"Bradley,.Marion.Zimmer.&.Waters,.Elisabeth.-.Darkover.Series.-.Firetrap.(v2.0)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bradley Marion Zimmer)

See you later,Ф he said, and was off into the overworld. Ten minutes later he was back, a matrix clenched in his hands. УFound it lying about on a high shelf in the library,Ф he said. УNobody but my father even knew what it was. I heard of another one too; one is lying on the forge-folk's altar. Father spent some time in a Tower; that is how he knew what it was. He visited the forge-folk to have them make a sword, and saw it there. It is supposed to be a talisman of their fire-goddess; but it at least ninth-level. I do not know if I can get itЧ"

"No, that is work for a Keeper,Ф Hilary said. УLeonie would want to do it herself, I suppose; although I am perfectly capable of it. Except that I should know where to look; there is, after all, more than one village of forge-folk. Meanwhile, let us see what you have here,Ф she said, taking the matrix from him. It was coated with dust, dull blue. She brushed away the dust. УI can well believe that it has been lying about in a library all these years, forgotten. It must have been overlooked when we called in all the matrixes, a couple of generations ago. One like this would be easy to overlook. Let me see if it was ever a monitored matrix."

She laid it carefully in a cradle and activated a small screen. For a long time she was silent, light from the screen coming and going, and reflecting on her narrow face. The other two leaned close. At last, Hilary switched off the screen, the lights fading, and said, УI still do not know all its history, and it is not important enough to do timesearch to find it out; but it is very old. It may have been made before the TowersЧoh yes,Ф she said in reply to Ronal's startled glance, Уit is an artificial one, perhaps one of the first ones made. I wish I knew who made it. Oh, wellЧФ She wrapped it carefully in insulating silks and said, УYour father did not mind giving it up?"

"No,Ф said Ronal, УI don't suppose he knew he was; when I appeared to him he thought he was dreaming of me. When he finds out that I have really been home, even in spirit, he will be so busy saying I should have first shown myself to my mother that he will not get around to scolding me for the loss of the matrix for yearsЧif ever. It means nothing to him, and so it belongs here; Leonie may discover a use for itЧor if not, destroy it."

"Which will be safer for all concerned,Ф Hilary agreed. УDo you want to go after the one the forge-folk hold tonight?"

"No,Ф said Ronal, a little reluctantly; Hilary looked tired and ill, and he knew if she over-strained herself Leonie would be angry. Much as he enjoyed working together like this, elementary caution could not be neglected. And another thing, УLeonie might wish to seek for this one herself. It is a large and an important one, perhaps not to be left to a couple of apprentices."

* * * *

When Leonie heard of the ninth-level matrix, she was eager to seek it for herself. Therefore they gathered in one of the Tower rooms the next night.

"Which village of forge-folk holds it? I think I have heard of itЧthis great lost matrix. It will not be altogether welcome to themЧthat such a matrix should go behind Tower walls and be lost to them, but I think I can persuade them."

Ronal did not doubt it; it would take a braver man than he knew to stand against the wishes of Leonie Hastur.

He supposed she had once been remarkably beautiful, this Keeper; certainly she had been behind Tower walls all of his life, and during mostЧif not allЧof the lives of his parentsЧand for all he knew to the contrary, of his grandparents. He found himself wondering how old she was; with some women, especially of Hastur blood, after they reached a certain age, it was impossible to tell their age because although they were not actually withered, or emaciated, there was something about them; they might have been any age or none. It was still possible to see that Leonie had been beautiful, just possible; it was perhaps the only remnant of her humanity. She looked almost unreal in the stiff, formal Keeper's veils of deep crimson.

"I will go,Ф she said. УKeep watch for me.Ф Thus saying, she slipped out of her body. To the young people watching, there was no apparent difference, except for an almost imperceptible slumping and a somewhat vacant look in the eyes that were still as blue as copper filings in flame, but they all knew she was not there. She had gone heaven knows where into that strange unknown realm of the overworld, where time and space were not tangible, and only thought existed. Things were not what they seemed in the overworld, but could under certain conditions be manipulatedЧby thought alone.

The night wore away; after a long time, LeonieЧwho had, to all appearances, remained motionless in her chairЧbegan to stir and struggle. Callista, instantly alert, murmured, УShe's not breathing,Ф but before she could intervene, Leonie pitched out of her chair, falling forward, in a flutter of crimson, breathing heavily in normal unconsciousness.

Ronal cried out, bending over to lift the Keeper. She half-roused at the touch, murmured, УToo strong for meЧФ and slipped back again into unconsciousness. Ronal lifted the apparently lifeless body and carried her into her shielded room. He waited there until Leonie's attendants had applied various restoratives and determined that she was suffering only from shock and exhaustion.

* * * *

When he returned to the others, Hilary had already slipped into Leonie's vacated chair.

"No, Hilary,Ф Ronal demurred. УIf it was too strong for Leonie, what do you think you can do alone?"

"Do you know how much Leonie has been overworking lately?Ф Hilary shot back. УThat is what led to her collapse; any task she might have undertaken could have done the same. And I will finish what she startedЧthere is no question now that there is something to find, and it must be found before they have time to transfer it to a better hiding place.Ф As Ronal still hesitated, she added persuasively, УI might as well; I will be good for nothing tomorrow, and probably not for another tenday."

"Perhaps if you rest nowЧФ Ronal began. УNo.Ф Hilary shook her head definitely. УIt doesn't work that way. Right now I'm riding on the wave of energy I always get a day in advance. We might as well take advantage of it."

Ronal shrugged helplessly; stronger men than he had failed to deter a Keeper when her mind was set on something.

"Besides, if I go now, at once, I can follow her traces,Ф Hilary said.

And Ronal could say only, УYou know best.Ф Hilary took her place in the chair, wrapping herself in a long woolly robe over her regular working robe, shrugged a bit to make herself comfortable, and slipped out of her body.

* * * *

Hilary found herself at first on what appeared to be a grey featureless plain, without visible landmarks except, behind her, the rising Tower of ArilinnЧnot the real Tower as it appeared in the outer world, but what she knew to be the idealized form of that structure. It had been a landmark in the overworld for many generations, and before it, Hilary saw shining footprints, tracks with a faint silver luster. Leonie's?Did she leave these marks for me?

Since her main thought had been to follow in Leonie's footprints, she set out quickly along the trail, knowing that it would fade to invisibility all too soon. She moved without conscious thought, unaware of the motions of walking; her only aim to follow that almost imperceptible trail before her where Leonie had gone. She was so intent on following in Leonie's footsteps that it seemed to her to be no time at allЧthough to the watchers in the outer world it was a considerable timeЧbefore she found herself at the entrance to a great dark cave, one ofЧshe was not sure how she knew this, perhaps some intangible trace of Leonie's thoughtЧa great labyrinth of caves which made networks all through the foothills of the mountains. This was the home, she knew, of the strange people known as the forge-folk.