"BUJOLD, Lois McMaster - Vorkosigan 10 - Mirror Dance" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bujold Lois McMaster)

its shoulder at himЧwas that intended to be some sort of double entendre? After a bit more rattling about, Thorne placed a

delicately hand-painted porcelain cup and saucer upon the table at his elbow. He picked it up and sipped cautiously as Thorne

hooked another chair into its clamps a quarter turn around the table, produced a cup for itself, and sat with a small grunt of

satisfaction.



He was relieved to find the hot amber liquid pleasant, if astringent. Sugar? He dared not ask. Thorne hadnТt put any out.

The Dendarii surely would have, if it expected Naismith to use sugar. Thorne couldnТt be making some subtle test already,

could it? No sugar, then.



Tea-drinking mercenaries. The beverage didnТt seem nearly poisonous enough, somehow, to go with the display, no,

working arsenal, of weapons clamped to the wall: a couple of stunners, a needler, a plasma arc, a gleaming metal crossbow with

an assortment of grenade-bolts in a bandolier hung with it. Thorne was supposed to be good at its job. If that was true, he

didnТt care what the creature drank.



"YouТre in a black study. I take it youТve brought us a lovely one this time, eh?" Thorne prodded after another momentТs

silence.



"The mission assignment, yes." He certainly hoped that was what Thorne meant. The hermaphrodite nodded, and raised

its brows in encouraging inquiry. "ItТs a pick-up. Not the biggest one weТve ever attempted, by any meansЧ"



Thorne laughed.



"But with its own complications."



"It canТt possibly be any more complicated than Dagoola Four. Say on, oh do."