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

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