The Swords of Night and Day by David Gemmell

Author:David Gemmell
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780345472250
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2004-03-29T16:00:00+00:00

Harad was standing on the shelf of rock, staring out over the land, Charis beside him. Askari had left some time before, to scout for any sign of their enemies returning. The sun was setting, the sky red as blood. Brilliantly lit clouds hovered above the western mountains, themselves dramatically colorful with their bases crimson, their flanks a mixture of coral and black, their rounded peaks white as snow. “It is so beautiful,” said Charis, taking Harad’s arm, and resting her head on his shoulder. “Look at those clouds.”

“I am looking at the clouds. I think it will rain tomorrow.”

“Oh, Harad,” she said. He heard the disappointment in her voice and felt a sense of loss as she withdrew her arm and moved away from him.

“They are beautiful,” he said, swiftly.

“You don’t see it, though, do you?” she said, turning toward him. “You look at clouds and you think of rain. A deer is just meat on four legs. A tree is something to chop down to make a table, or a chair.”

“Aye, well that’s all true, isn’t it?”

“Of course it’s true, you clod! There is so much more, though. I wish you could see it.”

“Why? What difference does it make what I see?”

Charis did not answer. She rubbed at her tired eyes, and then pushed her hand through her golden hair, pushing it back from her face. “I am really tired,” she said. “I think I’ll go and rest.”

“I understand beauty,” he said, softly. “When you just brushed your fingers through your hair. That was beautiful. Sometimes, on a cold autumn day, after the rain, when the sun shines through the broken clouds, that is beautiful, too. When you live alone in the mountains you tend to deal in realities, like food and shelter and comforts. Clouds bring rain, deer is meat.”

“Well,” she said, with a smile. “You used up a whole winter of words there.”

“I didn’t want you to go away,” he told her, his face reddening.

“Why did you come after me, Harad?” she asked, stepping in close.

“Thought you might need me.”

“And I did. Not just because I was in danger. I needed you before that. Did you never wonder why I always brought your food?”

“I thought it was because you enjoyed irritating me.”

Her face darkened. “Did it not occur to you that I might have been attracted to you?”

“To me?” he said, shocked.

“Yes, to you, you dimwit! Did I not ask you to the Feast? Did I not promise to teach you to dance?”

Harad struggled in vain to bring his thoughts into focus. It was as if the sea were roaring between his ears. “I’m not a handsome man,” he said, at last. “It never entered my mind that you . . . I don’t . . . I don’t know what to say.”

“Tell me you love me. Or you don’t,” she added, swiftly.

Harad drew in a deep breath; then he relaxed and gave a broad smile. “Of course I love you. When I thought you might have been .

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.