　of　numbness　in　my　chest。　I　wanted　to　cut　it　out　with　a　knife；　but　when　such　dark　thoughts　came　to　me；　I　remembered　Halab's　plea。　I　obeyed；　but　with　great　difficulty。　I　ate。　I　drank。　I　crept　through　my　sorrow　day　by　day。
　Outside　in　the　city　there　was　joy　to　be　mixed　with　all　our　sorrows。　The　plague　was　gone。　The　Dark　Seeker　had　fed；　and　fed　well；　now　he　was　satiated；　and　Orissa　was　safe。　But　it　didn't　matter　to　me；　one　way　or　the　other。　Dead　or　alive；　sick　or　well；　I　did　not　care　what　fate　awaited　us。
　Then；　late　one　night　there　came　a　knocking　at　our　gate。　Everyone　was　asleep；　worn　out　from　caring　for　me　and　my　family；　so　I　went　to　see　who　it　was　myself。　I　flung　open　the　gate　and　gave　a　start。　A　ragged；　injured　man　sagged　against　the　gatepost。　It　was　Sergeant　Maeen。
　〃Sergeant；〃　I　gasped　in　surprise。　〃Where　have　you　e　from？　What　has　happened？〃
　Maeen　answered；　his　voice　a　harsh　rusk。　〃It's　all　gone　to　ruin；　my　lord。　To　ruin。〃
　
　CHAPTER　SIXTEEN
　The　Sergeant's　Tale
　〃WHAT　HAPPENED；〃　i　demanded。　〃Where　is　he？〃
　〃In　。。。　in　Lycanth；〃　Sergeant　Maeen　managed。　〃In　their　dungeons。　Or；　worse　。。。〃　He　stopped　abruptly；　and　I　turned　and　saw　my　servants　gathering　around；　gaping。　I　quickly　led　Maeen　into　the　house。　I　gave　orders　for　food　and　wine　and　for　no　one　to　repeat　anything　they'd　heard；　knowing　the　last　order　was　in　vain。　Maeen　tried　to　continue；　but　I　told　him　to　be　quiet…unless　his　story　would　require　action　within　the　hour。　Maeen　was　grim。　〃Not　an　hour；　Lord　Antero　。。。　nor　a　day。　Perhaps　not　ever。〃
　I　half　carried　Maeen　to　a　guest　chamber　where　food　and　drink　was　already　being　set　out。　I　had　three　of　my　most　trusted　men　keep　close　attendance　on　him　while　he　ate　like　a　starveling；　drank　down　a　flagon　of　wine；　and　then　collapsed。　Grinding　my　teeth；　trying　to　be　patient；　I　let　the　man　sleep　for　four　hours；　knowing　there　was　nothing　to　be　gained　by　shaking　him　awake。　I　ordered　his　tattered　clothing　burned。　I　also　noted　he　had　arrived　weaponless　and　knew　something　terrible　must　have　happened　to　separate　this　soldier　from　his　tools。　When　Maeen　awoke　he　was　bathed；　massaged；　and　brought　to　my　study。　I　poured　him　a　restorative　herbal　drink；　sat　down　behind　the　desk；　and　bade　him　tell　his　story　in　any　manner　he　saw　fit。　I　expected　a　barely　coherent　babble；　but　I　should　have　thought　better　of　the　good　sergeant…and　of　the　training　he'd　received　from　Janos。
　Exhausted；　seemingly　in　shock；　Sergeant　Maeen　reported　most　succinctly。　〃Lord　Antero；　the　second　expedition　to　the　Far　Kingdoms　has　been　destroyed。　We　were　annihilated　by　sorcery　from　without。。。　and　by　inpetency　from　within。　The　sole　surviving　officer；　to　the　best　of　my　knowledge；　is　Captain　Janos　Greycloak。
　He　is　currently　being　held　in　Lycanth　as　a　prisoner。　I　do　not　know　where　or　under　what　charge…he　gave　me　an　opportunity　to　make　my　escape　when　we　were　arrested；　and　therefore　I　cannot　be　more　specific。〃
　〃But　Janos　lives？〃
　〃Unless　the　Lycanthians　have　executed　him；　or　tortured　him　to　death；　I　would　think；　yes。　Their　soldiery　took　great　pains　when　they　captured　us　to　avoid　harming　the　captain。〃
　Now　I　told　him　to　begin　from　the　beginning；　and　tell　me　everything；　no　matter　how　damaging。　He　did　so。　Maeen　was　no　bard；　who　would　have　begun　the　tale　of　the　expedition　with　a　doleful　statement　of　purpose；　of　how　the　gods　turned　their　faces　away　before　the　first　sail　was　set。　He　did　not　need　to　make　the　point　so　obvious　as　he　talked　about　how；　from　that　first　day；　things　had　gone　wrong。　The　ships　had　been　overloaded；　and　once　they　reached　the　river　mouth　and　sailed　onto　the　Narrow　Sea；　it　was　clear　they　were　of　the　wrong　type。　Too　many　of　them　were　shallow…draft　river　barges　or　hastily　converted　coastal　traders。
　Bad　weather　struck；　and　although　it　was　less　severe　than　the　Archons'　tempest　that　had　been　sent　against　the　Kittiwake；　the　fleet　was　scattered。　The　ship　the　officers　were　on；　which　included　Janos　and　Sergeant　Maeen；　had　been　one　of　the　first　to　make　landfall；　not　many　leagues　from　the　Shore　People's　grounds　on　the　Pepper　Coast。　〃That　was　the　only　luck　the　gods　gave　us；〃　Maeen　added。
　It　had　taken　several　weeks　for　the　rest　of　the　fleet　to　straggle　to　the　Shore　People's　village；　and　five　ships　were　never　seen　again。　The　expedition　had　laboriously　unloaded：　horses　tossed　over　the　side　and　expected　to　swim　to　shore；　small　boats　planked　across　and　used　as　barges；　and　even　long　lines　of　soldiers　used　to　pass　along　lighter　items　from　grounded　ships　to　shore。　Finally　the　expedition　was　on　land。　By　that　time　there　had　been　several　incidents　between　soldiers　and　the　Shore　People：　several　of　their　women　had　been　assaulted；　there　had　been　a　few　brawls；　and　some　of　the　expedition's　supplies　had　been　stolen。　It　had　taken　all　of　Janos'　diplomacy　and　Black　Shark's　reasoning　to　keep　matters　from　being　worse。　Maeen；　heading　the　guard　platoon　for　the　expedition　manders；　was　privy　to　most　of　the　meetings。　He　told　me　General　Versred　had　said　this　was　so　much　nonsense…　the　Shore　People　were　not　worth　the　time。
　Eventually　the　expedition　lumbered　off；　roughly　following　the　same　path　as　my　Finding；　roughly；　since　there　was　no　way　a　host　of　nearly　two　thousand　men　could　follow　the　same　paths　and　trails　we　did；　or　live　off　the　land　as　we　had。　Their　insistence　on　carrying　luxuries　like　tents；　two　missaries…one　for　the　men；　one　for　the　officers…and　full　wardrobes　also　slowed　the　travel。　Their　freight　wagons　also　dictated　the　route。　Maeen　told　me　that　five　or　six　of　the　officers　had　brought　female　〃friends〃　along；　and　these　friends　could　not　be　expected　to　travel　afoot。　The　horses　themselves　were　an　irritant；　much　more　skittish　and　choosey　about　their　rations　than　our　asses；　and　requiring　more　attention。　Men　began　dying　even　as　the　expedition　moved　through　that　pastoral；　abandoned　land　we　thought　parklike…dying　of　errors；　disease；　and　ignorance。　Twice　the　expedition　became　lost　and　had　to　retrace　its　path。　This　I　did　not　understand…what　were　their　Evocators　doing？　The　sergeant　said　it　seemed　their　spells　were　blocked　or　sent　awry　with　an　even　greater　severity　than　Cassini　had　suffered。　I　asked　about　the　relict；　the　scroll　from　the　Watcher。　It　had　worked　just　intermittently。　The　most　reliable　guide　was　a　copy　of　the　map　I'd　drawn。　And　what　of　Janos？　Janos　had　bee　interested　in　one　of　the　officer's　〃friends。〃　The　officer　seemed　not　to　object　to　the　attentions　paid　his　inamorata。　Sergeant　Maeen　said　it　seemed　Janos　was　traveling　with　only　half　his　mind　on　the　journey；　but　〃perhaps　he　was　reserving　his　strength　for　the　wasteland。〃　I　remembered　Janos'　lassitude　among　the　Rift　Tribe；　but　said　nothing。
　Maeen　said　the　expedition　cut　a　desolate　path　nearly　a　league　wide　as　it　went。　Like　the　locusts　of　his　youth；　he　went　on；　except　that　he　remembered　locusts　traveling　more　rapidly。　They　reached　the　river's　headwaters　and　moved　into　the　desert。　I　asked　if　they'd　been　harassed　by　the　slavers　or　their　sorcery。　Maeen　said　they　had　not。　I　asked　if　the　Evocator's　powers　had　returned；　and　he　said　not　to　any　noticeable　degree。
　Then　he　looked　around　the　room　nervously。　〃Perhaps；　Lord；　you　are　aware　of　Captain　Greycloak's　。。。　interests？〃
　〃You　mean　sorcery？〃
　〃Yes；　sir。　He　had　one　of　the　tents　set　aside　for　his　own　use　and　spent　much　time　in　it。　When　he　did　I　was　ordered　to　mount　a　guard　about　the　tent；　and　to　alert　him　if　any　officers　or　Evocators　approached。　It's　my　belief；　sir；　the　reason　we　weren't　struck　by　magic　in　that　place；　as　we　were　before；　was　the　captain's　doing。〃　There　had　been　no　sign　of　the　Watchers；　either。
　The　expedition　had　avoided　the　crater；　Sergeant　Maeen　continued；　although　he　had　thought　of　using　it　for　a　resupply　base。　I　found　my　teeth　on　edge；　imagin