"Barbara Karmazin - Blackbird 0 - Covenants" - читать интересную книгу автора (Karmazin Barbara)

came here and offered to buy our land.тАЭ
Percival came over to the oak table. He wore his hip-length salt and
pepper hair in a ponytail tied with a single strip of worn leather. He leaned
his hip on the side of the massive oak table and smiled at Elizabeth. There
was no mistaking the confidence he projected about his half-sister's deci-
sion.
Nathanial sighed. Elizabeth was right. There was no other way. With
only five of them left, they would never survive another attempt to resettle.
They must stay and fight to keep their land.
Lilith sighed. тАЬI don't know if I've made the right choice. It's too late
for me to present myself as an older woman. I didn't foresee this human
changing tactics and becoming a persistent suitor when I refused his offer
for our land last year.тАЭ
 тАЬNever you mind about that.тАЭ Elizabeth went to the fireplace and the
cauldron of soup hanging there. She lifted the spoon to her mouth and
sipped. Their great aunt looked like a small child standing in the massive
maw of the fireplace. Neatly mended patches adorned the knees of her
faded jeans. тАЬYou're no longer a womanchild fresh from your first ro-
mancing. You can handle him.тАЭ
Lilith leaned her cheek against the windowpane and stared outside. тАЬI
know what signs to watch for now. I won't allow myself to be deluded
again by my desire for children.тАЭ
Elizabeth motioned at them to line up at the fireplace. She picked up a
towel, wrapped it around the handle of the cauldron, lifted it from the
hook and placed it on the metal trivet on the blackened firestone. Lilith
and Shiloh joined Percival and accepted their portions. The men towered a
full two heads taller than Elizabeth's slight form.
Nathanial came last. Elizabeth's head barely reached the top of his ab-
domen. He accepted his bowl and escorted Elizabeth to an ornately carved
chair with thick cushions that raised her to a more comfortable height at
the table.
When he seated himself in the next seat, the bright metallic shape of a
yada popped out of a cubbyhole beside the fireplace and swiftly cleared the
ashes off the blackened hearthstones. Shiloh's mechanical devices served
them well. He'd created them two decades ago in order to save them time
and energy keeping all the empty rooms of their homes suitably clean.
Shiloh had named them тАШbrowniesтАЩ but the patent office said he could-
n't because that word wasn't considered politically correct. So, he settled
on тАШyada', obtained his patent and sold the subsidiary rights to a small
company to produce and sell the robots on the open market. Since then,
their sisterline had reaped the dual benefit of yada labor and extra coin for
the family coffers.
Lilith paused with her spoon in mid air. тАЬUncle Percy, which dog did
you choose for tomorrow's gifting?тАЭ
Percival put aside his piece of buttered bread. тАЬI chose Shillelagh. He's
two and a half years old. His training is complete and he's already neu-
tered.тАЭ
Lilith inclined her head towards the bread. Percival passed it to her
along with the butter. тАЬShelley knows all the commands, both hand and
verbal for his guard dog duties. I'll bathe him tonight. Tomorrow he'll be