"Esther M. Friesner - At These Prices" - читать интересную книгу автора (Friesner Esther M)

you.тАЭ
The sarong-clad brownie appeared at BellaтАЩs side before the last word left her
lips. He dragged himself past the four visitors without so much as a nod to any of
them, including the fully manifested troll, and set his hand-held vacuum cleaner to
work on the fallen plaster.
тАЬBixby!тАЭ Berry exclaimed over the roar of the motor. тАЬDonтАЩt you know us?тАЭ
Bixby snapped off the vacuum and turned his head slowly. тАЬOf course I do.
Very kind of you to come seeking me, my dear comrades, but IтАЩm afraid itтАЩs no use.
SheтАЩs laid the bond of bean and brew upon me. I am hers.тАЭ He finished the job and
mumbled a feeble тАЬAloha,тАЭ as he shuffled back into the apartment. The four visitors
watched his broken-spirited retreat with grave dismay. Tom the troll sniffled mightily
as tears of sympathy streamed down his craggy cheeks, and he blew his nose in his
Hotel Security guard cap.
тАЬLetтАЩm go!тАЭ he cried, shaking one boulder of a fist under BellaтАЩs nose.
тАЬLetтАЩm go now, or else IтАЩllтАФIтАЩllтАФIтАЩll pop you a good тАШun!тАЭ
Bella grinned. тАЬWhat, not grind my bones to make your bread? As if you
could do either! Save your threats, lummox. IтАЩve only been toying with you. I know
you neednтАЩt swear an oath on this thingтАФтАЭ she waggled the coffee grinder in the
trollтАЩs face. тАЬтАФto ensure my safety. The holy rule of hospitality forbids a host from
ever doing harm to his guest. Well, I was a guest of House TiernanтАФat obscenely
high prices, might I addтАФand since I paid my hotel bill in full, none of you can lay
one grubby finger on me.тАЭ
Berry sighed. тАЬMore of BixbyтАЩs teachings, maтАЩam?тАЭ
тАЬExactly. So, now that we all know where we standтАФтАЭ She stepped farther
back into the apartment and made a highly sarcastic bow. тАЬтАФcare to come in?тАЭ
The four trooped into BellaтАЩs apartment in hangdog single file. Tom remained
trollish, and the rest cast away their mortal glamours at the threshold, like so many
overcoats. Berry the self-confessed engineer shrank by about a foot, becoming a
burly dwarf, though dressed more in keeping with the boardroom than the whole
woodland cottage/underground kingdom/dig-dig-dig-heigh-ho hoo-hah. Only a
mustard yellow pocket protector took his ensemble from chic to geek. He clambered
onto BellaтАЩs sofa with some effort, sparing Tom a cautionary word not to sit on
anything, lest it be smashed to tinder.
Sharp-tongued Selina shrank even more than Berry, down to the size of a
sparrow. She buzzed under BellaтАЩs nose on lacy pink wings and left a sparkling
contrail in her wake. Bella licked her lips and tasted confectionerтАЩs sugar, which
made sense in view of the pixieтАЩs minuscule chefтАЩs tunic and toque blanche. Selina
alit on the lip of a garishly painted vase, booty from BellaтАЩs one hotel stay south of
the border, and idly twiddled a needle-sized wooden spoon.
As for Melusine, her dowdy dress became a clean, utilitarian pair of overalls
girdled by a well-appointed tool belt. She patted one of the wrenches fondly with a
webbed hand the color of ripe honeydew melon.
BellaтАЩs gimlet eyes zeroed in on the rosy frill of external gills framing
MelusineтАЩs serene face. тАЬHey, little mermaid, whereтАЩs your fishtail?тАЭ
Melusine blushed pale mint. тАЬOh, IтАЩm no mermaid, maтАЩam. I tend to the Hotel
TiernanтАЩs plumbing, and I couldnтАЩt do that from a fish tank. IтАЩm an ondine.тАЭ Bella
gave her a blank stare, so she added, тАЬA water-sprite.тАЭ This only evoked further
visual Variations in the Key of DтАЩuh. тАЬIтАЩm kith and kin to nixies and naiads
andтАФandтАФOh, hang it all.тАЭ Mel slumped in one of BellaтАЩs tatty armchairs, fiercely
muttering, тАЬBloody mythological illiterate.тАЭ