The Silver Sun [antikvár]

Chapter One The Forest was the abode of warlocks, folk said, and goblins, and other creatures even worse. Still, Alan bent his staggering steps toward the Forest, as' a desperate man will. Robbers had stripped him of everything—horse, weapons, even his clothing. The peasants could not spare him more than a- beggar's crust. But within the Forest wilderness, Alan hoped, he might be able to find something to eat and a covering for his naked body. He had not reckoned on his own dizzying weakness. The world swam before his eyes, and trees encircled him with a green blur. He sensed movement and angry shouting, but he did not care. Then the sting of a sword-flat across his back jolted him into full awareness. Alan found himself facing a big, angry captain at the head of a mounted patrol. The next blow of the captain's sword knocked him to the ground; He lay sprawling, with no strength to flee or defend himself. Closing his eyes, Alan braced himself against the punishing blade. But as suddenly as the blows had begun, they ceased. Alan looked up. What he saw was to remain clear in his memory for as long as he lived. The burly captain had turned pale with fear. His chin quivered above a glinting blade pressed against his fleshy 2