Novik, Naomi / Новик, Наоми - Собрание сочинений (61 произведение) [2006-2022, fb2/epub, ENG]

Uprooted 2015, fb2/epub, ISBN: 978-0-8041-7904-1, Del Rey Spinning Silver 2018, epub (retail), ISBN: 978-1-5098-9903-6, Macmillan

Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake / Араминта, или Крушение «Амфидрейка» 2008, fb2 Commonplaces / Тоскливые будни 2009, fb2 Vici / Вици 2009, fb2 Seven Years from Home / В семи годах от дома 2010, fb2 The Purity Test 2010, fb2 Priced to Sell 2011, fb2 Lord Dunsany's Teapot 2011, fb2 Rocks Fall 2013, fb2 Spinning Silver 2016, fb2 Castle Coeurlieu 2016, fb2 Blessings 2018, fb2 Seven 2019, fb2 Buried Deep 2019, fb2

THE DECK OF the French ship was slippery with blood, heaving in the choppy sea; a stroke might as easily bring down the man making it as the intended target. Laurence did not have time in the heat of the battle to be surprised at the degree of resistance, but even through the numbing haze of battle-fever and the confusion of swords and pistol-smoke, he marked the extreme look of anguish on the French captain’s face as the man shouted encouragement to his men. It was still there shortly thereafter, when they met on the deck, and the man surrendered his sword, very reluctantly: at the last moment his hand half-closed about the blade, as if he meant to draw it back. Laurence looked up to make certain the colors had been struck, then accepted the sword with a mute bow; he did not speak French himself, and a more formal exchange would have to wait for the presence of his third lieutenant, that young man being presently engaged belowdecks in securing the French guns. With the cessation of hostilities, the remaining Frenchmen were all virtually dropping where they stood; Laurence noticed that there were fewer of them than he would have expected for a frigate of thirty-six guns, and that they looked ill and hollow-cheeked. Many of them lay dead or dying upon the deck; he shook his head at the waste and eyed the French captain with disapproval: the man should never have offered battle. Aside from the plain fact that the Reliant would have had the Amitie slightly outgunned and outmanned under the best of circumstances, the crew had obviously been reduced by disease or hunger. To boot, the sails above them were in a sad tangle, and that no result of the battle, but of the storm which had passed but this morning; they had barely managed to bring off a single broadside before the Reliant had closed and boarded. The captain was obviously deeply overset by the defeat, but he was not a young man to be carried away by his spirits: he ought to have done better by his men than to bring them into so hopeless an action. “Mr. Riley,” Laurence said, catching his second lieutenant’s attention, “have our men carry the wounded below.” He hooked the captain’s sword on his belt; he did not think the man deserved the compliment of having it returned to him, though ordinarily he would have done so. “And pass the word for Mr. Wells.” “Very good, sir,” Riley said, turning to issue the necessary orders. Laurence stepped to the railing to look down and see what damage the hull had taken. She looked reasonably intact, and he had ordered his own men to avoid shots below the waterline; he thought with satisfaction that there would be no difficulty in bringing her into port. His hair had slipped out of his short queue, and now fell into his eyes as he looked over. He impatiently pushed it out of the way as he turned back, leaving streaks of blood upon his forehead and the sun-bleached hair; this, with his broad shoulders and his severe look, gave him an unconsciously savage appearance as he surveyed his prize, very unlike his usual thoughtful expression. Wells climbed up from below in response to the summons and came to his side. “Sir,” he said, without waiting to be addressed, “begging your pardon, but Lieutenant Gibbs says there is something queer in the hold.” . . .

Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful. He doesn’t devour them really; it only feels that way. He takes a girl to his tower, and ten years later he lets her go, but by then she’s someone different. Her clothes are too fine and she talks like a courtier and she’s been living alone with a man for ten years, so of course she’s ruined, even though the girls all say he never puts a hand on them. What else could they say? And that’s not the worst of it—after all, the Dragon gives them a purse full of silver for their dowry when he lets them go, so anyone would be happy to marry them, ruined or not. But they don’t want to marry anyone. They don’t want to stay at all. . . .

Добавлен сборник рассказов Novik, Naomi - Golden Age and Other Stories (Temeraire) - 2017.epub

Добавлен только что (в июле) вышедший роман Novik, Naomi - Spinning Silver - 2018.epub

Добавлено: Рассказы: Novik, Naomi - Blessings - 2018.fb2 Novik, Naomi - Seven - 2019.fb2 Novik, Naomi - Buried Deep - 2019.fb2 Новый роман из нового цикла: 01 Novik, Naomi - A Deadly Education (The Scholomance) - 2020.epub

Добавлено: 02 Novik, Naomi - The Last Graduate (The Scholomance) - 2021.epub

Добавлено: 03 Novik, Naomi - The Golden Enclaves (The Scholomance) - 2022.epub