"Eisenstein,.Phyllis.-.Elementals.2.-.1988.-.Crystal.Palace" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eisenstein Phyllis)

on.
The fracture they traveled branched and branched again, and almost
imperceptibly, the light that bathed them began to change, to cool in hue, as
GildrumТs sunny incandescence was diluted by another, bluer radiance. The
fracture branched once more, and as a new flaw carried them almost at a right
angle to the last, Cray could see their goal to one side of Leemin, could see
clearly now that the patch of luminosity that had appeared so faint before was
actually a source of light as bright as day.
It hardly looked like any sort of dwelling. Though tall and broad as any
sorcererТs castle, it was not made of stone or brick or wood, and it had no
battlements, no turrets, no gates. Rather, it was a cluster of giganнtic
crystals, more like some natural excrescence of Ice than any planned structure,
and the walls that bounded it were wide, smooth planes as beautifully
transparent as the purest glass. Through those walls, Cray could see open
interior spaces and walls behind walls until the depths of the whole were lost
in a maze of facets. And from the entire edifice flowed a radiance that was
neither sunlight nor moonlight nor flamelight, but something more akin to the
blue-white of lightning.
УThis is where she lives?Ф gasped Cray.
УYes,Ф said Leemin. УI have seen her enter often after she has walked about in
Ice.Ф
УSheТs a demon master, then,Ф said Elrelet, Уwith at least one slave to open the
way for her.Ф
УShe needs no slaves for that,Ф said Leemin. УShe does it herself.Ф
ElreletТs sharply indrawn breath whistled past CrayТs ear. УIs this possible?Ф
УI have seen it.Ф
УHow long has she been here?Ф asked Gildrum.
УWhen I first saw her, she was a child.Ф
УAnd this huge ... building?Ф
УIt appeared shortly before that. But it was much smaller then; it has grown
considerably since.Ф
Cray leaned against the side of the tunnel, staring into that marvelous
structure. Amid its tangle of interior facets, he could see no furniture
anywhere, no carpets, no hangings, no ornaments of any kind, just empty spaces.
There was no trace of any human pattern, no sense of where a mortal might sleep
or sit or eat a meal. He wondered what kind of person could live in such a
place.
УCan we approach more closely?Ф he asked.
In answer, the Ice demon moved onward a short distance and then nudged open a
fracture that pointed directly at the strange building. This path brought the
travelers all the way to its walls, terminating abruptly against one of those
broad, transparent planes. There, Leemin became hollow once more so that Cray
could peer inside.
УI donТt see anyone,Ф Cray said.
УShe rarely comes to these outer rooms,Ф replied Leemin, Уand neither your
senses nor mine can peneнtrate farther.Ф
УOn the contrary, I can see quite deeply into the place.Ф
УNo, you only think you can. The interior we view from here is mostly illusion;
the inner surfaces that seem transparent walls are really mirrors. If you look
carefully, you can see your own faint reflection in them.Ф