JК
Naked Empire :: Goodkind Terry
Страница: 455 из 495Richard'smen were. The Order soldiers were little more than a gang of thugs allowed to run loose.
They now faced men calling them to ac-count. The men of the Order fought a disorderly attempt to spare their own individual lives, without thought to a coordinated defense, while Richard's men fought to a singular purpose of exterminating the enemy's entire force.
Richard heard Cara calling urgently for him from the narrow space between two buildings. At first, he thought she was in trouble, but when he rounded the corner he saw then that she had a husky man on his knees. She held his head up by a fistful of his greasy black hair. One ear displayed a row of silver rings. Cara had her Agiel at his throat. Blood ran down his chin.
"Tell him!" she yelled at the man when Richard ran up.
"I don't know where they are!"
In a fit of fury, Cara slammed the tip of her Agiel to the base of the man's skull. He flinched, his arms shaking with the shattering shock of pain that brought a gasp rather than a scream. His eyes rolled back in his head.
Holding him by his tangled hair, Cara bent him back over her knee to hold him upright.
"Tell him," she growled.
"They left," he mumbled. "Nicholas left last night. They carried a woman away with them, but I don't know who she was."
Richard went to a knee and grabbed the man's shirt. "What did she look like?"
The man's eyes were still rolling. "Long hair."
"Where did they go?"
"Don't know. Gone. In a hurry."
"What did Nicholas tell you before he left?"
The man's eyes slowly came into focus. "Nicholas knew you were going to attack at dawn. He told me the route you would take into the city."
Richard could hardly believe what he was hearing. "How could he possibly know that?"
He hesitated. The sight of Cara's Agiel made him talk.
"I don't know. Before he left, Nicolas told me how many men you had, told me when you would attack, and by which route. He told me to get people from the city to shield us from your attack. We gathered our most fanatical supporters and told them that you were coming to murder us, that you wanted to make war."
"When did Nicholas leave? Where did he take this woman?"
Blood dripped from the man's chin. "I don't know. They just left in a hurry last night. That's all I know."
"If you knew we were coming, why didn't you make a better defense?"
"Oh, but we did. Nicholas told me to take care of the city. I assured him that such a small force as yours cannot possibly defeat us.
They now faced men calling them to ac-count. The men of the Order fought a disorderly attempt to spare their own individual lives, without thought to a coordinated defense, while Richard's men fought to a singular purpose of exterminating the enemy's entire force.
Richard heard Cara calling urgently for him from the narrow space between two buildings. At first, he thought she was in trouble, but when he rounded the corner he saw then that she had a husky man on his knees. She held his head up by a fistful of his greasy black hair. One ear displayed a row of silver rings. Cara had her Agiel at his throat. Blood ran down his chin.
"Tell him!" she yelled at the man when Richard ran up.
"I don't know where they are!"
In a fit of fury, Cara slammed the tip of her Agiel to the base of the man's skull. He flinched, his arms shaking with the shattering shock of pain that brought a gasp rather than a scream. His eyes rolled back in his head.
Holding him by his tangled hair, Cara bent him back over her knee to hold him upright.
"Tell him," she growled.
"They left," he mumbled. "Nicholas left last night. They carried a woman away with them, but I don't know who she was."
Richard went to a knee and grabbed the man's shirt. "What did she look like?"
The man's eyes were still rolling. "Long hair."
"Where did they go?"
"Don't know. Gone. In a hurry."
"What did Nicholas tell you before he left?"
The man's eyes slowly came into focus. "Nicholas knew you were going to attack at dawn. He told me the route you would take into the city."
Richard could hardly believe what he was hearing. "How could he possibly know that?"
He hesitated. The sight of Cara's Agiel made him talk.
"I don't know. Before he left, Nicolas told me how many men you had, told me when you would attack, and by which route. He told me to get people from the city to shield us from your attack. We gathered our most fanatical supporters and told them that you were coming to murder us, that you wanted to make war."
"When did Nicholas leave? Where did he take this woman?"
Blood dripped from the man's chin. "I don't know. They just left in a hurry last night. That's all I know."
"If you knew we were coming, why didn't you make a better defense?"
"Oh, but we did. Nicholas told me to take care of the city. I assured him that such a small force as yours cannot possibly defeat us.