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Naked Empire :: Goodkind Terry
Страница: 448 из 495"Let'sgo."
Without waiting to see if the tired men were with him, he started out, keeping in close to the buildings, to the shadows cast by the moon. Richard moved around the building at the corner. Hung over a small front window was a carved sign displaying loaves of bread. It was still too early for the baker to be at work.
Richard looked up and froze. There before him was the square with trees and benches. The building across the open square was in ruin. Only smoldering timbers remained. A small crowd had gathered around, watching what had hours ago obviously been a large fire.
"Dear spirits," Jennsen whispered in horror. She covered her mouth, fearing to speak aloud the worry on everyone's mind.
"She wouldn't be in there," Richard said in answer to the unspoken fear. "Nicholas wouldn't take her back here just to kill her."
"Then why do this?" Anson asked. "Why burn the place down?"
Richard watched the wisps of smoke slowly curling up into the cool night air, at his hopes disappearing. "To send me a message that he has her and I'll not find her."
"Lord Rahl," Cara said under her breath, "I think we had better get out of here."
From the darkness around the building that had burned down, Richard could just start to make out the sight of soldiers by the hundreds, no doubt waiting to catch them.
"I feared as much," Owen said. "That's why I brought us in by such a circuitous route. See that road over there, where all the soldiers are?
That's the road coming from the bridge we crossed."
"How do they always know where we are, or where we will be?" Jennsen whispered in frustration. "And when?"
Cara grabbed Richard's shirt and started pulling him back. "There are too many. We don't know how many more are around us. We need to get out of here."
Richard was loath to admit it, but she was right.
"We have men waiting for us," Tom reminded him. "And a lot more coming."
Richard's mind raced. Where was she?
Finally he nodded. The instant he did, Cara took him by his arm and they dashed off into the darkness.
CHAPTER 59
Under the sweep of stars, Richard willed himself to stand up straight and tall before all the men gathered beneath the spreading branches of the oak trees at the forest's edge. A few candles burned among the gathering so they could all see. By the time they charged into the city of Northwick to make their attack, it would just be light.
Without waiting to see if the tired men were with him, he started out, keeping in close to the buildings, to the shadows cast by the moon. Richard moved around the building at the corner. Hung over a small front window was a carved sign displaying loaves of bread. It was still too early for the baker to be at work.
Richard looked up and froze. There before him was the square with trees and benches. The building across the open square was in ruin. Only smoldering timbers remained. A small crowd had gathered around, watching what had hours ago obviously been a large fire.
"Dear spirits," Jennsen whispered in horror. She covered her mouth, fearing to speak aloud the worry on everyone's mind.
"She wouldn't be in there," Richard said in answer to the unspoken fear. "Nicholas wouldn't take her back here just to kill her."
"Then why do this?" Anson asked. "Why burn the place down?"
Richard watched the wisps of smoke slowly curling up into the cool night air, at his hopes disappearing. "To send me a message that he has her and I'll not find her."
"Lord Rahl," Cara said under her breath, "I think we had better get out of here."
From the darkness around the building that had burned down, Richard could just start to make out the sight of soldiers by the hundreds, no doubt waiting to catch them.
"I feared as much," Owen said. "That's why I brought us in by such a circuitous route. See that road over there, where all the soldiers are?
That's the road coming from the bridge we crossed."
"How do they always know where we are, or where we will be?" Jennsen whispered in frustration. "And when?"
Cara grabbed Richard's shirt and started pulling him back. "There are too many. We don't know how many more are around us. We need to get out of here."
Richard was loath to admit it, but she was right.
"We have men waiting for us," Tom reminded him. "And a lot more coming."
Richard's mind raced. Where was she?
Finally he nodded. The instant he did, Cara took him by his arm and they dashed off into the darkness.
CHAPTER 59
Under the sweep of stars, Richard willed himself to stand up straight and tall before all the men gathered beneath the spreading branches of the oak trees at the forest's edge. A few candles burned among the gathering so they could all see. By the time they charged into the city of Northwick to make their attack, it would just be light.