"Gray, Julia - Guardian 03 - The Crystal Desert" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gray Julia)

His name's Mlicki. He's the brother of that girl you saw.
And what makes you think . . . ?
He reminds me of me, Terrel said. He went on to explain about Mlicki's odd appearance, his partial blindness, his talent for psinoma and othersight. He's an outcast too, he added. The more I learnt about him, the more I realized we had in common, and I think I was meant to find him.
That's a big jump, Alyssa pointed out.
I know, but Shahan did say there could be more than one Mentor. And I could use some help. Besides, there's more.
Tell me quickly then. I don't think I can stand this much longer. Her ears were twitching almost constantly now.
There's the river, Terrel said, feeling slightly flustered. What river?
It disappeared. I thought it might have been because of an elemental. You know how much they hate water.
It's possible.
And then I remembered the dream I had ages ago, when I saw the hospice floating on the water. That turned out to be an accurate premonition, and in the same dream I saw the desert too - though I didn't know what it was at the time - and a camel-
A what?
I'll show you later, he promised, grinning as he imagined Alyssa 'borrowing' the body of one of the ungainly creatures. I also dreamt about a woman with tattoos on her face - and some of the women in Misrah have markings just like I saw.
Have you found the actual woman herself?
No. But I think maybe I'm meant to try.
Fair enough, Alyssa said, nodding her host's pointed head.
That's not all. Two days ago, something very strange happened. He told her about the raiders, and the way in which violence had been avoided.
So Mlicki produced this illusion? she queried.
That's just it, Terrel replied. He says he didn't. He saw it, but he had no way of showing it to anyone else. Which means it must have been conjured up by some outside power.
By an elemental? Alyssa wondered.
It could be, he agreed eagerly. Everyone saw it differently, but the most interesting thing is how Mlicki himself described it. He said it was a kind of darkness, and that he couldn't see it properly. You remember what the elemental looked like? All that swirling, never being able to see straight or focus on it. . .
Dark where it should be light. . . Alyssa added. You 're right. It could be.
And now there's another reason why I think I may be getting somewhere at last.
What's that?
You're here. That means the unknown road is about to turn, doesn't it?
Maybe, she conceded, displaying less certainty than Terrel would have liked. Have you actually asked anyone here about the Ancients?
How? he responded. What would I say? Oh, by the way, have you seen this thing that you can't really see, but looks like a shadow that shouldn't be there? It has no body, no substance, but it can cause earthquakes and make rivers flow uphill. They'd think I was mad.
Would that matter? The important thing is to get the information.
I'll think about it, Terrel said - although he felt uncomfortable at the thought of such a direct approach.
The circle will break soon. I have to go.
No! Please. Not yet. You haven't given me any news. What about--
I'll come back as soon as I can. In something better than this, she added vehemently. Digging can't be that important.
Terrel was about to protest again, but knew straight away that it was too late. He watched as the ring melted away before his eyes, and felt the loss of separation as Alyssa's spirit left. The animal beside him blinked once, then bounded away in terror. As he watched it disappear over the ridge on its way back to the burrow, Terrel heard someone calling his name, and stood up to see who it was.
'I'm here!' he shouted, and began to make his way back towards the camp.
Zahir came over the top of the dune at a run.
'What happened here?' he gasped, as soon as he was close enough to talk.
'Kala and I were watching the animals,' Terrel told him. 'They came out of holes over there, and ran about. Then-'
'You saw the djerboas' dance?' Zahir exclaimed in disbelief. 'No wonder strange things are happening.'
'What strange things?'
'It still doesn't explain what happened to Kalkara though,' the nomad said. He was obviously very worried about something.
'What happened to her?' Terrel demanded, frightened now.
'Her face and arms are all burnt,' Zahir replied. 'It's as if she walked into a fire.'
Chapter Seven
'What did you do to her?' Mlicki rasped, his voice hoarse with anger and worry.
'Nothing!' Terrel replied, taken aback by his reception.
There was quite a gathering outside the shaman's tent, and Zahir had helped Terrel push his way through until they reached the flap that served as a door. As soon as he'd stepped inside, Mlicki - who had been kneeling next to his prostrate sister - stood up and barred his way. Algardi and his wife, Bubaqra, were also there, their faces betraying shock and concern.
'I didn't do this, Mlicki,' Terrel exclaimed, trying to see past him to the girl. 'Kala's my friend. You both are.'
'Then how did she get burnt?' Mlicki demanded.
'I have no idea.' Even as he spoke, Terrel could hear Zahir telling those outside the tent about him and Kalkara witnessing the djerboas' dance - and could hear the incredulity that greeted this revelation. He was still none
the wiser as to why it should be considered so sensational, but he had no time for speculation now. 'We'd been watching some animals,' he went on. 'Then Kala jumped up and ran away. I don't know why. But she wasn't hurt when she left me.'
Terrel's evident sincerity was making an impact on Mlicki, who clearly no longer knew what to believe.