Read Online The Lake of Sorrows by Rovena Cumani, Thomas Hauge - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rovena Cumani, Thomas Hauge
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Alhi stroked her back awkwardly, unused as he was to gentleness and comforting. “You will leave tomorrow for a gentler place than Yannina will be once we go to war with Souli.”
“So it is true? Mother was right. You do plan to go against Souli. And you think I am mad?”
“No sister, no.” Alhi managed a soothing voice. “I love you, sister, and I am always patient with you. As I am with noone else. You are all I have left of our mother. I do not think you are mad. Of course I do not. Our mother comes to me, too, during long nights. But not on this night.”
“But your vow? My nightmares — “
“You will go away tomorrow, Haynitsa and find peace and sleep in a gentler place. I will leave for Souli. But once I come back from Souli, I promise you I will do what mother wished. I have not forgotten my vow, despite what you - and mother - may think.”
----
XIX
----
“H e is mine!” Alhi jumped off his horse, forgetting the protesting jolts of pain from his aching back and knees, and faced the boar, growling as fiercely as the Beast.
Noone objected among the score of fellow hunters behind him. Noone would have dared, and besides, the Pasha had honestly earned this one, as he most often did. They had pursued the giant boar across hills and meadows and streams, and most of them had sighed with relief when it finally darted into a dense wood where only the most foolhardy of horsemen would dare to gallop — even their horses had recoiled. Captain Tahir had dared to lay a hand on his Pasha’s shoulder. “My Pasha, this is not worth a broken neck!”
The Pasha’s answer had been a ferocious laugh. “
You
may no longer be the fellow you once were, old man.
I
am everything I was when we hunted wolves in the Kelcyres, and more. Let the
men
among us follow me - if you can!”
And Alhi had spurred his horse so viciously that blood flowed from its flanks and careered into the dense woods, braving a collision with the stout, low-hanging branches at every bound of his horse — but closing the gap. The boar, finally spent, had stopped in a small, sunlit clearing and turned on its pursuer.
Now it faced the Beast of Hyperus, who had a rugged hunting spear in his hands and a kill in his eyes.
Rumbling ominously, the animal feinted right, then made a desperate dash to the left. Alhi, whooping bloodthirstily, was not fooled, and leaped in to block its path.
For a moment, he locked gazes with it, staring deeply into the blood-shot, yellowish eyes.
“Such spirit, monster! I am almost tempted to step aside and let you go, but you might decide to kill me instead. You are admirable, but too dangerous to leave alive, my friend.”
It lunged, teeth bared - and impaled itself on his hunting spear. Shrieking, it fell, roaring and twisting, trying to bite or snap the spear in two — but now it was brute strength against brute strength, and, in this, Alhi was the beast’s match. The boar threw its last strength into a suicidal thrust towards him, trying to bowl over its tormentor. But he stood his ground, and the boar only drove the spear in deeper, dashing scarlet blood all over its enemy. With a keening war-cry, Alhi twisted the spear, then heaved mightily — and the boar crashed to the ground.
Spent himself, Alhi fell onto his knees, panting, staring into the boar’s eyes as its fierceness faded away into nothingness. “Allah and Yahwe, what a warrior!”
From the ring of dismounted fellow hunters behind him, a thunderous roar of applause rose up, and their Pasha bared his teeth in a predatory smile — genuine accolade was a rarity to Pashas and Sultans.
He rose to his feet, barking at the servants that were only now catching up to their hunting masters. “Build a fire! This little dance has given me a wicked appetite!”
The servants scattered in all directions to gather firewood. Alhi caught the head servant by the sleeve. “You will stay here. I will take off the brute’s head nice and clean, and you will put
“So it is true? Mother was right. You do plan to go against Souli. And you think I am mad?”
“No sister, no.” Alhi managed a soothing voice. “I love you, sister, and I am always patient with you. As I am with noone else. You are all I have left of our mother. I do not think you are mad. Of course I do not. Our mother comes to me, too, during long nights. But not on this night.”
“But your vow? My nightmares — “
“You will go away tomorrow, Haynitsa and find peace and sleep in a gentler place. I will leave for Souli. But once I come back from Souli, I promise you I will do what mother wished. I have not forgotten my vow, despite what you - and mother - may think.”
----
XIX
----
“H e is mine!” Alhi jumped off his horse, forgetting the protesting jolts of pain from his aching back and knees, and faced the boar, growling as fiercely as the Beast.
Noone objected among the score of fellow hunters behind him. Noone would have dared, and besides, the Pasha had honestly earned this one, as he most often did. They had pursued the giant boar across hills and meadows and streams, and most of them had sighed with relief when it finally darted into a dense wood where only the most foolhardy of horsemen would dare to gallop — even their horses had recoiled. Captain Tahir had dared to lay a hand on his Pasha’s shoulder. “My Pasha, this is not worth a broken neck!”
The Pasha’s answer had been a ferocious laugh. “
You
may no longer be the fellow you once were, old man.
I
am everything I was when we hunted wolves in the Kelcyres, and more. Let the
men
among us follow me - if you can!”
And Alhi had spurred his horse so viciously that blood flowed from its flanks and careered into the dense woods, braving a collision with the stout, low-hanging branches at every bound of his horse — but closing the gap. The boar, finally spent, had stopped in a small, sunlit clearing and turned on its pursuer.
Now it faced the Beast of Hyperus, who had a rugged hunting spear in his hands and a kill in his eyes.
Rumbling ominously, the animal feinted right, then made a desperate dash to the left. Alhi, whooping bloodthirstily, was not fooled, and leaped in to block its path.
For a moment, he locked gazes with it, staring deeply into the blood-shot, yellowish eyes.
“Such spirit, monster! I am almost tempted to step aside and let you go, but you might decide to kill me instead. You are admirable, but too dangerous to leave alive, my friend.”
It lunged, teeth bared - and impaled itself on his hunting spear. Shrieking, it fell, roaring and twisting, trying to bite or snap the spear in two — but now it was brute strength against brute strength, and, in this, Alhi was the beast’s match. The boar threw its last strength into a suicidal thrust towards him, trying to bowl over its tormentor. But he stood his ground, and the boar only drove the spear in deeper, dashing scarlet blood all over its enemy. With a keening war-cry, Alhi twisted the spear, then heaved mightily — and the boar crashed to the ground.
Spent himself, Alhi fell onto his knees, panting, staring into the boar’s eyes as its fierceness faded away into nothingness. “Allah and Yahwe, what a warrior!”
From the ring of dismounted fellow hunters behind him, a thunderous roar of applause rose up, and their Pasha bared his teeth in a predatory smile — genuine accolade was a rarity to Pashas and Sultans.
He rose to his feet, barking at the servants that were only now catching up to their hunting masters. “Build a fire! This little dance has given me a wicked appetite!”
The servants scattered in all directions to gather firewood. Alhi caught the head servant by the sleeve. “You will stay here. I will take off the brute’s head nice and clean, and you will put
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