"Nicola Griffith - Ammonite" - читать интересную книгу автора (Griffith Nicola)

and the pill. After a moment, it slid open again. A small portion of fish, still steaming,
with a bean sprout salad and another glass of water.
When she finished, she was tired again. She lay down, trying to remember if those
conversations with Hiam about genocide had been real or delirium. Marghe fell
asleep trying to remember what exactly Hiam had said.

The lights around the door to the outer access lock flared warning red, then
dulled. The door hissed open. Janet Eagan was small, naked, and coughing so hard
she did not have the breath to greet Marghe.
Marghe brought her a glass of water and pulled a sheet from her bed. While
Eagan drank the water, Marghe draped the sheet around her shoulders. They were
bony, and pale except for freckles, but her hands and face and legs were weathered.
The coughing eased.
тАЬBetter?тАЭ
 Eagan nodded. тАЬFor now. Thanks.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm Marguerite Taishan. Marghe.тАЭ
Eagan did not offer to shake hands.
Marghe gave her a cliptogether. While they ate, she found herself watching
EaganтАЩs hands, which were brown and hard, callused across the palms. She had not
seen hands like that since watching a carpenter at a demonstration of old-style skills.
Eagan noticed and laid them on the table palm up.
тАЬRope calluses,тАЭ she said. тАЬFor a while I crewed a ship working the coast around
the southern tip of the continent. I learned a lot.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩd like to hear it.тАЭ
тАЬMost of itтАЩs on disk at Port Central. I couldnтАЩt bring it with me.тАЭ
тАЬIs there anything I should know before I leave?тАЭ
Eagan laughed harshly, тАЬYes. ItтАЩs not like anything you can possibly imagine. If I
had it to do again, IтАЩd never set foot outside Port Central, just invite the occasional
native in to tell me her story. If you have any sense, thatтАЩs what youтАЩll do. IтАЩm glad
to be out of it.тАЭ
Marghe said nothing. Eagan shrugged and picked up her fork. They ate in silence.
Marghe got up to get their dessert. She hesitated. тАЬIтАЩve heard some rumors, I
canтАЩt vouch for their validity, but once youтАЩve heard them, you might want to give
up on the decontamination and return to Jeep with me.тАЭ
тАЬNo.тАЭ
тАЬListen, anyway.тАЭ Marghe realized she sounded like Hiam. Was she beginning to
believe it? тАЬThe rumor is that the people who are taken to Estrade are never heard
from again.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩll take my chances.тАЭ
тАЬTake some time to think about it.тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt need to think about it.тАЭ
тАЬEagan, I need you down there. I need what you know.тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs all on disk.тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt want just whatтАЩs on disk. I want your private thoughts, your theories, the
ones that are too crazy to be put on record.тАЭ
Eagan looked at her for a long time. Marghe saw the lines around her eyes.
Formed by months of squinting at light reflecting on the water? тАЬYouтАЩre assuming I
have some theories. I donтАЩt. Winnie had theories. SheтАЩs missing.тАЭ
тАЬTell me what you know.тАЭ
тАЬShe decided to go to the plateau of Tehuantepec.тАЭ