"C M Kornbluth - Thirteen O'Clock UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kornbluth C M)

"Hold these." She passed him a flowery sprig and a clove of garlic. He took them, one in each hand. "All right?" he asked.
"On those, yes. Now take the cross and read this name. You can put the vegetables down now."
He followed instructions, stammering over the harsh Hebrew word. In a cold fury the girl sprang to her feet and leveled her left index finger at him. "Clever," she blazed. "But you can't get away with it! I'll blow you so wide open-"
"Wait," he pleaded. "What did I do?" The girl, though sweet-looking, seemed to be absolutely irresponsible.
"Mispronounced the Name," she snapped. "Because you can't say it straight without crumbling into dust!"
He looked at the paper again and read aloud slowly and carefully. "Was that right?" he asked.
Crestfallen, the girl sat down. "Yes," she said. "I'm sorry. You seem to be okay. A real human. Now what do you want to know?"
"Well-who are you?"
"My name's Melicent," She smiled deprecatingly. "I'm a sorceress."
"I can believe that. Now why should you take me for a demon, or whatever you thought I was?"
"Doppleganger," she corrected him. "I was sure-well, I'd better begin at the beginning.
"You see, I haven't been a sorceress very long-only two years. My mother was a witch-a real one, and first-class. All I know I learned from her-never studied it formally. My mother didn't die a natural death, you see. Almarish got her."
"Who's Almarish?"
She wrinkled her mouth with disgust. "A thug!" she spat. "He and his gang of half-breed demons are out to get control of Ellil. My mother wouldn't stand for it-she told him right out flat over a Multiplex Apparition. And after that he was gunning for her steady-no letup at all. And believe me, there are mighty few witches who can stand up under much of that, but Mother stood him off for fifteen years. They got my father
-he wasn't much good-a little while after I was born. Vampires.
"Mother got caught alone in the woods one morning without her tools-unguents, staffs and things-by a whole flock of golems and zombies." The girl shuddered. "Some of them
-well, Mother finished about half before they overwhelmed her and got a stake of myrtle through her heart. That finished her-she lost all her magic, of course, and Almarish sent a plague of ants against her. Adding insult to injury!" There were real tears of rage in her eyes.
"And what's this Almarish doing now?" Peter was fascinated.
Melicent shrugged. "He's after me," she said simply. "The bandur you killed was one of my watchdogs. And I thought he'd sent you. I'm sorry."
"I see," he breathed slowly. "What powers has he?" "The usual, I suppose. But he has no principles about using them. And he has his gang-I can't afford real retainers. Of course I whip up some simulacra whenever I hold a reception or anything of that sort. Just images to serve and take wraps. They can't fight."
Peter tightened his jaw. "You must be in a bad way." The girl looked him full in the eye, her lip trembling. She choked out, "I'm in such a hell of a spot!" and then the gates opened and she was weeping as if her heart would break. He
frozenly, wondering how he could comfort a despondent sorceress. "There, there," he said tentatively.
She wiped her eyes and looked at him. "I'm sorry," she said sniffing. "But it's seeing a friendly face again after all . these years-no callers but leprechauns and things. You don't know what it's like."
"I wonder," said Peter, "how you'd like to live in Brain-tree."
"I don't know," she said brightly. "But how could I get there?"
'There should be at least one way."
"But why-what was that?" shot out the girl, snatching up a wand.
"Knock on the door," said Peter. "Shall I open it?"
"Please," said Melicent nervously, holding up the slender staff. He stood aside and swung the door wide. In walked a curious person of mottled red and white coloring. One eye was small and blv^e, the other large and savagely red. His teeth were quite normal-except that the four canines protruded two inches each out of his mouth. He walked with a limp; one shoe seemed curiously small. And there was a sort of bulge in the trousers that he wore beneath his formal morning-coat.
"May I introduce myself," said the individual, removing his sleek black topper. "I am Balthazar Pike. You must be Miss Melicent? And this-ah-zombie?" He indicated Peter with a leer.
"Mr. Packer, Mr. Pike," said the girl. Peter stared in horror while the creature murmured, "Enchanted."
Melicent drew herself up proudly. "And this, I suppose," she said, "is the end?"
"I fear so, Miss Melicent," said the creature regretfully. "I have my orders. Your house has been surrounded by picked forces; any attempt to use your blast-finger or any other weapon of offense will be construed as resistance. Under the laws of civilized warfare we are empowered to reduce you to ashes should such resistance be forthcoming. May I have your reply?"
The girl surveyed him haughtily, then, with a lighting-like sweep of her wand, seemed to blot out every light in the room. Peter heard her agitated voice, "We're in a neutral screen, Mr. Packer. I won't be able to keep it up for long. Listen! That
was one of Almarish's stinkers-big cheese. He didn't expect any trouble from me. He'll take me captive as soon as they break the screen down. Do you want to help me?"
"Of course!"
"Good. Then you find the third oak from the front door on the left and walk widdershins three times. You'll find out what to do from tr^em."
"Walk how?" asked Peter.
"Widdershins-counterclockwise. Lord, you're dumb!"
Then the lights seemed to go on again, and Peter saw that the room was filled with the half-breed creatures. With an expression of injured dignity the formally-attired Balthazar Pike asked, "Are you ready to leave now, Miss Melicent? Quite ready?"
"Thank you, General, yes," said the girl coldly. Two of the creatures took her arms and walked her from the room. Peter saw that as they stepped over the threshold they vanished, all three. The last to leave was Pike, who turned and said to the man: "I must remind you, Mister-er-ah-that you are trespassing. This property now belongs to the Almarish Realty Corporation. All offenders will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Good day, Mister-er-ah-". With which he stepped over the door and vanished.
Hastily Peter followed him across the line, but found himself alone outside the house. For which he was grateful. "Third oak from the left door," he repeated. Simple enough. Feeling foolish he walked widdershins three times around and stopped dead waiting for something.
What a sweet, brave kid she had been! He hoped nothing would really happen to her-before he got there.
He felt a sort of tugging at his serge trousers and stepped back in alarm. "Well?" shrilled a small voice. Peter looked down and winced. The dirtiest, most bedraggled little creature he had ever seen was regarding him with tiny, sharp eyes. There were others, too, squatting on pebbles and toadstools.
"Miss Melicent told me to ask you what I should do," said Peter. As the little leader of the troop glared at him he added hastily, "If you please,"
"Likely tale," piped the voice of the creature. "What's in it for us?"
"I dunno," he said bewildered. "What do you want?"
"Green cloth," the creature answered promptly. "Lots of
it. And if you have any small brass buttons, them too."
Peter hastily conducted on inventory of his person. Tin sorry," he said hesitantly. "I haven't any green. How about blue? I can spare my vest." He carefully lowered the garment to the ground among the little people.