"Evans,.Linda.-.Sleipnir" - читать интересную книгу автора (Evans Linda)

back on, feeling a little foolish.

Now that the ceremony was over and I'd fulfilled my half of the
bargain, I found I couldn't get away from that tree fast enough, and
led the way until we were out of sight of it. I slowed down, then,
hands thrust deep in my pockets, and worked at ignoring the slight
burning in my left arm. Gary walked beside me, uncharacteristically
silent.

I spoke without looking directly at him. "You think I'm crazy?"

He shook his head; but the corners of his mouth twitched.

"Nope. Sacrificing to Odin is pretty sane behavior for you, Randy."

Sometimes I really hated the fact that Gary could outrun me.

I finally gave up the chase, and with my remaining breath, yelled, "If
you'll stop running, I'll let you live. . . !"

He stoppedЧgrinningЧand waited for me.

"You know," I mused, once I got my breath back, "those old
Vikings, they weren't far wrong, I guess. Good friends, good sex,
good fights, plenty of goldЧhell, at least they had something to
believe in."

Unexpectedly irritated, I kicked at a dead branch and sent it
scooting off through the dead leaves. "Some nights on those
towers I'd give a lot to have something I could really believe in."

Gary nodded. "Yeah. I guess what I hate worst is the idea of dying
for nothing. I don't know, Randy. I guess if I were to die, I'd want to
go the way they did. Take off for Valhalla in a blaze of glory; then
more good friends, more good sex, more fighting and gold, right
up to the end of everything." He laughed. "Who knows? You game
to find out with me?"

I blinked. Sometimes Gary overdid things. "Be serious, man. We
got plans for tonight."

He laughed. "And you're buying, right?"

"You bet. So let's get back to town. I'm freezing my ass off out
here." The undefinable feeling I'd had since the moment that
hedgehog had strolled out into the open had finally evaporated.

Well, almost.

As we'd headed toward town, I hadn't quite been able to suppress