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

тАЬTehuantepec?тАЭ Marghe frowned.
 тАЬThe same. Though the name is about as appropriate as тАШGreenlandтАЩ was. ItтАЩs
cold up there, nothing like the climate of the Gulf of Mexico.тАЭ
Marghe went over to her terminal and punched up a large-scale satellite map of the
planet. Jeep was encased in huge spiral banks of water vapor. The whole world
glowed like milk and mother-of-pearl, like a lustrous shell set in a midnight ocean.
A few keystrokes removed the clouds. Marghe rotated the naked world. тАЬCome
and show me.тАЭ
Eagan pointed to Port Central, on the second largest continent, then tapped a
raised area several hundred miles to the north. тАЬHere. Winnie believed she had found
clues in their folklore as to the origins of these people. She was heading for a place
on the plateau called Ollfoss.тАЭ
тАЬEnlarge.тАЭ The screen displayed a more detailed map. Much of the plateau was
forested and contour lines showed it at an elevation of almost three thousand feet.
тАЬCan you show meтАЩthe location?тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm not a geographer. But I тАЩll give you some friendly advice. DonтАЩt go. Winnie
headed that way, and she never came back.тАЭ
Marghe stared at the screen. тАЬHow long has she been missing?тАЭ
тАЬFourteen months.тАЭ
тАЬShe was wearing a wristcom?тАЭ
тАЬOf course. But most places out there theyтАЩre useless: few relays, and weather
interferes with everything.тАЭ
тАЬWhat about the Search, Locate, and Identify Code?тАЭ
тАЬA SLICтАЩs only any good if there are enough satellites out there to scan for it.
And if the Mirrors are willing to come and get you.тАЭ
Marghe absorbed all that. тАЬDo you have any ideas what might have happened?тАЭ
тАЬAnything could have happened.тАЭ
тАЬYou said that one of the reasons you wanted off was because the natives would
just as soon kill you as say hello. Or words to that effect.тАЭ
For the first time, Eagan looked uncomfortable. тАЬThatтАЩs not strictly true. I
exaggerated, to rationalize my need to get off the damn world. TheyтАЩre justтАж
ordinary people.тАЭ
тАЬButтАФтАЭ
тАЬNo.тАЭ Eagan cut her off abruptly. тАЬWinnie did not have to be murdered to die.
The planet itself will do that if you give it a chance. Listen to me. Do you have any
idea how many different ways a person could get herself killed? For all I know,
Winnie could have fallen off her horse and broken her neck the second day out. Or
she could have choked on a piece of meat. Or gotten pneumonia. Or been attacked
by something.тАЭ Tears, moving slowly in the low gravity, spread a wet line down each
cheek. тАЬOr maybe she just forgot to tie her horse up tightly one night and it ran off,
leaving her stranded miles from anywhere. Maybe she ran out of food and starved to
death. I donтАЩt know, I donтАЩt know.тАЭ She brushed jerkily at her cheeks. тАЬAll! know is
that she went away and didnтАЩt come back.тАЭ
тАЬShe went on her own?тАЭ
тАЬYes,тАЭ Eagan said. тАЬI let her go out on her own. I told her she was crazy to try.
So I let her go on her own, and now sheтАЩs dead. And if you go, youтАЩll die too.тАЭ


Chapter Two
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