"Simon R. Green - Haven 06 - Bones of Haven" - читать интересную книгу автора (Green Simon R)

each other. Barber silently indicated the right-hand wall, and they crowded round to examine it. There
was a ragged break in the thick matting of dirty grey cobwebs, revealing a plain wooden door, standing
slightly ajar. The wood was scarred and gouged as though by claws, and splashed with dried blood.
The heavy iron lock had been smashed, and was half hanging away from the door. Winter gestured for
them all to move back, and they did so.

"It seems my first guess was wrong," said Storm quietly. "This is Hell Wing, after all, merely hidden
and disguised by thisтАж transformation. The lock quite clearly bears the prison's official mark.
Presumably the door leads to what was originally one of the cells."

"Any idea what's in there?" asked Winter softly.

"Something magical, but that's all I can tell. Might be alive, might not. Again, there's so much stray
magic floating around, my Sight can't see through it."

"Then why not just open the door and take a look?" said Hawk bluntly. "I've had it up to here with
sneaking around, and I'm just in the mood to hit something. All we have to do is kick the door in, and
then fill the gap so that whatever's in there can't escape."

"Sounds good to me," said Fisher. "Who gets to kick the door in?"
"I do," said Barber. "I'm still the point man."

He looked at Winter, and she nodded. Barber moved silently back to the door and the others formed up
behind him, weapons at the ready. Barber took a firm grip on his sword, lifted his left boot, and
slammed it hard against the door. The heavy door swung inward on groaning hinges, revealing half of
the small, gloomy cell. Barber hit the door again and it swung all the way open. Everybody tensed,
ready for any sudden sound or movement, but nothing happened. The cell wasn't much bigger than a
privy, and it smelled much the same. The only illumination was the silver glow falling in from the
corridor outside, but it was more than enough to show that the cell was completely empty. There was
no bed or other furnishingsтАФonly some filthy straw on the floor.

Some of the tension went out of Hawk, and he lowered his axe. "Looks like you got it wrong this time,
Storm; no one's home. Whoever or whatever used to be locked up in here is long gone now."

"With a trusting nature like yours, Captain, I'm astonished you've lasted as long as you have," the
sorcerer said acidly. "The cell's occupant is quite likely still here, held by its geas, even though the lock
has been broken. You just can't see it, that's all."

Anyone else would have blushed. As it was, Hawk spent a moment looking down at his boots before
nodding briefly to the sorcerer and then staring into the cell with renewed interest. "Right. I'd forgotten
about Who Knows, the invisible creature. You're sure the geas is still controlling it?"

"Of course!" snapped Storm. "If it wasn't, the creature would have attacked us by now."

"Not necessarily," said Winter slowly. "It might just be waiting for us to lower our guard. Which
presents us with something of a problem. If it isn't still held by its geas, we can't afford to just turn our
backs and walk away. It might come after us. The reports I saw described it as immensely strong and
entirely malevolent."

"Which means," said Barber, "someone's going to have to go into that cell and check the thing's