The Crown of Dalemark (UK) by Diana Wynne Jones

Author:Diana Wynne Jones [Jones, Diana Wynne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008170714
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2016-11-24T16:00:00+00:00

MAEWEN SPENT WHAT was left of the morning sitting on the grass outside the town, more or less where Dagner’s black and white cart had been, hedged in by Mitt, Navis and the three horses. Even this did not make her feel safe. If someone came to untether a cow, or a goat bleated, or a lark went up from the grass, she jumped and stared round, expecting her throat to be grabbed and a knife to appear. She was, slowly, beginning to feel more rational when crowds of people came streaming out of town to follow the road to the Lawschool. Maewen started shaking again.

“Nearly midday.” Navis stood up and brought her horse over.

Maewen mounted, hoping she would feel better high up on a horse. It seemed to help a little. They rode sedately over to join the stream of carts, carriages, riders and walkers on the road, and she found herself hanging back nervously.

“Get the Southerner to steal the Adon’s cup for you,” the deep voice said suddenly in her ear.

Maewen felt like a waterbed, trembling all over from being trodden on. “Is that all you can say? Where were you? Why didn’t you warn me?”

“You are not hurt. The Southerners were there to help,” said the voice.

“Oh, thank you!” said Maewen. “You’re such a comfort!” She was trembling with indignation now. What use was a ghostly adviser who did not care that you might have been killed? Angrily she caught up with Mitt and Navis as they joined the busy road. They had almost reached the clump of trees before she realised that she felt much better. It made her smile. Perhaps the voice knew what it was doing after all.

Outside the gracious buildings of the Lawschool there was now a picket line set up for horses, and boys in that old-fashioned uniform to guard it. The man with bad teeth was now letting people through the gate in slow twos and threes. Mitt jigged with impatience as they joined the line of people waiting to go in, and even Navis looked anxious.

Moril got down from a waiting carriage which had evidently given him a lift and came jogging over to them with his cwidder bumping on his back. He was folding up a pie and corn cakes in an expensive-looking linen napkin and chewing as he arrived. “They gave me lunch too,” he explained. “I wondered where you’d got to.”

“And where is Hestefan?” asked Navis.

Moril looked a little anxious. “He said he’d have a rest and meet us at the waystone with Wend. I don’t think his health’s very good. He’s looked ill ever since the cart overturned.”

“You think he got hurt then?” Mitt asked.

“Yes, but he won’t say,” said Moril.

They came to the gate and the man with bad teeth. Moril gave him a beaming smile. “Do you think you could take care of my cwidder until I come out?” That was how he got the ride in the coach, Maewen thought, watching the porter

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.