"Bennett, Marcia J - Ni-Lach 03 - Beyond the Draak's Teeth UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bennett Marcia J)

The draak's head dipped down as if to scoop Bhaldavin up, then the open jaws closed and the draak straightened to its full height and stood quietly listening.
Bhaldavin hurriedly began to untangle the rope about his legs; he worked quickly, unsure how long he could hold the draak. The mesmerizing notes of the song known as "Ara-vol" flowed sweetly on the air... ten seconds... fifteen...
He stood up and began backing away, the coil of rope caught in his hand. Suddenly his voice broke and the song was destroyed. He turned and ran down the dirt pathway. The draak shook its head and gave chase.
Draak were known to have poor eyesight, but their hearing was keen, and as Bhaldavin sought safety in the heavy underbrush along the trail, the draak followed, crashing through the bushes as easily as Bhaldavin might have waded through grass.
Using all the skills he had learned in the Deep, Bhaldavin searched for a place to go to ground. Climbing a tree was out of the question because the draak was too close behind.
Suddenly the rope he carried caught around a branch and tore out of his hand; he ran only a few more steps before he was brought up short. He dove for cover under the branches of a kansa bush and crouched motionless as the draak lumbered closer. It took a few more steps, then stopped, confused by Bhaldavin's sudden disappearance. Its head wove back and forth as it waited for its quarry to make another noise. *,
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Bhaldavin flinched as something brushed his shoulder. He turned to find Garv lying beside a fallen tree. There was a narrow culvert beneath the tree that led down to the edge of the river, and Garv, motioning to Bhaldavin to follow, edged back into the culvert. Bhaldavin came up against the rope and shook his head, pointing to the problem. Garv quickly drew his knife. Carefully he moved up beside Bhaldavin and began to cut the rope.
The draak moved a step closer and pushed its head down among the bushes, its long tongue snaking in and out as it snuffled the air.
Bhaldavin held his breath, waiting for the draak's head to swing in his direction. He could smell it now, the mud and grass that clung to its thick scaly hide carrying the odor of rotten dewbird eggs.
Garv sawed frantically on the rope, his harsh breathing audible in the morning silence. Suddenly the rope snapped, throwing Garv back against several branches.
Alerted by that small sound, the draak thrust its head down farther still and finally saw its prey.
Garv scooted backward, pulling Bhaldavin headfirst into the culvert.
Unable to take his eyes from the gaping mouth and sharp teeth snapping at his legs, Bhaldavin felt himself slide, then his head struck something hard and he fell into darkness.
"... believe me or not, Gringers. I swear, I heard him. He was singing the draak!"
"Are you sure, Theon?"
"Yes, damn it! I was there. I heard him."
"But how? You told me he wasn't trained."
"I didn't think he was," Theon said fiercely.
Gringers raised his hand in a placating gesture. "Easy, Theon. Relax. Losing your temper isn't going toЧ"
"I'm not losing my temper," Theon grumbled, lowering
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BEYOND THE DRAAK'S TEETH
his voice slightly. "I'm just trying to tell you that since the last time I saw him, Little Fish has changed!"
"Changed how?"
"It's his eyes. Before it was like looking into twin pieces of gray glass, but now there's a feeling of presence there, as if he's really aware of what goes on around him. When he wakes up, look into his eyes and you'll understand what I'm trying to say."
"/^he wakes up," Gringers said softly.
"Let's think positive, all right?"
"Sorry. Theon, is there a possibility that your little fish has been faking all this time?"
"For fifteen years?" Theon snorted. "Impossible!"
"How do you explain the changes in him then?"
"I can't explain it, unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Last night I noticed that he had a bruise under one eye. If Garv had hit him hard enough, perhaps such a blow would knock him back to his senses."
"It's a possibility, but you told me that Garv would never do anything to hurt him."
"Not intentionally. Garv treats Little Fish with a gentleness you wouldn't believe. Oh, I've seen him slap the Ni a couple of times, but only as one would slap an erring child. The only time I really ever saw Garv angry with him was that time he wandered away from the cabin and ended up in town walking around stark naked. Garv hit him with a stick a couple of times and made sure he wouldn't wander off again by putting that rope at his ankle; the same rope that nearly cost him his life this morning."
"Tell me again what happened," Gringers prompted.
"Garv and I were arguing, not paying attention to how loud we were getting and where we were. Suddenly a draak appeared. It must have been sleeping by the riv-erbank. We were caught off guard and we ran. I was halfway back to the stockade when I heard Littlo^Fish
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start to sing. I stopped to look back and saw him facing the draak in the middle of the path and singing it to a standstill. For a minute I thought he was going to be able to control it, send it away or something. I was so shocked by what was happening that all I could do was stand and stare. Then he stopped singing and the draak turned on him.
"He made a run for the bushes just like we had, but the rope Garv had tied at his ankle got tangled around a bush. If Garv hadn't cut him free, the draak would've had our little fish for dinner."
Bhaldavin lay quietly, listening to the two men talk. He had wakened to their voices and the smell of meat cooking. He cautiously opened his eyes. The shadowed room was small; the only exit was the open doorway to his right. He was not in Garv's cabin.
There was soft padding beneath him and a light blanket covering him. He pushed the blanket aside and sat up. A sharp pain exploded in his head and he dropped back.
As the darting pain gradually receded, he opened his eyes once more and slowly let his glance wander the confines of the dark room. There was a single stool on the other side of the room and a small table near the bed. Pieces of clothing hung from wall pegs near the door.
Bhaldavin prepared himself against a return of pain and carefully rolled to his side so he could see out through the doorway. The room beyond was lighted with an oil lamp sitting in the middle of a table; a window showed that it was dark outside.
A broad-shouldered, dark-haired man sat with his back to the doorway. Theon, who sat facing the door, was using his hands to emphasize the size of the draak and how close it had come to having Bhaldavin for a meal.
Out of Bhaldavin's line of vision a door opened and closed. "Is he awake yet?" a new voice asked.
"No, Chagg, not the last time we looked," Theon responded.