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

"Perhaps that is protection from the poisons in the wall, probably the thorns as well. This creature was grown to live where everything else dies. There has to be a reason for that; the Yilanш who grow things do everything with a reason."

"It is sick though-those boils on its back, one is opened."

"Those aren't boils or sores; see how regularly spaced they are." With the tip of his bow Kerrick reached down and prodded the open bulge, disturbing it so that brown particles fell free. Nenne bent close over and looked at them.

"They are dry, I do not understand. They look like seeds." Kerrick stood slowly and turned to look at the deadly green barrier, felt a chill at the same time despite the warm sun upon him. "I understand," he said. "I understand only too well. We are looking at defeat, Nenne. Certain defeat. I see no way that we can win this battle, no way for us to survive."


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CHAPTER TWELVE
One of the younger manduktos stirred the fire and added fresh wood. The light of the flames flickered over the small group about Sanone who were sitting across the fire from Kerrick. He had wanted to talk to all the hunters, but this was not the Sasku way. The manduktos made the decisions and they were obeyed. They were conferring now in low murmurs as Kerrick looked deep into the fire, trying to look into the future as well, seeing only despair in that warm light.

"We cannot agree," Sanone said, turning back to Kerrick. "You are just guessing, you have no proof, we must wait and see."

"Must you wait until we have the first deaths here? Can you not see clearly what has been done? Look south, to the beach there, to what appears to be an empty encampment. It does not matter that none of the murgu are there now-it is meant to be empty. Those plants are poisonous and deadly, but they must be grown somewhere so they can be harvested. Why not on the shore here? This is the environment they will have to grow in. They were planted there to grow and flourish-and when they are ripe, their seed will be harvested. And that explains as well the small murgu we killed."

"This is just guessingЕ"

"Perhaps. But it has the real smell of truth to it. Think of that creature, designed to live among the vines and plants where everything else dies. Why bother breeding such a creature in the first place if the plants are just for protection? No, they have a more terrible significance. They are meant to be spread. Spread here. The little murgu will run and hide, and wherever it goes it will leave those seeds behind. It will run here in Deifoben until our city is filled with death and we will have to leave or die ourselves."

"If the little murgu try to come here we will kill them," one of the manduktos called out and the others murmured agreement. Kerrick fought to keep his anger under control.

"Will you? You are such a wonderful killer with the bow and the death-stick that you can hunt by night and day, over all this vast place, under every shrub and tree, kill each murgu as it appears? If you think that you are a fool. You are all being foolish. I feel as you do; I don't want to believe this thing. But I must. We will have to leave here-and as soon as possible."

"No, this will not happen." Sanone was on his feet. "Kadair led us here, he will not desert us now."

"Maybe Karognis brought you here instead," Kerrick said, hearing the horrified gasps around him, hoping that they might be shocked into understanding. "We cannot kill all of the creatures when they begin coming here, we cannot stop the seeds from growing. We must leave before the first deaths happen."

"It cannot be," Sanone said. "They would not do such a thing because it would leave this city useless. What kills us would kill the murgu just as quickly."

Kerrick ignored the cries of agreement and shouted louder than they did. "You reason like children. Do you think the murgu would design and grow these plants without knowing how to destroy them just as well? When this city is theirs again all the growing bushes of destruction will be cleared away."

"If they can do it-so can we."

"No we can't. We have not the knowledge that they have."

Sanone raised his hand and the others were silent. "We get angry and wisdom vanishes. We say things we will regret later. Perhaps everything that Kerrick has said will come to pass. But even if it does-do we have a choice? If they can kill this place, can they not follow and kill our valley, or wherever else we choose to camp? Perhaps Kadair led us here to die, perhaps that is part of his plan. We cannot know. It appears that we have little choice. It will be easier to stay."

For the first time Kerrick was silent for he could not answer Sanone's words. Was that the only choice? Stay here and die, or run away, across the great land. And find death waiting for your arrival. Without another word he wrapped his deerskin cloak around him, stood and went to his sleeping chamber. It had been a long and hard day and he was tired, yet he could not sleep. Lying in the darkness he sought a way out, a path to follow that they had not noticed yet. They would send for Herilak in the spring and he would come with the Tanu. They would launch an attack on the island where the Yilanш were, drive them off. Capture a scientist, make her reveal how the deadly plants could be killed. Kill the lizards when they appeared, dig up the plants when they started to grow. A lot could be done-had to be doneЕ

The morning was clear, the sun warm, the fears of the night diminished by daylight. Kerrick was peeling an orange when he saw Sanone emerge from the leafy mouth of one of the connecting passageways. His face was twisted with lines of pain, and he shuffled as he walked. Kerrick stood, the fruit, forgotten, dropping to the ground.

"The first," Sanone said. "As you said, so it begins. A child, a small girl, playing at the riverbank when a thorn rose out of the sand and drove into her foot and she died. We dug the plant out of the ground with spears, it was as small as my hand, burnt it in the fire. But how could it come there-in the center of the city?"

"Many ways. They could put seeds in the river upstream. They could be fed to birds to fall with their excrement. They are very wise, the Yilanш who make new things grow. When they do a thing they do it well. Everyone must be warned, precautions taken. Or do we leave?"

Sanone seemed older than his years at this moment, the lines in his face deeper. "I do not know. We will talk again tonight. Meanwhile there are certain things I must do to understand Kadair's meaning in all this. It is very hard to know exactly what is the correct thing that must be done."