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

"Daughter of Death, you and yours should be back in that fire-city. The best of the Yilanш who died deserve to be here in your place."

In her anger she had spoken as one of equal to equal, as efenselш to efenselш. When you grew in the sea with others, emerged with them in the same group, your efenburu, it was a fact never considered; like the air one breathed. You were efenselш to the others in your efenburu for life. But Enge would not accept that.

"Your memory is weak, inferior one." She said this in the most insulting manner, the highest of the high to the lowest of the low. Erafnais, standing between them, moaned with terror, her crest flaming first red then orange as she fled below. Vaintш reeled back as though struck a physical blow. Enge was pitiless.

"You have been disowned. Your shame is upon me and I reject you as an efenselш. Your reckless ambition to kill Kerrick-ustuzou, all ustuzou, has destroyed proud Alpшasak instead. You ordered low-creature Stallan to kill my companions. Since the egg of time there has been no one like you. Would you had never emerged from the sea. If our entire efenburu had died there in the wet silence, myself included, it would have been better than this."

Vaintш's skin had first flared with rage when Enge spoke, but quickly darkened as her body grew still. Her anger was sealed inside now, to be used when needed-and not to be wasted on this inferior being who was once her equal.

"Leave me," she said, then turned back to the empty sea. Enge turned away as well, breathing deeply and ashamed of herself for the unbidden anger. This was not what she believed in, what she preached to others. With great effort she stilled the movements of her limbs, the glaring colors of her palms and crest. Only when she was stonelike and as uncommunicative as Vaintш did she permit herself to speak. Below her was the crewmember guiding the uruketo through the sea; close behind her was the commander. Enge leaned down and made the sound of speaking-attention.

"From one-who-follows to one-who-leads, would Erafnais give pleasure by joining here?"

Erafnais climbed reluctantly up, aware of silent Vaintш, back turned and staring out at the sea. "I am here, Enge," she said.

"My thanks and the gratitude of those with me, for saving us from destruction. Where are you bound?"

"Where?" Erafnais echoed the question, then felt shame. She was the commander yet had not thought of their destination at all. She blurted the truth with shallow movements of apology.

"We fled the fire, out to sea, our course as it always is east to Entoban*. This was done with the panic of flight and not the wisdom of command."

"Dismiss the shame-for you have saved us all and there is only gratitude. Entoban* of the Yilanш must be our destination. But which city?"

The question brought the answer instantly.

"Home. Where my efenburu is, where this uruketo first entered the sea. Sea-girt Ikhalmenets."

Though still staring out at the surging waves, Vaintш had turned one eye to follow the conversation. She asked for attention to communication but only Erafnais looked her way.

"Ikhalmenets-of-the-islands is not Entoban*. Respectfully request course to Mesekei."

Erafnais acknowledged the request, yet politely but firmly reaffirmed their destination. Vaintш could see that her wrong-headedness could not be altered so was silent. There would be other ways to reach her destination-for reach it she must. Mesekei was a great city on a great river, rich and prosperous and far from the cold of the north. More important-they had aided her more than any other city in the war against the ustuzou. The future now was gray and impenetrable when she looked at it, her numbed mind empty of all thought. A time would come when the grayness must lift and she would be able to think once again of the future. At that time it would be good to be in a city among friends. There would be other uruketo in Ikhalmenets; some way would be found.

Companions there-but only enemies here. Through the grayness this ugly fact loomed large. Enge and her Daughters of Death still lived-while all those so deserving of life now lay dead. This should not be-nor would it be. There was nothing that could be done here at sea. She was alone against them all; could expect no aid from Erafnais and her crew-members. Once ashore this would all change. How could she change it? Her thoughts were stirring to life now and she concealed them by her rigidity of body.

Behind her Enge signed respectful withdrawal to the commander and climbed below. When she had reached the bottom of the fin she looked back at Vaintш's motionless figure, then felt for an instant that she could almost see her mind at work. Evil, dark and deadly. Vaintш's ambitions would never change, never. These thoughts filled Enge so strongly that her limbs stirred despite her attempts at control, even in the dim phosphorescent glow they could be easily understood.

She banished them and walked slowly through the semidarkness. Past the immobile Akotolp and her miserable male companion and on to the small group huddled against the wall. Akel stood and turned toward her-then drew back as she approached.

"Enge, follower-to-leader, what unhappiness moves your limbs so that I fear for my very life when you come close?"

Enge halted at this and conveyed apology. "Loyal Akel, what I was feeling was not for you-or for any of you others as well." She looked around at the four remaining Daughters of Life and let her movements show how pleased she was with their companionship. "Once we were many. Now we are few so each of you is more precious than a multitude to me. Since we lived when all others died I feel that this has given us a mission-and a strength to carry out that mission. We will talk of that another time. There are other things that must be done first." With her thumbs against her ribcage she signed listening-ears/watching-eyes. "The sorrow I brought with me is not my own. I will now give thought to the cause of that sorrow."

She sought out a dark angle behind the bladders of preserved meat where she would be hard to see, then lay facing the living wall of the uruketo and forced her body into silent rigidity. Only when this exercise was complete did she let her thoughts return to Vaintш. Inner thoughts that were not echoed in her outer stillness.

Vaintш. She of immense hatreds. Now that Enge was free of any affection for her former efenselш she could see her for what she was. A dark power for evil. And once this fact was realized it became clear that her first act from this darkness would be directed against Enge and her companions. They had lived where all others had died. They would speak out in Ikhalmenets and what they would say would not be to Vaintш's advantage. Therefore in her simple equation of cause and effect they would have to die; nothing could be plainer than that.

Dangers known could be avoided, threats seen counteracted. Plans must be made. The first one was the easiest. Survival. She stirred and rose and went to the others. Akel and Efen greeted her, but Omal and Satsat were asleep, already sinking into the comatose state that would see them through the long, dark voyage.