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

Kerrick seized him by the arms, pulled him to his feet and shook him wildly.

"What are you saying-do you know what you are saying?"

Ortnar smiled and nodded his head. "I know. I came south to tell you this. Now I go north while it is still summer to find the Paramutan, to find Armun if I can. I will bring her to youЕ"

"No, no need for that."

In an instant everything had changed for Kerrick. He straightened up as though an invisible weight had slipped from his shoulders. The future was suddenly as clear as a path, stretching sharply marked out ahead of him, like Kadair's footsteps stamped into stone that Sanone always talked about. He looked past Ortnar, to the city street that led to the north.

"There is no need for you to go-I will do that myself. The sammads will stay here; the city will be defended. Herilak knows how to kill the murgu-he won't need any instructions from me for that. I will go north and find her."

"Not alone, Kerrick. I have no sammad except yours now. Lead and I will follow. We will do this together for two spears are stronger than one."

"You are right-I will not stop you." Kerrick smiled. "And you are the better hunter by far. We would go hungry if we depended upon the skill of my bow."

"We will go fast with little time for hunting. If there is the gray murgu meat we will take that to eat."

"Yes, there is still a good supply. Fresh meat is much preferred by the Sasku."

Kerrick had found a large stock of bladders of preserved meat, had been bringing it to the hanalш for the males. And what would become of them? Certain death if he left them, that was clear. They deserved better than that. He must think about that as well. Much had to be decided.

"We will leave in the morning," he said. "We will meet here when it is light. By that time the sammadars will have come to an agreement since they have little choice."

Kerrick went to the hanalш, closed the heavy door behind him and called out his name. Nadaske hurried down the corridor toward him, claws clattering on the wood, making motions of greeting and happiness.

"Days without number have passed, loneliness and starvation batter at us."

"I will not ask which comes first, hunger or companionship. Now where is Imehei? There is important talking to be done before I leave the city."

"Leave!" Nadaske wailed with agony and signed death-by-despair. Imehei heard the sounds and came hurrying up.

"I'll not leave you to die," Kerrick said, "so stop your bad imitation of a mindless fargi and listen closely. We are going for a walk around the city now. The Sasku will take no notice, they have seen us walking before and have been ordered not to harm you. They obey their mandukto far better than you obey me. We will walk to the edge of the city and beyond. Then you will go south by yourselves until you see the island I have told you about, and the place of death. You will find Yilanш and uruketo there and you will be safe away from ustuzou forever."

Nadaske and Imehei looked at each other, signed agreement and firmness of purpose. It was Nadaske who spoke, indicating that what he said was spoken for both of them.

"We have talked. In the many hours alone we have talked. We have seen the city and the ustuzou here and walked about it and have talked. I will tell you what we have talked about. How strange it has been to be away from females and to walk with Kerrick-ustuzou-male-female. Very strange. We have marveled at what we have seen, eyes as wide as fargi fresh from the sea, for we have seen ustuzou living as Yilanш in this city. Strangest of all we have seen the ustuzou males with hшsotsan and the females with the young. We have talked and talked about thisЕ"

"And you talk too much," Imehei interrupted. "Not only did we talk, we decided. Decided that we did not want to go to the beaches ever again. Decided that we never wanted to see a female-grasping-painly-deadly Yilanш ever again. We will not walk south."

They signalled firmness-of-decision together and Kerrick marveled. "You have a braveness I have never seen-for males."

"How can it be seen when our lives are in the hanalш," Nadaske said. "We are as much Yilanш as the females."

"But what will you do?"

"We will stay with you. We will not go south."

"But I am leaving here in the morning. Going north."