Читать книгу: «Gemini Alatyr of Island. Children of dead mother», страница 2

Buyan Island

The boat moved along the sea, the rowers quickly worked with oars, and skillfully dodged ice floes. Ull stood on the nose, peering into the distance, and had already seen the approaching cliff of Buyan Island.

“What is your name lad?” Asked the healthiest warrior working with an oar and smiled encouragingly at the boy.

“Ull,” answered the boy, and now the apprentice.

All men were dressed similarly – in fur jackets with hoods and the same pants, and soft boots, stuck with straps. Each had daggers on his belt, and other weapons were piled up in the middle of the boat – bows with arrows, spears, clubs and shields. There was also a leather water tank and a pair of wooden drinking buckets.

– Soon we will sail. How old are you? Thirteen? – Rather approved, than the interlocutor asked the boy.

“Ten to me,” Ulle replied, frowning, and tightened his hold on the side of the boat.

– How many??? – a warrior answered without dropping the paddle, he even lost his rhythm, and the whole team laughed, not believing Ull.

Ull told his companions about El, how she rescued the bear cub, how the bear ran after her, like a dog, how he raised a huge log. He looked at his new comrades, and saw on their faces how they grin, not believing him. And meanwhile, the island was already at twenty cubits.

“Fairy tales told, entertained,” one man told him.

“So it was!” Said the boy passionately, “I’m very strong!”

In response, he had a strong laugh, even the boat began to sway in the waves became stronger, as if laughing with the soldiers.

“Check, let’s go one-on-one with anyone!” Shouted Ull passionately, jumping out into the middle of the boat.

The most tall man who was a little taller than the boy rose, and his friends were already squealing with shouts: “What are you talking about! He is still small!”

“Nothing, I’m cautious,” he replied, grinning, and Ull, with anger and resentment, pushed the warrior with both hands at once to the heart area while simultaneously carrying all the weight on his left leg, which he carried forward in sync with the jolt, so the blow was crushing but not offensive, and the enemy flew overboard, raising a bunch of splashes, but it was good that the boat was already near the shore, so that the chosen one touched the bottom with his feet, but was wet to the skin. Ule gasped, rushed to pull him out, but he quickly reached the shore, and laughing already helped others to pull the boat to the shore, and the whole team burst out laughing, and everyone approvingly tapped the boy on the shoulders.

– Healthy you, right now the hero is intentional. It’s not for nothing that the witches sent you to us, “said one of the warriors,” now we will defeat all our enemies with you, “and a wet opponent ran along the shore to change into a hut,” and you know how to fight. Who learned?

To these words, Ull was silent, recalling the lessons of Mary, the lessons of struggle with cunning punches and tricks: “Do not tell anyone about this fight and never, people can suffer.”

“My name is Aket,” the rower appeared, the one whom you dropped into the water, “he grinned, putting his fingers in his right hand in his belt,” is Terey. This is Gnur, – he pointed to another warrior, putting the oar into the boat, – And this is Katey, – and he raised his hand in greeting.

All these were strong and very tall fair-haired young men, from among the thirty chosen warriors of the island, the disciples of the seven wise men. Aket approached Ull, once again looked at him with his deep-set eyes, and said after a pause:

– Come, show you your abode.

He led him to a mountain in which cells and common rooms for the inhabitants of the island were hollowed out. The land was not as stony as on Alatyr Island, they walked past a stream, next to which a huge oak tree grew, with a golden chain hung on it.

– This is a sacred tree, Ull. Then there is a field for hunting, there you will learn to rule the chariot, ride a horse, pacify the bulls and handle the cows. We are shepherds, we live in it if you don’t know, feed the cows, catch fish, so every man should be able to deal with cows and bulls. Have you grown up with a witch, have you seen a cow?

“No,” the boy shook his reddish curls, “we only had a goat, they fed me with its milk.”

– And mother like? – already anticipating the answer, but nevertheless asked him Aket.

“He sleeps in the ice with the witches,” he replied, lowering his eyes, “and I was still fed with deer brains from the bones when there was little milk.

– That’s why he became so strong, even though he didn’t taste the mother’s milk. We came, – he said, pointing to one of the holes in the mountain, closed by an oak door and curtained with deer skins, – we live in the old fashioned way, here live the same youngsters like you, and we, the soldiers, live in our wooden houses, who is married and each household is small. We build large log houses on the mainland, and on camps as in the old days, the houses are icy, round, with such a corridor, only on the knees you can go there, so that the heat would not go away. Come into your house, – and the guide opened the door and threw back the skin, they went down the corridor, opened another curtain, and found themselves in a warm room, illuminated with oil lamps made of clay, and heated hearth, built of stones, and held together with clay. In the corners there were eight sun loungers, and Ulle Atey led to one of them.

– This is your place, have a rest here, – and pointing to pegs in the wall, – and here you can hang your things. All other instructions from the teachers receive, in the evening you will meet your new friends.

Ull took out his belongings, and neatly hung all his goods on the wall, a bow and arrows in the middle, and thought it was bad that he did not have a chest here, like on Alatyr. Then he sat down on a stool on three legs, made of pine wood, and gazed at the fire.

– We’ll go to lunch a little later, the house is also nearby, there is a dining room, a warehouse, a barn near and a stable for horses, their workers are serving, be polite, they are not warriors, but here they promise to serve the gods year remains, and who is three. Seven live in another mountain, will call, do not go. They teach in another house, now it is winter, and in the summer they teach in free air, literacy, and the High Way, the Laws of Manu, Aket finished respectfully, and looked at Ulla, who turned her head with increasing attention, looking at the wacky dwelling.

Soon we went to dinner, entered the hut, standing on a high basement of boulders, the stairs and the door were richly decorated with carvings, the windows were tightened either with a fish or a bull bubble, but not as dark as in the cell of the youngsters in the mountain. They sat down at one big table, the warriors on the honorary part of the table, and closer to the edge, on the left, sat the youths, and the pupil vedunii sat down with them, as accepted in the youths. They ate decorously, with wooden boats, did not speak at the meal, they fed simply, but nourishingly, fish and barley porridge, kvass. Then the senior unit, Arpad, led to learn to own a sword and spear, and the soldiers, breaking into pairs, mastered the difficult science. Ull was set up with one more boy, two years older than him; there was no one younger than them. The other four went with other tutors to study.

“What is your name?” Ull asked the boy next to him, turning to face him. He was shorter than him, but wider at the shoulders, equally blond, also dressed like himself – in a fur jacket and pants with soft boots and a fur hat, and under the jacket was a knitted shirt.

– Gun they call me, I’m from the Ghans, And you from Mans?

“I don’t know,” the boy shrugged. “I was brought to the island in a boat on the shore, and my mother died.”“Ah,” the boy stretched understandingly, “come on, we start,” and lunged with the wood, and Ull rejected easily, and so they tried to get each other with training swords, Ullus managed to get the enemy with his sword, and Guna did not. He was already angry, and throwing the sword, rushed to the opponent with his fists, and Ull showed his skill, deftly leaving each blow, so that the whole squad threw exercises and watched forgetting everything on this dance, when only a small movement made an incomplete blow, powerful punch. Gong flushed all over, began to choke, Ull reddened a little, and decided to give in a little to Guna, because that was how the person tried, tired, probably. And at the next attack, he let himself be hooked with a footboard, but he did not let him down to the ground, hitting Gong under the knee, but caught him falling to the ground, and put him on his feet. Gong sniffled loudly, calming from the scrum.

“Teach, Ull?” He asked gloomily, holding out his hand.

“Of course,” shaking the palm of a new comrade, he answered.

From that day they became inseparable.

Doctrine and work a little effort

In the morning, on one of the days when the vernal equinox was not far away, Arpad led the retinue and youths to the lists, the ministers prepared the chariot, and a pair of horses were already unmanaged and harnessed to a light two-wheeled cart. Four more youths, Tal, Sirac and Pret and Knut followed him, talking about something cheerful, and laughing at their own jokes.

“Hey, Ull, and Gunn get ready, stand in the chariot and not fly out, you will learn to keep at the jump,” the leader told them. “Pal,” he called to the young man, already an older warrior, “you will be the driver.”

Pal came up to them, wearing a leather helmet with protective arcs, and a couple of the same helmets were in his hand.

“Take it and put it on,” the driver, handing out the equipment to them, “first you, Gun, and then Ull. After Tal, Syrac, Knut and Pret. Then give them the helmet, as you drive through a chariot.

Both men examined the helmets, twisted it like that and put it on their heads, having some doubts. Pal again addressed them:

– In the combat chariot, the top floor of the straps, so that it would not shake so much during the jump, you must stand with your knees bent slightly, try to catch the beat of the jump. Without a heroic drink it is difficult to control a weapon in a chariot fight. But just ride in a chariot and manage it is quite possible. Gong, let’s go.

Ull sat down on a stone and looked at how Pal first steered the chariot in steps, the sound of hooves in the snow was not overly audible, then accelerated on a level road, they were already racing, and the sound of hooves and the rumble of a carriage became louder, the driver began to lay already sharp turns, repeating the turns, unfolding and evasion of attacks from foreign chariots. Here the driver stopped the chariot, which had already filled the track in the shallow snow. Gong, flushed red, jumped off the chariot, spraying Ulla with snowflakes and water splashes, which, however, managed to shrink from the dirty splashes, which disappointed his friend, and Tal managed to hit the snowball in Guna, and he rushed to the bully, but after a while they were separated by their comrades, without letting them wave fists. Ull straightened his jacket and pants, and went to the wagon, saw how it was decorated with carvings, how the deer were galloping away from the lions on the board, and the warriors were collecting weapons next to the wheels of the wagon. The horses were already hot, hooves on the ground impatiently, and pulled the harness, but the skillful driver held the harness with a firm hand.

“Sit down, boy,” said Pal, smiling at him, slightly pulling on the reins.

Ull straightened his leather helmet, and first with his left foot, then with his right he stepped on the taut straps of the chariot, and slightly bent his knees, as he was taught. The driver clapped the straps, sending the horses forward. The chariot started off with a jerk, but Ull was holding tight, balancing his legs, not even leaning on the side of the wagon, Pal turned his head to him, grinning with a smile with all his teeth, and immediately turned his gaze forward without leaving horses and the way without attention.The boy saw how difficult and responsible the work of the driver, similar to the work of the man in the stormy sea, guesses the uneven ground, like the waves of the sea, measures the size of the boat, and here the turning radius of the wagon and its stability, the force of the wind is similar to to gallop endlessly. Ull was accustomed to, and quietly changing his balance, helping Pal get out of his complicated turns. Finally, they stopped, foam covered the muzzle of horses, Ull jumped off the chariot and went to Guna, to sit next to a friend. The next one got up in the chariot of Tal, dressed in a protective helmet, and repeating the lesson of Pala, and after him drove in the wagon Sirac and Pret and then Knut.

The driver, having finished with all the boys, went to the stable, handing over the cart to the servants, and soon returned.

“Ull, didn’t you just sit in the chariot before?” Pal asked, waving his hands in the manner of a seagull with disbelief.

“No, mentor, and I didn’t see horses, I swear by Ilios,” the boy answered, taking off his helmet and putting a hat on his curls, “they would have liked Elisia,” he smiled wistfully, and felt that there, far away, she was fine too.

“Who is this?” Asked Pal.

Twin sister, stayed on Alatyr.

– Among Harith – veduny is studying, – the driver smiled, – after five years you will meet.

“She is with Pryakh, Pal,” said Ull sadly, and looked at the driver and friend, and to be honest, did not expect what he saw. “The gun fell from a boulder, and the driver, in excitement, took off his helmet, went to the boy, and patted him on the shoulder.

“That’s why they sent you off the island, man.” She is a very difficult girl to know, and you, too, you see, and he looked at him carefully.

– Tomorrow we will train through the bull to jump, first through the wooden one. For now, rest.

“I love a bull,” Pret grinned.

“I, too,” Knut sighed.

– You? – Sirac laughed, – three times before the end of the body did not reach and hit, you know what, – Tal smiled.

“You will like it, Ull,” Sirak confirmed his opinion, “your reaction is excellent, I watched you hold on.” You will not need a drink in battle.

– What did you say about the drink? – asked Ull Pala, their mentor.

– It is only after initiation, Ulle. Do not hurry to live, – and he grinned and went to the retinue house, leaving the boys alone.

“Ull,” Tugging at his sleeve, Gong was already looking at him, frightened, “won’t you tell my sister that I climbed my fists at you?”

“I do not understand, you didn’t hit me,” Ull laughed.

“If she is spinning, it means she is chosen,” his friend said with a positive shake of her head, “Here, Ion, whom Kit swallowed, and after a week he was released from the womb, he now studies at the Seven and does not come out of the Mountain.

“I didn’t know,” the boy was incredibly surprised, “about Jonah. Tell me, Gun.

The boy, satisfied with the attention, sat down on a boulder, made a mysterious face, knitted his brows as an adult, he only lacked kithara, and began to tell:

– Seven desperate warriors went hunting for whales on the boat, and the waves did not frighten them, and the blue sea pleased them, and Jonah was among them. They sailed, they sailed, and finally, they saw a huge whale. It was all whales whale – thirty cubits in length, – and he lifted his face to the gray, overcast northern sky.

Sirac and Pret could not stand it, they laughed so much that they even coughed and Tal soothed them, banging his palm on their backs.

“Jonah threw an oak jail, but he didn’t hit,” Gun went on after a pause, “and struck Keith with his merciless tail on the boat, and a strong blue warrior fell into the sea and swallowed his awful Fish Kit. For a long time, brave warriors chased Keith and overtook the monster, and they killed Keith with an enormous spear, dragged the carcass to the shore, cut the belly with a knife in the length of the elbow, and rescued the brave warrior. Then the skin came off him, but a new one grew up, and he is alive and well.

“Yes, a glorious feat,” agreed Ull. But you and I will be glorious warriors, Gun.

– Exactly, Ull. The most glorious.

Soon it was lunch time, then they were instructed in the struggle and reading the runes, then there was dinner, and went to sleep in their cell, opened a tightly worked door, so that the animals would not climb until they were there. The youths entered their cave, passing the corridor closed by fur curtains, inflated the hearth and flooded the stove, trying to keep warm, after a long time the cell was warm, and the students were able to take off their fur clothes. Ull looked at how his new friends looked – and they were dressed like him – the same linen coarse pants and trousers, fur or knitted sleeveless jackets for warmth, and soft boots on his feet.

“You Ull, you hold on a chariot perfectly, and you fight a fist fight, and you understand the letter, all three kinds. And here we are, “Tal added,” for two years here, “Tal was tall and blond, like everyone here, and the head was childishly trimmed, so that only a curl of hair remained, and he had a razor after another.

“And you won’t cut your hair,” added Sirac, playing with a bronze razor.

“Mara does not tell me,” found Ull, smiling broadly.

“Do not meddle with him,” said Gun, “he has a sister in front.

The guys’ faces immediately stretched out, Sirac hurriedly put the razor under the fur blanket.

“You don’t know here,” scratching his shaven head, said Pret, to envy you or to feel sorry for your sister, and he came up and patted Ulla on the shoulder. -Maybe you will see who knows. But on the chariot you are great.It seems the cell was warm, you can go to bed.

– And you’re the twin Ull, everyone is afraid of the twins. They used to say, they even killed, everyone is afraid of prophecies.

“Why are they afraid of me?” Said the boy, shrugging his shoulders.

– The prophecy says that: “The twins will be born from a dead mother, they will take the chosen people into the lands unknown, and will give the laws born by the mountain to other people”

“Tell me something else, Pret,” asked Ull.

Okay, listen. It’s about dactyls, fingers, there are such little people, they live in Alatyr-mountain…

“I didn’t see,” Ull interjected, “and I lived there.”

“I didn’t see it, because small ones, just a finger wide, Lada spawned them in grief, when she leaned on her palm, fingerprints, fingers are still called krts, because nobody sees them, they are notable rounders, everyone knows. Help the elect if Lada orders.

Ull lay, and looked at his fingers, and thought, what small people are, live where Ale, I wonder, does she see them?

“Let’s go to sleep,” said Tal, “will rise early, run to breakfast from morning until breakfast, then shoot from a bow, and we will jump over the bull.”

Ull lay down comfortably, covered with a fur blanket, it was warm and good in the cell, and he soon fell asleep.

He was awakened by the crash of a fist on a wooden door, and Sirac hurriedly went to open the door, which was closed for the night.

“Wash, it’s time for classes, lessons are waiting for you and a vigil,” said the boy, the warrior Gnur, told them, of those with whom he sailed in the same boat. Two more teenagers were standing next to him.

“Get acquainted, this is Arius, and this is Vour,” he first pointed to one and then another teenager Gnur. Arius was taller than Vour, and Vour’s jacket was almost black, and Aria had light brown.

“You are all here and gathered,” Gunur laughed, “all the sons of the leaders here, as Arpad ordered and Seven sentenced. Gunas-Gun from the guns, Syrac from the Sindi, Knut from the Scolts, Vour from the Parsis, and Mansa Pret from the Dan, Tal from the Svei, Arius from the Van.

In turn, six teenagers called their names, lazy voices from a sleep. They all got dressed, covered the embers of the hearth with a stone pot, so that there would be no fire, quickly washing up, youths, now there were seven of them, went to run. We ran for a long time, drowning in snow with soft boots, at first it was cold, but soon Ull got warm, and everyone, too, ran with flushed faces. The youngsters were led by the gun, and set the pace, returned to the cell, rubbed with snow, got dressed, and went to the shooting range. They took their bows and arrows, shooting gloves and shields to protect their left hand from the bowstring. Ahead was the deliberate knight, Gnur, and after him, two by two, marched militarily, which was followed at this time by Sirac, the young students, walking in such a way that they did not break the order, even stepping on crisp snow.

“Stand in a row, between each of three steps,” demanded Gnur dexterously.

“Remove the bows from the irradiation, bend the bow under your foot,” he said, and did what he said, and the youths repeated after him, “now cling the string to the hook first from the bottom,” and hooked the string itself, “and then from above,” and in his hands was already a mighty reinforced bow.

They all stood holding bows in their left hands with a stretched string in fifty steps from the targets. Gnur looked sternly at the youths, walked over to the two, Ullue and Talu, straightening their legs in a rack with a bow.

– Get ready, and when ready – shoot, three arrows each.

Ull straightened the shield on his left hand, pulled the arrow out of the quiver, pulled the string to the ear, and sent it to the target, a wooden pole, then the second arrow and the third, lowered the bow and hid it in the beam. Gun and Knut were shot next to him. They held the bow quite cleverly.

Druzhinnik waited until the students finished shooting, and went to inspect the target, or rather all were Ull and Arius.

– Ull and Arius shoot further. Get off another fifty paces, and all the youths, move aside the shooters.

Ull stood next to Arius, he grinned caustically at him, he took off the hood, so that the wind waved his curls on his shaved head, but without knowing it, he helped Ullü aim.

“Well, kid, now we will find out who is who,” Arius joked bitterly and fired the first. The arrow, painted red, hit the center of the pillar, and the boys roared with delight.

– Ary! Arius! – pupils shouted in delight.

Ull clenched his teeth, estimated the wind, took out an arrow, aimed and fired. At first, the audience did not believe what they saw. Then the crowd rushed through the snow, overtaking each other. Gnur, as a senior, walked behind in a hurry, and Ull walked behind, sighing beforehand as he went. Gun and Tal, not believing their eyes, felt the arrow of Ulle, which split the arrow of Aria with her bronze tip.

“I have never seen such a thing,” said Gnur in surprise, “just a great archer, you, an islander.” You’re on the deer brains of all overtaken.

The youths approached, and each, considered it his duty to feel the arrow, the one that Aria slipped off soon fell on the already trampled snow. The wind was not strong, but as if mocked, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, covering the traces of the guns and mans, and a small detachment discussing archery went for lunch. After eating, letting the fat inside the still-childish bodies solidify, Gnur led the boys to a wooden bull, located nearby. Three people with Ulls at the head dragged a large armful of straw, so that the unfortunate jumper would not suffer.

Placing the pupils next to him, the tutor stood right in front of the bull at ten paces, took off his jacket and gave it to Aria, ran away with fast jumps, and carrying the weight on his right leg jumped carrying his hands far ahead, and flying, he jumped his hands easily over the wooden figure and got up on his feet in three steps from the simulator and raised his hands up. Taking the jacket back and smiling, Gnur got dressed and threw a hood over his head and stood without saying a word. The youths were silent in admiration.

“Let’s do it,” said Arius, taking off his jacket and giving it to Ull.

“Walk ten paces, run, push with your right foot, and jump,” his teacher instructed him.

The guy did it all – he ran away, pushed, jumped, put weight on his hands and flew over the log, but could not resist and fell into the straw, quickly dusted off, and came running and the general system, and got dressed. So everyone began to jump, and quickly warmed up in a slight frost, the youngsters were strong and agile, and everyone got it. So time passed, and it was getting dark, and everyone quickly got dressed, had supper and went to rest. The next morning they were raised again, and now they began to learn more and correctly fall on the run, then the soldiers would learn to fall from the chariot and quickly rise.

“Look,” said their usual teacher Gnur, who himself was running slowly, and suddenly fell on his side, putting his arm bent at the elbow and firmly pressing it to the body, taking a punch on the fur sleeve and soft fabric of the shoulder, and then also falling to the left.

“Come on, build one at the back of your head, four steps, forward, march,” and he clapped his hands.

The disciples ran, and began to fall left and right in turns, and soon their fur coats were in the snow, many laughed at the faces of their friends, some crooked and rubbed their hands, hurt badly about the trampled snow. The procedure lasted a long time, and then everything alternated, shooting, running, fencing, wrestling, jumping, and then again and again the same, so that they did not get bored. But the polar winter soon began, and they were taught to read and write, as well as combat tactics. Arpad was without a fur jacket, only in a linen shirt of the same pants, soft boots and a fur sleeveless jacket. Already started to grow a beard, the age he already allowed, his hair, like many here, had blond hair. Arpad himself put a ladle with kvass, from which he drank sip by sip, next to the sandy table, on which stood bronze figures of warriors showing.Gun and Sirac took the hands of the wheelwalker figures in their hands, for which Sirac caught a light cuff, and Gun, however, deftly dodged Arpad’s callous hand, which earned the comrades ‘screams of comrades, Sirac was rubbing his shaved head.

“Look,” the instructor pointed out with his hand, “here are our chariots, they will attack the enemy infantry, building on the right flank, and after attacking along the line, driving into the left, and then circling the formation of their infantry, again falls on the right flank. The light infantry covers the wheelchairs, and the reserve of chariots covers the left as well, – he pointed out with his hand, – and to the right, and in these chariots archers, and the lancers are attacking the infantry. Why right to left attack?

– Kope held in his right hand, and his left support, answered Ull.

– That’s right, so the chariot turns from right to left. And we must beware of the attack of the enemy’s chariots in the flanks. Light infantry helps chariots, so they are helped by thirty fighters. Remember. Or an attack is possible when first the chariots alternately fire at the enemy formation of bows, not bringing the matter to a melee.

The training lasted for a long time, the old warrior told how to lead a detachment with a march, how to conduct reconnaissance, control a wagon train, repel attacks and much more important things. After lunch, when it was already dark, the youths, tired of their classes, trudged over the snow, and the glow of the Heavenly Kingdom shone over them, the stars dazzlingly shone on the black and clear sky, and the lights dazzled the sky of the North, so that there was a crack as if coming from kingdom of the gods. Everyone raised their heads up, admiring the unmatched picture, beautiful and amazing for those who have not seen it, and even more beautiful who have seen all the time – the Northern Lights.