"Nina Kiriki Hoffman - Past the Size of Dreaming" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hoffman Nina Kiriki)

one of the pool tables. Two of them waved to her, and all of them grinned.
She grinned back and patted his cheek. тАЬHey, great! IтАЩll be over in a minute, okay, buddy?тАЭ
 тАЬWhoa! Yeah! Uh-huh, huh!тАЭ He kissed her cheek and staggered back toward the pool table, then
detoured in the direction of the rest rooms.
She wiped saliva off her face. тАЬWell, okay, Galen, what is it you want from me?тАЭ
He glanced away from her and swallowed. She saw his AdamтАЩs apple bob. тАЬI think I need some
help,тАЭ he said. His voice was still monotone.
тАЬThis is how you ask for help? Calling me a witch?тАЭ
He frowned. He turned back to meet her gaze, his eyes narrowed. тАЬI havenтАЩt talked to anybody
outside in a long time,тАЭ he said after a few breams. тАЬIтАЩm not good at it.тАЭ
тАЬI noticed.тАЭ
тАЬThereтАЩs a statue in the park across the street.тАЭ
TerryтАЩs eyebrows lifted. She sipped beer and waited.
Galen looked away again, his mouth tightening. тАЬI guess I should go home and study conversation. I
havenтАЩt tried to talk to a stranger in forty years. What a ridiculous set of skills for me not to have.тАЭ He
hunched his shoulders and turned away.
Terry touched his arm. Shock tingled through her, so intense and sudden she yelped. Galen turned,
startled too.
тАЬHey, baby. This guy still bothering you?тАЭ asked the crewcut man, returned from the rest rooms.
тАЬNo, honey. HeтАЩs my brother. Give me a few minutes, will you?тАЭ
Crewcut slapped her back and wandered away, nodding.
тАЬWhat are you going to do with him?тАЭ Galen asked.
Terry slitted her eyes. She dropped a five-dollar bill on the bar. тАЬLetтАЩs go outside.тАЭ
They pushed their way out past close-packed people. The night air felt cool and sharp after the hot.
smelly air in the bar, the orange streetlamps sun-bright after the barтАЩs darkness. Traffic had almost
disappeared.
Terry grabbed GalenтАЩs arm and shuddered as the shock of touching him struck her. When it faded,
she pulled him across the street into the little park. It was big enough to have two patches of frosty lawn,
three winterbare maple treesтАФit was late February, too early for spring leavesтАФa bench, a trash can,
and, oh, yes, there was a statue there, a stone soldier on a pedestal commemorating the dead in some
war a long time ago. She dragged Galen over to it and opened her senses as wide as she could. What
had this soldier to do with witching? She didnтАЩt get any hit from it at all.
She turned to Galen, senses still wide, and saw that he glowed. Fox fire gray-green.
She should have expected something like that. Static electricity couldnтАЩt explain the charge heтАЩd given
her.
She let go of his arm. тАЬIтАЩm listening.тАЭ
He sighed, stepped over to the pedestal, and leaned against it. The witchglow around him changed to
a shifting blend of yellow, pink, and red. His face came alive. This time his smile looked genuine. She
liked it even more. тАЬI, uhтАФтАЭ
Terry touched the pedestal. Dead stone. What was this?
тАЬItтАЩs thisтАФI was just leaning against this and the statue said go in the bar and find the witch.тАЭ Now his
voice rose and fell in the tones of normal conversation.
тАЬWhat made you decide I was a witch?тАЭ
тАЬOh, come on. I can spot witches, no problem. ItтАЩs elementary.тАЭ
тАЬHow?тАЭ
He drew a couple signs in the air with an index finger, muttered three words, touched his eyes.
Terry knew the spell. Simple, effective. Make the hidden visible. She sighed. тАЬSo what is it you want
from me?тАЭ
тАЬHere.тАЭ He held out his hand, the dark, shiny object still in it.
тАЬApprentice!тАЭ cried a loud voice from behind them.