"Harrison, Harry - Eden 2 - Winter In Eden" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

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The weapon cracked loudly in his hand just as one of the fargi stepped forward. To receive the dart in her flesh, stumble and fall.

"You!" Vaintш said, staring at his face, hatred coloring the word, rippling her flesh with its strength.

Without conscious thought Kerrick fired again-but she was gone. The two remaining fargi turned to follow her. His weapon snapped again and one of them dropped. Loud footsteps crashed away through the trees.

They were running, fleeing. It was not the invasion then, perhaps only a scouting party.

"They are here!" he shouted as loudly as he could, then howled the Tanu war cry. Then shouted in Yilanш "Kill, kill, kill-Vaintш, Vaintш, Vaintш!" in the hope that she would get the meaning.

There were shouts in the distance and he called out the warning again. Then ran, suddenly heedless of all danger, following the receding footsteps. Crashed after them, panting, wanting to kill some more. Came out of the trees and saw the two figures on the dockside ahead hurling themselves from it into the water.

Kerrick stood on the scarred wood and fired at the two heads moving away from him in the sea, over and over until the depleted hшsotsan writhed feebly in his grip. His darts had missed; the two swimmers were well out of range. Moving toward the black object far out in the harbor.

The fin of an uruketo, waiting there for them.

Only then did Kerrick realize how he was shaking. He lowered the weapon and watched the heads grow smaller until they were lost in the waves. Vaintш here, and he could have killed her. There was the sound of hurrying feet behind him and two hunters ran up.

"We saw them, two murgu, dead, they killed Keridamas and Simmacho; what is happening?"

Kerrick pointed, still trembling. "There, the murgu, they are still alive. They have one of their boat-beasts out there. They came to see the city; they know that we are here now."

"Will they be back?"

"Of course they will be back!" Kerrick screamed, his lips drawn back from his teeth. "She is with them, the leader, the one who keeps alive the battle against us, who wants to kill us all. As long as she is out there-they'll be back."

The hunters stepped away from Kerrick and eyed him uneasily. "This is a thing that Sanone must be told about," Meskawino said. "We must run and tell him."

They started away and Kerrick had to call after them. "One can carry the news. You, Meskawino, stay here."

Meskawino hesitated, then obeyed since Kerrick ordered things in the city. Sanone was their mandukto whom the Sasku still looked to for leadership, but he had instructed them to obey Kerrick at all times. Meskawino gripped his mattock and looked around apprehensively. Kerrick saw this and struggled to get himself under control. The time for blind anger was past. He must think coldly now, like a Yilanш, think for all of them. He reached out and touched the hunter's trembling arm.

"They are gone, so your fear must go as well. I saw the one who leads; she and another swam to safety. They are gone, all gone. Now you must remain here and keep watch in case they return."

This was a positive command, something to do. Meskawino raised his mattock like a weapon. "I will watch," he said, turning and looking out to sea. When he did this he saw the slumped body of the guard for the first time and began to wail.

"He too-my brother!" The mattock slipped to the ground as he stumbled over to the body and dropped to his knees beside it.

More killing and more death, Kerrick thought, looking out at the now empty harbor. Vaintш, the creature of death. Yet it could not be her alone. She would receive no aid from the cities were it not for the cold winters that brought fear to the Yilanш of Entoban* where one city stretched out to brush against another city. When winter came to the northern cities they could stay and die. Or cross the ocean-and make war. That was what Vaintш told them; he had heard her, knew that she would go on doing that until she was killed.

Someday. Not now; she was beyond his reach. What he must do now was to get inside her head and discover what she was planning. He knew her as well as anyone did, far better than the other Yilanш. So what would she do next?

One thing was certain, she was not alone. An entire fleet of uruketo could be lying just over the horizon, filled with armed fargi, ready to invade. It was a frightening thought. A wail of agony cut through his thoughts and he turned to see that the Sasku had arrived. Sanone came first, the women following behind tearing at their hair when they saw the dead hunter. Sanone looked from the corpse to Kerrick, then out to sea.

"They have returned as you said they would. Now we must defend ourselves. What must we do?"

"Post guards night and day. The beaches and all of the ways into the city must be watched. They will come back."