"Sterling E. Lanier - Hieros 01 - Hiero's Journey" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lanier Sterling E)

THE SIGN OF THE FISHHOOK 17
Unclean. No normal man, not even an outlaw, would or could associate with a
foul pack such as this, and yet, as the man strode to them, the savage
creatures cringed aside in evident fear.
The leader of the Fur creatures, crouching low, came up to the man and the two
moved a little apart, while the others milled restlessly about, grunting and
whining in low tones. Hiero could see that man's lips move and the yellow
fangs of the Furhopper chief flash in answer. They were actually talking, not
using mind speech, one to the other! Even as he inwardly shrank in loathing
from the whole gang, the scientist in Hiero could not help applauding the
feat. With normal speech, there would be no betraying mental currents, such as
made him afraid to address Klootz more than was absolutely necessary and had
caused the bear to impress mental silence upon them.
Now, the conversation apparently over, the man seemed to dismiss the pack of
hideous creatures and, turning about, simply walked away in the direction from
which he had come. This was to the south and east. The Furhoppers surrounded
their leader, who snarled something out which silenced them. In a moment they
had formed their line again and were tramping the dead leaves back on the way
they had come, which was from the west.
As the gray-cloaked man disappeared in one direction and the Furhoppermutes in
the other, all three creatures on the edge of the bowl relaxed a little. But
no one used mind speech; they simply sat quietly and waited.
After what must have been a good half hour, Gorm the bear slowly rose and
stretched. He looked around at Klootz and his rider, sending no message, but
his meaning was plain. The big morse arose as silently as he had lain down,
and from his vantage high on the great back, Hiero surveyed the silent forest
before them.
The setting sun slanted down through the pines and maples and lit the patchy
undergrowth in flashes of vivid green, turning various piles of dead leaves
into russet and gold. Ancient logs glowed with color as green moss and gray
lichen were caught in the last patches of sunlight. How beautiful the land is,
the priest reflected, and yet how full of evil under its loveliness.
But Gorm was all business, and as he lurched down into the hollow, Klootz
followed him, his great forked hooves mak-
18
HlERO'S JOURNEY
ing no more sound in the leaves than a mouse would have.
To Micro's alarm, the small bear was headed for the exact spot on the far side
of the depression into which the sinister person in the cloak had gone. While
desperately anxious to know more about this dark being and his purposes, Hiero
did not want a direct encounter with him. His mission, far to the East, came
first above all else. He dared not send a mental message, not with the enemy
so close about them that the sense of mental oppression was still a weight on
his spirit, and he could think of no way to halt, or redirect, the bear except
by physical means.
"Pssst," he hissed, and again.
Gorm looked back and saw the man gesturing violently to stop. He halted on a
patch of leaves and let Klootz catch up.
Hiero, looking down at the bear, could think of nothing to do which would
explain what he wanted. He was keeping a rigid mindblock on, and he had a more