"(ebook) Anthony Piers - Xanth 16 - Demons Don't Dream" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

26 PIERS ANTHONY

"What kind of tree is that?" Kirn asked. "It's grotesque!"

Jenny studied it. She had had to take a cram course in the flora of Xanth, so that she could be a good Companion and identify anything that might be either helpful or dangerous. 'It's an electrici-tree," she said. "It has a lot of power, I think."

Kirn laughed. "I'm sure it has! Maybe this is where our electric power comes from. I see the wires headed away. We belter not stay here too long; the electric field might be bad for us."

Jenny looked. Sure enough, die tree's roots extended down into a shimmering field. There was water below, but the wire grass grew up thickly. She hadn't run into this in her studies; maybe she had snoozed through that particular lecture. "An electric field is harmful?" she asked.

"Well, we don't know, for sure. But folk don't like to live too close to power lines, just in case."

Then they heard an ominous thudding, and the ground trembled. "The ogres are coming!" Jenny said, alarmed. They must have heard the vocal cords after all. "We'd better hide in the tree."

So she scrambled up, with Sammy scampering up ahead of her, and the screen view that connected mem to Kirn angling along. Just in time; the first monster was already heaving into awful sight Of course there was no such thing as a good sight, near an ogre, except the sight of a last way out of sight

"Oooo, an ogre!" Kim exclaimed.

"Quiet!" Jenny hissed, horribly alarmed. Ogres had adequate hearing: adequate to locate whatever they wanted to squish flat or pound into oblivion or chomp into quivering fragments.

"What are they doing?" Kim asked, in a lower tone.

Jenny studied the scene. It was a whole tribe of ogres, males and females, and they seemed to be looking for something. Then they spied it: a glowing ball nestled in the electric field. One ogre lumbered into the field and

DEMONS DON'T DREAM 27

grabbed the ballЧand burned his hands. He dropped it, with a small curse that set fire to the nearby grass. Or maybe it was the fiery ball that did that. "I think they're collecting a ball of lightning to heat their cook pot," Jenny whispered. "Ogres aren't smart enough to make their own fire, so they must have to take it where they find it"

"A lightning ball!" Kim exclaimed. "How Xanthly!"

"Not so loud!" Jenny warned.

But it was too late. An ogre perked an ear. "Me hear thing near," he said. Jenny felt deepest dread. Then he cocked an eye. "Me see a she!"

Disaster! "We have to flee!" Jenny said.

But the only route out was the one they had come in on, and the ogres were standing too close to it. The big male ogre was already stomping toward the electrici-tree. They were trapped.

The ogre reached up and whammed the branch they were on with his hamfist. The whole tree shuddered, and me branch vibrated violently. Jenny was jarred right out of her perch. She screamed as she fell.

But the ogre swept hn hamhand across and caught her by the scruff of her collar. "See she!" he exulted, waving her around for the others to inspect.

"Leave her alone!" Kim cried. "She's with me."

The ogre peered at the sound of her voice. There was the window-screen, showing Kim beyond. "Fox in box," he grunted, and grabbed the screen. He hauled it up to snout level, upside down.

"Eeeek!" Kim cried as the picture jolted around. Her hair fell away from her body as the screen was inverted. Then the ogre got it turned over, and her hair flopped back into place. "Let go of that screen!" she said, shaken. "Imagination in the game is fine, but this is ridiculous!"

The ogre laughed. "Me dump in sump," he said, shoving the screen down into the water of the marsh.