"Karen Koehler - Slayer--Black Miracles" - читать интересную книгу автора (Koehler Karen)

He nodded while keeping an ever-watchful eye on Samson. тАЬNow that weтАЩve had formal introductions,
letтАЩs get down to it, shall we?тАЭ

Samson let his hands dropped. There were throwing knives in each hand. Alek knew. He could smell
the steel. As Samson let fly the twin daggers, Alek was already in the air, tumbling like an acrobat over
Samson and landing with catlike agility behind him. It took Samson a whole second to realize his knives
had found tree trunks and not his target. A whole second more to realize where his target had gone. Alek
waited patiently as the slayer figured it all out and turned around. He could have taken the slayerтАЩs head
at any point during that two-second interval, but that didnтАЩt seem too sporting. The fear was distant now
as the war lust began to overtake him and make him playful and more dangerous. Alek hesitated. If there
was any way they could just settle this like human beings instead of like animals...?

Samson narrowed his seething black eyes.

No, I guess not.

тАЬLast chance to walk away,тАЭ Alek said.

Samson drew his tachi and tanto. The tachi was a good piece of work, forty-six inches of priceless jade
and polished stainless steel. The tanto was the companion piece to the tachi, at a quarter of the length.
Nice, both of them. Alek only wondered if Samson had the kata training necessary to brandish them as
more than pretty ornaments.

Alek made an underarm slash at the tanto with his sword, knocking it from SamsonтАЩs grip.

Guess not, again.

Samson looked momentarily confused, torn between diving for his fallen weapon and retreating so he
could prepare a new assault with his tachi alone.

тАЬDonтАЩt pick up the tanto. IтАЩll give you a penalty,тАЭ Alek warned him.

Samson backed up, transferring the tachi into a two-handed grip.

тАЬItтАЩs not a broadsword,тАЭ Alek said. тАЬYou use one hand.тАЭ

тАЬWhatta you? The fucking expert?тАЭ Samson spat and dove at him with the sword.

Alek winged the weapon aside, metal ringing on metal, and let the motion take him clockwise around
Samson and into his enemyтАЩs second assault. Metal skreeked. Alek shoved at the other slayer. Samson
fell back, almost dropping his sword.

Samson recovered at the last moment and made a blurring series of butterfly cuts that send Alek
stumbling back a half dozen steps. Samson grinned. When Alek sensed the nearness of the carousel at
his back, he dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way. Samson followed through with the move,
trying to stab Alek through the heart with the tachi.

Alek rolled over and used his coat to deflect SamsonтАЩs blade, giving him an opportunity to leap to the
top of the stage. тАЬYes,тАЭ Alek answered as he sat down on the edge of the carousel, his hair settling