"Sharon Green - Terrillian 3 - Warrior Rearmed" - читать интересную книгу автора (Green Sharon)

Terrilian III: The Warrior Rearmed
By Sharon Green



CHAPTER 1

I sat beside the pretty little blue pond, just in the shade of a nearby tree,
trying to rid myself of the gray mood of brooding. Constructive thought is
almost impossible in that kind of mood, but it had descended on me the night
before and I couldn't seem to shake it. With all the problems I had, I should
have been spending my time considering solutions, but all I felt capable of
tackling right then was sitting still and breathing in the fresh, clear air.

My mind was so close to being shut down from self-centered consideration, I
nearly missed the faint, unfamiliar mind trace. It was near enough to cause me
to focus on it immediately, but I hadn't been wrong in my first, fleeting
impression: there was a small, frightened animal somewhere in the grass near
me. On that planet it could have been something a lot more harmful, but I
hadn't been as frightened as I once would have been. I'd been growing on
Rimilia, but I still had a far distance to go.

In curiosity I touched the mind of the small animal, automatically soothing
its fright, and a bright-eyed head suddenly popped up above the grass to look
at me, sharing my curiosity. The animal was only a little above a foot long,
fluffy dark-red fur covering it, pointed ears above shiny black eyes, a small
button nose and mouth. The sight of it charmed me, and when the adorable
little thing saw and felt my smile, it moved toward me in small, delicate
hops, landing in my lap after quickly covering the ten feet between us. A
purring sound came when I began to stroke the soft, thick fur, the contentment
in its mind so strong it nearly acted as a balm on my own agitation. I turned
to look at the cool pond water as I continued to stroke the animal, and made
sure my gray mood was blocked from it completely.

"So there you are," a voice came a minute later from behind me, breaking into
the semi-trance of peace I'd almost fallen into. I wasn't totally startled,
and was able to calm the small animal in my lap before it could panic and
bolt. The voice had come from Lenham Phillips, a brother empath of mine, and
Len's calming thoughts joined mine as soon as he realized there was a mind
that needed calming. Len's abilities weren't as strong as mine, and he wore a
wry expression as he came up beside me to lower himself into the grass.

"Sorry about that," he said, gesturing toward the animal that had turned its
head to look at him. "I didn't realize you had company here. Tammad's been
searching for you, and he's getting more and more annoyed the longer he can't
find you. I think you'd better head back."

I just turned my face from him without saying anything, sending my attention
back to the tall shade trees and wide bushes all about us. I wasn't quite used
to seeing a man of my world dressed in the haddin of the men of Rimilia, but