"Diana Wynne Jones - The Game" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jones Diana Wynne)

тАЬDown, Chaser! Come on, Snuffer! Bell and Doom, get away, get on
!тАЭ He cracked his whip again. Hayley saw that he was careful not to
hit any of the dogs. тАЬCome on, all of you!тАЭ he shouted.
It took a while, and a lot more shouting and whip cracking, but
at length the dogs turned away from these interesting new humans
they had found. One or two put noses to the ground. One gave an
excited yelp. And finally they all rushed away into the forest with
the boy running and bounding behind them.
тАЬOh, I liked him!тАЭ Hayley said. тАЬWho is he?тАЭ
тАЬAnother huntsman,тАЭ Flute said. тАЬOne of many. WeтАЩre on the
huntersтАЩ strand here. But I think we ought to be getting back now.
IтАЩve got a busy afternoon, and I suspect that your grandmother will
be wanting you by now.тАЭ He strode off through the sunlit forest in
the same direction that the boy and his dogs had gone.
Hayley said, тАЬBother!тАЭ as she trudged after him. The midge
people had come back again to circle in the sun and she had wanted
to watch them.
Just as she caught up with Flute, the boy came racing back
towards them. He was older now, with a little curl of beard on his
chin, and he ran as if he was running for his life. If he noticed Flute
or Hayley as he tore past them, he gave no sign of it. His eyes were
set with terror and he just ran. Behind him came all the dogs, older
too now, and a bit gaunt and grizzled. They were all snarling. One
or two had foam coming from their mouths and all their eyes
glared. As the boy crashed past Flute and Hayley the foremost dog
almost caught him and then lost ground because it had a
bloodstained piece of the boyтАЩs trousers in its mouth. The rest
chased on furiously.
Hayley clutched FluteтАЩs hand. тАЬDo they catch him?тАЭ
Flute nodded. тАЬIтАЩm afraid so.тАЭ
Hayley was horrified. тАЬ Why ?тАЭ
тАЬHe managed to be really offensive to a goddess,тАЭ Flute told her.
тАЬThings like this happen on every strand, you know. The
mythosphere is not an entirely happy place.тАЭ
тАЬBut it looks so beautiful!тАЭ Hayley protested.
Flute laughed a little. тАЬBeauty isnтАЩt made of sugar,тАЭ he said.
тАЬThrough this way now.тАЭ
They pushed their way through some thick laurels and came out
into the common again. Hayley stared from the bushes behind her
to the still impossible sight of her grandparentsтАЩ house beyond the
road, over there .
 Flute said, тАЬDo you think you can find your own way back, or do
you want me to take you?тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩd rather stay with you,тАЭ Hayley said. She felt raw with sorrow
over the fate of the nice boy.
тАЬNot possible, IтАЩm afraid,тАЭ Flute said. тАЬBut IтАЩll show you some
more magic quite soon if you like. See you.тАЭ He plunged back
among the laurels and was gone.
Definitely gone, Hayley knew. She stood and wondered what
Grandma might say if Hayley simply went across the road and rang