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.But when the ship grounded on the Bretanglian shore and Old Meg clambered out after her passengers,Matt had an even bigger surprise in store, for the old woman knelt stiffly before Brion and cried, "Hail,rightful King of Bretanglia! Long may you live, and long may your line flourish!"Matt stared, astounded, and Rosamund's face seemed to close into a mask, no doubt resenting Meg'spresuming the princess' part in the flourishing of the royal line, but Brion seemed to grow and swell withevery word, becoming something greater than human.Matt realized all over again that in this universe itwas no mere fable that the king became the embodiment of his people and his land."You have given me honor and countenance," Brion told her, "and for that, I shall name you ""You shall name me nothing!" the woman said sharply, glaring up at him."I am only Old Meg, as I havefile:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20krui.zard%20in%20Rhyme%2006%20-%20Haunted%20Wizard.html (282 of 329)20-2-2006 21:41:54 Stasheff, Christopher Wizard in Rhyme 6 Haunted Wizardbeen these many years, and nothing more nothing that any king or sheriff need know of, at least.""Meaning that you are and always have been a druid priestess," Matt said quietly.Old Meg turned her glare upon him."The fisher-folk know me only as a wise woman, young man.Whoare you to say otherwise?""A wizard," Matt answered, "and one whom you sent to Erin.But if you're a druid, why do you kneel toa king of Bretanglia, and one who, moreover, hasn't an ounce of Celtic blood in him?"Brion stared at Matt, startled, but Old Meg said evenly, "Not all of us fled to Erin or Scotland, or evenWales.I am a druid and a Celt, aye, but I am a Celt of Bretanglia, and no matter his parentage, thisyoung man is rightwise born king of this country.By his deeds and his actions he has shown that hecares immensely about the common people and their land, cares as much as he does for the nobility andtheir castles and more than he cares for the lands in Merovence from which his mother and fathersprang.""That is so," Brion said quietly."I fought to inherit my mother's patrimony and would have taken itgladly, but my heart was truly in Bretanglia.""Then you are the first of your line of whom that is true," Old Meg said, "since the first of those foreignhussies wed your great-grandfather and turned the eyes of your house southward.It is for that I kneel toyou, not for your father's crown or your mother's heart.""Then, Your Majesty," Matt said, "you have as much as been crowned by a bishop, for this woman is ofthe clergy, too, though not Christian."Brion turned back to Old Meg, startled, but the woman rose stiffly.Sergeant Brock sprang to her aid andshe took his arm gladly, smiling up at Brion with triumph."It is true what he says, Your Majesty.I amas much a senior druid as any woman, as my age should tell, and am very much like one of yourarchbishops.I will tell you further that a great number of your people still follow us druids, though manyof them are also Christians.That is why there was never any great chance that these mock druids wouldever gain the whole land there are too many of us who knew them for what they are.Oh, there are farmore of your people who are Christians, or were before they flocked to the false priests for the pleasuresand cruelties your church would never allow but there are enough druid folk to form an army or two,and these will rise and march behind you wherever you go."Then Old Meg stepped aside, gesturing down the beach."Behold your first legion!"Looking where she pointed, Brion saw a crowd of fishermen marching toward him along the sand, hard-faced and hard-handed, each with his filleting knife and his belaying pin thrust through his belt, eachwith his harpoon or his sharpened gaff hook in his hand.The young king seemed to expand still more, afile:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20krui.zard%20in%20Rhyme%2006%20-%20Haunted%20Wizard.html (283 of 329)20-2-2006 21:41:54 Stasheff, Christopher Wizard in Rhyme 6 Haunted Wizardsmile glowing on his face, and when the fishermen knelt and cried with one voice, "Hail, King ofBretanglia!" he spread his arms wide, as though he would embrace them all.Then an older man with grizzled hair and beard stood up before him."We are come to march against thefalse druids and their cattle, Your Majesty! Where would you have us go?""Why, inland," Brion said quietly."Let us march!"Then two men came from the trees that lined the shore, each leading two horses.They bowed to SirOrizhan and Matt, handing them the reins.Sir Orizhan turned to Rosamund."My lady, will you ride?""I thank you, sir," she said."I shall."She mounted, but her gaze was on Brion a troubled gaze, even hurt, for he seemed oblivious to her of asudden, mounting his huge war-horse with the help of two of the fishermen, then turning to give them aquick, encouraging speech.They all cheered in answer, waving their weapons, but as Brion turned tolead the march, he gave Rosamund one brief, dazzling smile, and reached out to clasp her hand.Almostshyly, she gave it to him, squeezed the chain-mail palm of his gauntlet, then let it go and rode after him,seeming much reassured.Matt mounted and fell in behind her, wondering if he would ever again be able to trust any steed.Thenhe noticed that the fourth horse followed Sir Orizhan on a leading rein with its saddle empty.Lookingaround, he saw Sergeant Brock marching beside the older fisherman, already deep in conversation.Mattsmiled to himself, reflecting that the sergeant had already taken his natural position as leader, whether herealized it or not.Into the forest they rode, with a fisherman walking before them, one who seemed to know the trails well,and Matt wondered how many midnight smuggling trains the man had led down this very path.They were deep into the woods when howls broke out on every side, and four knights charged out of theleaves with a hundred footmen behind them, spears flashing through the leaf-filtered patches of sunlight.Matt cursed his own stupidity even as he lugged out his sword and parried the cut from the nearestknight [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.But when the ship grounded on the Bretanglian shore and Old Meg clambered out after her passengers,Matt had an even bigger surprise in store, for the old woman knelt stiffly before Brion and cried, "Hail,rightful King of Bretanglia! Long may you live, and long may your line flourish!"Matt stared, astounded, and Rosamund's face seemed to close into a mask, no doubt resenting Meg'spresuming the princess' part in the flourishing of the royal line, but Brion seemed to grow and swell withevery word, becoming something greater than human.Matt realized all over again that in this universe itwas no mere fable that the king became the embodiment of his people and his land."You have given me honor and countenance," Brion told her, "and for that, I shall name you ""You shall name me nothing!" the woman said sharply, glaring up at him."I am only Old Meg, as I havefile:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20krui.zard%20in%20Rhyme%2006%20-%20Haunted%20Wizard.html (282 of 329)20-2-2006 21:41:54 Stasheff, Christopher Wizard in Rhyme 6 Haunted Wizardbeen these many years, and nothing more nothing that any king or sheriff need know of, at least.""Meaning that you are and always have been a druid priestess," Matt said quietly.Old Meg turned her glare upon him."The fisher-folk know me only as a wise woman, young man.Whoare you to say otherwise?""A wizard," Matt answered, "and one whom you sent to Erin.But if you're a druid, why do you kneel toa king of Bretanglia, and one who, moreover, hasn't an ounce of Celtic blood in him?"Brion stared at Matt, startled, but Old Meg said evenly, "Not all of us fled to Erin or Scotland, or evenWales.I am a druid and a Celt, aye, but I am a Celt of Bretanglia, and no matter his parentage, thisyoung man is rightwise born king of this country.By his deeds and his actions he has shown that hecares immensely about the common people and their land, cares as much as he does for the nobility andtheir castles and more than he cares for the lands in Merovence from which his mother and fathersprang.""That is so," Brion said quietly."I fought to inherit my mother's patrimony and would have taken itgladly, but my heart was truly in Bretanglia.""Then you are the first of your line of whom that is true," Old Meg said, "since the first of those foreignhussies wed your great-grandfather and turned the eyes of your house southward.It is for that I kneel toyou, not for your father's crown or your mother's heart.""Then, Your Majesty," Matt said, "you have as much as been crowned by a bishop, for this woman is ofthe clergy, too, though not Christian."Brion turned back to Old Meg, startled, but the woman rose stiffly.Sergeant Brock sprang to her aid andshe took his arm gladly, smiling up at Brion with triumph."It is true what he says, Your Majesty.I amas much a senior druid as any woman, as my age should tell, and am very much like one of yourarchbishops.I will tell you further that a great number of your people still follow us druids, though manyof them are also Christians.That is why there was never any great chance that these mock druids wouldever gain the whole land there are too many of us who knew them for what they are.Oh, there are farmore of your people who are Christians, or were before they flocked to the false priests for the pleasuresand cruelties your church would never allow but there are enough druid folk to form an army or two,and these will rise and march behind you wherever you go."Then Old Meg stepped aside, gesturing down the beach."Behold your first legion!"Looking where she pointed, Brion saw a crowd of fishermen marching toward him along the sand, hard-faced and hard-handed, each with his filleting knife and his belaying pin thrust through his belt, eachwith his harpoon or his sharpened gaff hook in his hand.The young king seemed to expand still more, afile:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20krui.zard%20in%20Rhyme%2006%20-%20Haunted%20Wizard.html (283 of 329)20-2-2006 21:41:54 Stasheff, Christopher Wizard in Rhyme 6 Haunted Wizardsmile glowing on his face, and when the fishermen knelt and cried with one voice, "Hail, King ofBretanglia!" he spread his arms wide, as though he would embrace them all.Then an older man with grizzled hair and beard stood up before him."We are come to march against thefalse druids and their cattle, Your Majesty! Where would you have us go?""Why, inland," Brion said quietly."Let us march!"Then two men came from the trees that lined the shore, each leading two horses.They bowed to SirOrizhan and Matt, handing them the reins.Sir Orizhan turned to Rosamund."My lady, will you ride?""I thank you, sir," she said."I shall."She mounted, but her gaze was on Brion a troubled gaze, even hurt, for he seemed oblivious to her of asudden, mounting his huge war-horse with the help of two of the fishermen, then turning to give them aquick, encouraging speech.They all cheered in answer, waving their weapons, but as Brion turned tolead the march, he gave Rosamund one brief, dazzling smile, and reached out to clasp her hand.Almostshyly, she gave it to him, squeezed the chain-mail palm of his gauntlet, then let it go and rode after him,seeming much reassured.Matt mounted and fell in behind her, wondering if he would ever again be able to trust any steed.Thenhe noticed that the fourth horse followed Sir Orizhan on a leading rein with its saddle empty.Lookingaround, he saw Sergeant Brock marching beside the older fisherman, already deep in conversation.Mattsmiled to himself, reflecting that the sergeant had already taken his natural position as leader, whether herealized it or not.Into the forest they rode, with a fisherman walking before them, one who seemed to know the trails well,and Matt wondered how many midnight smuggling trains the man had led down this very path.They were deep into the woods when howls broke out on every side, and four knights charged out of theleaves with a hundred footmen behind them, spears flashing through the leaf-filtered patches of sunlight.Matt cursed his own stupidity even as he lugged out his sword and parried the cut from the nearestknight [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]